Posted on 09/02/2012 7:25:00 PM PDT by JerseyanExile
The American supercarrier USS Nimitz, the largest aircraft carrier of the entire U.S. Navy's fleet.
I am probably a tad above the average age for a member of the Canadian Senate still in my 60s, but hurtling recklessly toward the biblical age of three-score-and-ten. So I felt slightly out of place when I visited the U.S. Navys flagship aircraft carrier USS Nimitz this summer, and watched young warriors (average age is 22.5) prepare for a mission.
Visiting the ship gave me a variety of insights into massive military equipment and how it functions, the strategic value of naval capability and what an older guy feels like when hes repeatedly confronted with eight decks of ladder stairs, as well as takeoff and landing G-forces from hell (the pain is just starting to ebb).
More succinctly, this visit blew me away.
The invitation to board the lead ship of Americas fleet of supercarriers came from Ray Maybus, U.S. Secretary of the Navy. He had been in Ottawa a few months earlier, and I had an enjoyable dinner with him at the invitation of U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson and his wife Julie.
I mentioned that two decades earlier I had flown onto the aircraft carrier USS Constellation and had found the experience both fascinating and useful. Secretary Maybus said We still do that. All you have to do is pay your own way to San Diego. Which I was pleased to do.
(Excerpt) Read more at fullcomment.nationalpost.com ...
bttt
:Many Canadians argue that less is better when it comes to military spending. But when push comes to shove, the Americans will be there for all of us.”
Many Canadians need to realize that with the United States and her net of protection over Canadian, they are, well, TOAST. They don’t have the military equipment it needs to protect herself.
Boy I screwed this one up. I meant Canada. I also meant without our net of protection they are toast.
We intend to change that as of 1/20/2013.
We intend to make the net even stronger then, as of 1/20/2013.
I enjoyed the article, and I’m glad Senator Kenny appreciates the protection that we gladly provide for our friendly neighbors to the North...
What a snarky comment from an admitted wimp who knows that his only defense is the military of the United States of America. If Canada ever gets invaded, they conveniently know that their protector will go to war. Stinking weenies who think that acknowledging US power somehow makes them not weenies are truly embarrassing. His main point is that his country knows they are dependent and can’t bring themselves to fund any defense. Can the US sell Canada to world socialists?
Thanks for posting the article!
It brought back memories for me, as I was a green shirt in catapults during my active duty in the Navy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.