As the slightly tattered Union Jack flutters in the breeze, it made me think of how many people, sites, sounds, and places those stripes and infamous rattlesnake might have seen.
Back when our nation was merely 13 different colonies, and fighting a “tyrant 3,000 miles away”, as well as in a then foreign land, defense became imperative if the colonies were to survive. It was decided that by the fall of 1775, a navy would established to be a “a fleet of sufficient force for the protection of these colonies”.
However, after the American Revolution, the navy as it was would be put on the backburner as the country started to form and go through its various growing pains, mainly due to financial backing. With extenuating circumstances that were endangering the welfare of our young nation, the late 1790s saw legislation set in stone, or water perhaps, that helped solidify the Department of the Navy, now with sufficient funding intact.
The Navy would go on to provide support and play significant roles in a variety of conflicts, ranging in scale from minor trading disputes to multi-faceted global contests. Along with this involvement would come a plethora of innovations. Some of these include: steam powered ironclads in the Civil War; the first commissioned submarine in 1900; the expanding of the amphibious forces and aircraft carriers during World War II, and even nuclear powered technology during the Cold War.
Today, almost 400,000 actively/inactively serve in one of the most powerful navies on Earth. I firmly believe we have well set forth in our mission to fulfill a grand endeavor given by founding father Alexander Hamilton, “Let Americans disdain to be the instruments of European greatness! Let the thirteen States, bound together in a strict and indissoluble Union, concur in erecting one great American system, superior to the control of all transatlantic force or influence, and able to dictate the terms of the connection between the old and the new world!”
Let’s keep those colors flying high!