Several years ago I had the opportunity to tour the USS Hornet in Alameda, CA. If you ever have the chance – go and see it! It was such a fun experience. They offer a number of tours from self guided to docent led. I went with a large group, and we had a docent with us the entire time, it was well worth the extra expense. This was by far the most hands on and interactive military tour I’ve ever been on.
While very active during WWII, and Vietnam, the USS Hornet also played a part in the race to the Moon. It retrieved both test flights as well as Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Mike Collins after their historic landing. .
Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.
John Adams’ quote stuck out to me today for so many reasons. While we supposedly live in the information age, there’s so much MISinformation out there. Some deliberately incorrect, others not adequately fact checked. Each passing year we lose more veterans, we lose the first hand accounts not just of the heroics they witnessed, but the atrocities as well. Both teach us something important. Today of all days we should pause and reflect what liberty means, and the vigilance necessary to keep it.
