Tag Archive: Duane Bowman

Tall Drinks of Water

Author: February 28, 2024

by Duane Bowman

Tall Drinks of Water by Duane Bowman

Our commander’s cartoon submission for the month of February, may need a bit of clarification.
A Navy sailor of our acquaintance noted that the Navy considers Coasties to be “shallow water sailors” and should be required to to be very tall to allow them to swim ashore if their cutter were to sink.
Truth is, while many Coast Guard duties take place in relatively shallow lakes, rivers and coastal waters, they also serve far at sea sometimes as boarding parties with USN vessels operating in Drug interdiction missions. They are some of the finest seamen afloat!

Current Issue, News

,

VFW/Legion Christmas Party

Author: January 23, 2024

by Duane Bowman

VFW/Legion Christmas Party

Our annual Christmas Party held on Saturday December 16 was a great success.

Thanks go out to Dan Mullene and American Legion Post 66 for co-hosting the event. Special thanks to my two decorating elves from our Auxiliary, Jo Boyett and Patsy Ethridge-Neal for all their hard work.

Great food and conversation were had plus we raised $500 from raffle items that was split with the American Legion.

VFW/Legion Christmas Party

We also raised $4,290 from our raffle of Michael Reagan’s Seahawks Legend poster. In addition, Michael did a special presentation to Michelle Clyborne of a portrait of her father, who served in the Special Forces in Vietnam.

We collected a lot of toys and food which I delivered to the Edmonds Food Bank by with the assistance of Quartermaster Joe Gray, to add to those already delivered from the collection at Teri’s Toybox, the downtown Edmonds toy store.

VFW/Legion Christmas Party

The Legion’s winter clothing Drive also received a lot of donations. The generosity of both the VFW and American Legion members is amazing!

If you weren’t able to make it to the party, we hope to see you there next year!

Current Issue, News

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jarheads It Is

Author: January 22, 2024

by Duane Bowman

Jarheads It Is

This month’s cartoon from Commander Duane is for our USMC comrades, which brings up the question of where the term “jarhead” originates. Google isn’t a lot of help, with all sorts of silly notions which attribute the origin to some aspects of the modem dress uniform, but if you really dig in to your history, the image shown here of the hat worn with the USMC uniform of the War of 1812 period tells you all you need to know! It appears the use of the term dates to that time and originated with sailors of that period. It may, in fact have been originally imported from the British Navy from whose Marines our own uniform of the time was adapted. The hat and high (leather, hence leathernecks) collar were designed to deflect cutless strikes in action. (Wouldn’t want our Marines losing their heads) Marines can and should wear that moniker with pride.

Jarheads It Is

Current Issue, News

,

Nothing But the Best for Our Troops

Author: October 23, 2023

Nothing But the Best for Our Troops

by Duane Bowman (with text by Mike Denton)

Meals for troops in the field have always been problematic. In earlier centuries, dried, or salt cured beef and pork with a variety of beans, somme very hard break and whatever the troops could forage from the immediate vicinity were what comprised rations. No doubt the ‘C’ rations of WWII and beyond were an improvement. While I hear more recent vets do not have a really high opinion of the culinary quality of today’s MREs, I expect they are something of an improvement as well.

Navy sailors of prior generations lived mostly on that same salt meat, beans, hard tack bread and oatmeal, sometimes supplemented with fresh meat and vegetables/fruit early in a voyage. Fortunately, those of us who served in the 20th century, when refrigeration became available aboard ship, fared considerably better.

News, Newsletter Articles

, ,

Memorial Day at Edmonds Veterans Plaza 

Author: June 20, 2022

Local veterans gathered at Edmonds’ Veterans Plaza Monday afternoon to honor their fallen comrades in a short ceremony. 

Ron Clyborne, a Vietnam veteran, spoke about the efforts to create the memorial plaza dedicated to veterans, starting with a vision nine years ago followed by planning, fundraising and construction. Edmonds’ Veterans Plaza officially opened on Memorial Day 2017. 

In her remarks, Edmonds City Council President and U.S. Air Force veteran Vivian Olson pointed to the myriad heroes giving back to Edmonds every day through arts, charities and service. She also spoke about the fragility of democracy, underscored by the current conflict in Ukraine. 

Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson offered thanks to those attending for their service. 

At the end of the event, Vietnam veterans Mike Reagan — founder of the Fallen Heroes Project — and Duane Bowman distributed pins to families of those veterans whose loved ones came home from Vietnam, and buttons to those Vietnam vets who served when called to duty. 

Memorial Day at Edmonds Veterans Plaza

News, Newsletter Articles

, , , , ,