"Thomas Jefferson said a democracy is dependent on an informed citizenry. I don't care whether it sounds corny or not. It's the truth." -Jim Lehrer
Carefree Truth
Issue #967, November 22, 2021
Issue #967, November 22, 2021
Preston Westmoreland told another story about the time he was in the Phoenix submarine outside of Ft. Lauderdale. The Captain pointed to a red thread in his office that was tied from one side of the sub to the other, laying down almost on the table after they dove. The Captain told him to watch it. When they surfaced, the red thread was tight across. It showed the hull compression from the massive amounts of water. It was unbelievable that the steel could compress that much and hold together, but it did. He said that the next speaker, Captain Peter Luminanski, knows all about this.
Capt. Luminanski graduated from the Naval Academy in 1964 with a B.S. in Naval Science. He spent the next 24 years in the Navy as a helicopter pilot, and a manager/leader. He logged over 3,400 hours of flight time. He ended his career in 1988 as a Captain and Commanding Officer of the Naval Reserve Center in Tampa, Florida. During this time, he acquired a MBA in management from Bryant University and graduated with honors from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Over the past 31 years, since moving to Phoenix, he has held positions in the hospitality industry, and was the president of the Service Academy Alumni Association of Arizona for 8 years.
Capt. Luminanski graduated from the Naval Academy in 1964 with a B.S. in Naval Science. He spent the next 24 years in the Navy as a helicopter pilot, and a manager/leader. He logged over 3,400 hours of flight time. He ended his career in 1988 as a Captain and Commanding Officer of the Naval Reserve Center in Tampa, Florida. During this time, he acquired a MBA in management from Bryant University and graduated with honors from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Over the past 31 years, since moving to Phoenix, he has held positions in the hospitality industry, and was the president of the Service Academy Alumni Association of Arizona for 8 years.
Capt. Peter Lumianski
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Since 1989, he has supported efforts to save parts of the Los Angeles Fast Attack Class nuclear submarine USS Phoenix, including the sail, in a downtown park as a Cold War museum monument. A model of the sub was on display at the event.
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Since 1989, he has supported efforts to save parts of the Los Angeles Fast Attack Class nuclear submarine USS Phoenix, including the sail, in a downtown park as a Cold War museum monument. A model of the sub was on display at the event.
Photos by Herbert Hitchon
Mr. Westmoreland noted that when he spent the day on the Phoenix, a crew member was sleeping in the torpedo room when they dove. He asked the man if he felt safe sleeping there. The crew member replied, "I'm sleeping on a cruise missile. You think I don't feel safe?"
Captain Lumianski said, "Thanks Preston, and nice to see you again after the many years since our rides aboard the Phoenix. It’s a great honor to be here today with each of you in remembrance of all the work, sacrifices and contributions of our military service members over literally 100s of years.
I was born in 1943 at the height of World War II, the greatest and most destructive military confrontation in history. I grew up in the post-war world of tremendous relief, massive rebuilding, and global efforts to rekindle the human spirit. Sadly, the great joy and hopes for peace which arose after the war quickly died down as our uneasy wartime alliance with the Soviet Union evolved into an ideological, military, economic and nationalistic competition the likes of which none of us had ever seen.
The world was once again divided into two fiercely opposing sides, one marked by freedom and capitalism, the other by subjugation and communism. The competition caused a gigantic arms race and spawned literally thousands of deadly weapons of mass destruction pointing in every direction, each of which was capable of inflicting nearly instantaneous death to millions of people, far out-stripping the horrors and risks of World War II.
The world entered a period of “Cold War”, with hundreds of bombers, huge armies, vast navies and thousands of nuclear missiles, both seen and unseen. The Cold War lasted officially for 40 years from 1946 to 1991. It was comprised of deadly proxy conflicts like Korea and Vietnam and Desert Storm, but also extreme tension, stress and fear among all of us, especially the idea that a devastating nuclear war could be triggered by some misplaced aggression, a misunderstanding or even a simple mistake. In short, the Cold War was a very scary time.
Those of us here today who lived during the Cold War period can clearly remember fearful times of building shelters, hiding under our desks and listening to the sound of sirens. Those of you here today who were born less than 30 years ago are the great beneficiaries of the successful end to those tension-filled times.
Our military strategy during the Cold War was to do everything in our power to avoid a nuclear conflict. We created thousands of weapons to deter the Soviet Union, and we came up with the frightening concept of Mutual Assured Destruction – the notion that the commencement of a nuclear war would lead to the planet’s end, a deterrent which we dearly hoped would work.
Among our chief weapons to achieve and maintain a nuclear stalemate was the construction of a magnificent, undetectable fleet of submarines to counter the Soviet’s huge assemblage of its own very lethal submarine force. Our missile-firing and attack submarines compete as the most technologically sophisticated machines ever built, and the skilled people who serve aboard them among our most precious assets. An excellent case can be made that our secretive, stealthy submarine force was the critical piece allowing us to prevail in the long Cold War.
Toward that end, and over the past 25 years, a group of us veterans and Arizona citizens have been working hard on building a Cold War monument in a downtown Phoenix Park, using parts of the nuke attack submarine USS Phoenix (SSN-702) as a symbolic centerpiece for our country’s Cold War efforts. We have 65 tons of its salvaged parts, a City-approved site in Steele Indian School Park next to the VA Hospital and Arizona Veteran Home, and a beautiful City-approved concept for our museum monument.
Preserving and honoring our history is a duty and responsibility for each of us, and our monument’s theme of “Remember, Learn and Honor” is a fitting summary of our efforts over many years. We’re now in our second year of fund-raising to start construction. Please take a moment to stop by our display table and consider offering a donation, a pledge, a business lead or simply your support in spreading the word and turning our long-held dream into reality. Thanks to you all for being here and for honoring our Veterans today." Captain Lumianski also thanked John Crane, a submariner and a person who understands what it's like to be under the water and all by yourself.
https://vimeo.com/645611022
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Copyrighted
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