by CS Bennett

Of late, the rave—mostly from the left—is that our sailors aboard aircraft carriers are mentally and emotionally exhausted. In addition to this, we hear that their living conditions are subpar and their food is either scarce or nutritionally inadequate. And, of course, it’s all because of Trump and the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. This seems to be the current unified, left-wing talking point, and one we’ll likely hear well into November at the polls.

Here’s the issue: sea deployments for some of our carriers have been extended, sometimes more than once, due to real-world events, and this has placed an emotional—and sometimes mental—strain on our forces. Some of our sailors, and their parents, are saying they didn’t sign up for this. We’ve heard this sentiment before in recent wars and conflicts. These are what I call “fair weather” sailors. As long as things are going smoothly and they’re on liberty abroad, taking in historic sites and museums, and they can call home on their cellphones whenever they want, they’re with the program. They write home and say how much they love the Navy. But as soon as real-world events kick in and things aren’t running on a peacetime footing, they suddenly want out. Suddenly, they’re stressed out. Some say they can’t cope with these long deployments.

Now, I’ll be the first to say that such extended deployments are not easy to endure. The veil of uncertainty is never easy to contend with. But out here at sea, while on a wartime footing, each individual is expected to perform the job they were trained to do and follow lawful orders when they’re given. They don’t make policy or decide this isn’t their fight. Most were told at the onset of their service that serving wasn’t always going to be easy. And yes, there’s going to be stress. When faced with it, how we deal with it makes all the difference. We all get stressed out at various times in our lives. But what we shouldn’t do is throw in the towel.

As reported, the crew of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) has been out to sea for over 270 days, and that’s a long time to be away from home. For those with families back home, it’s an exceptionally stressful time. I take it that some of these sailors have forgotten the overall role and objective of our military. What I know about our forces and our Commander-in-Chief is that the president is the one who orders us into action. It is the president who has the constitutional authority to enact policy and to use the military abroad to project or enforce those policies. At that level of command, the president knows a whole lot more about what’s going on around us—and in the world—than we do.

There’s usually no set time to accomplish certain missions, unless the president establishes such a timeframe. To those sailors who are on an air-conditioned warship, protected by the best war-fighting machine the world has ever known, with three square meals a day, showers at the ready, and media/entertainment sources at their whim: are you telling your fellow Americans that you’re ready to give up because conditions aren’t what you want—or expect them to be—all of the time? Perhaps we need to do a better job at vetting those who enter the service. Again, I’m not downplaying the long periods at sea and the questions about the duration of these missions. But you have to understand, much like in arm-wrestling between two opponents, the one who’s going to win is the one with the willpower and the staying power.

I’ve always been impressed with the sacrifices others throughout our history have made for God and country. General George Washington and his Continental troops suffered through a cold winter at Valley Forge with few supplies, no shoes, and no pay—but they hung in there. Our troops (the 101st Airborne Division) who were surrounded at the Battle of the Bulge—the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by our troops against the Germans—faced death with every other round that missed them, but they hung in there until General George S. Patton and his U.S. Third Army showed up to crush the Germans, who were hell-bent on killing every last one of us. There are numerous such heroic stories elsewhere—namely the Pacific Theater—where our men and women found themselves in harm’s way, even at death’s door, and somehow found a way to survive and prevail against all odds.

Closer to home, how many of us are aware that certain jobs have no set-in-stone time for being off the clock? A detective could have worked a full day, gone home, watched a television show, showered, and prepared for bed—and get a call about a murder scene they have to investigate right then and there. The same goes for firefighters, EMS personnel, and Child Protective Investigators. These are public servants who see burning buildings, car crashes, and dead bodies in the worst of conditions. Are these people known for saying, “This is not what I signed up for?” Listen… I may be wrong.

I do know that endurance is an integral part of the win-win mindset, and this has been proven throughout history. In 1979, our U.S. Embassy was overrun by Iranian student revolutionaries, and our embassy workers were held hostage for 444 days. Somehow, after untold duress and physical and psychological torture, they all found a way to persevere until they were eventually released and returned to the United States. If that isn’t enough to show you the stuff some of our military heroes are made of, one of the commanding officers of my last ship, the USS Saratoga, was once a Vietnam POW. You want to know how long he was held captive? Seven years. I don’t think he ever said, “This is not what I signed up for.” And don’t think he wasn’t abused and tortured.

My point is this: war is about more than bullets, missiles, and now drones. It’s about who has the will to triumph. We have servicemen and women who are sometimes away from home for a year or more—most of them Special Forces personnel or Special Missions Units. Do you hear them whining? There’s a saying I grew up with and believe in: when things get tough, the tough get going. My question is this: are we still tough enough? Sounds like some of our men and women, and their parents, aren’t. As for the leaders on the left who are using this theme to go after the Trump Administration, I say they need to understand and appreciate those who stand between them and dangerous countries that would love nothing more than to kill us and bring about our downfall. But they hesitate, and that’s because of our fine military that protects us night and day.

As for the president, I know he means well, but sometimes he speaks before he thinks, I believe. Saying that the sailors on those ships haven’t been out there long enough, without explaining what he means by that, comes across as disconnected and uncaring. He must do a better job of connecting with those who are making the sacrifice asked of them.

In closing, I emphasize this: most of today’s sailors, soldiers, airmen, and Marines came through a school system that did not teach them about the courageous men and women who made great sacrifices for our country—many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice over the decades. So, without this knowledge, they have no connection to such great men and women of valor. We have to raise children who love their country—not to a fault, but to a level they are proud of, despite its faults. Over in the kingdom of Jihadist Islam, ten-year-old boys are learning how to shoot AK-47s, while our young boys are being emasculated. Again, there are bad people out there, and someday we’ll have to decide if we want to confront them over there. The other option is to wait for them to bring the fight to our shores, and it may be too late then.

My other warning is this: we get a lot of lip service from those we place in office. If they do nothing else, they need to gut our current school curriculum nationally, then replace it with the three R’s (reading, writing, arithmetic) and Civics. We cannot expect the next generation to defend a country they don’t believe in. We cannot expect the next generation to appreciate the sacrifices they are asked to make when they see no value in what they are doing. We cannot ask the next generation to be prepared to die for their country when they were taught that their country is the cause of all the evil, hate, and problems in the world.

This has to change… This must change… If it doesn’t, China, Russia, and even North Korea will think we are weak and band together to take us all down. What are your thoughts? As a nation, are we still tough enough? My hope is that our Marines, Soldiers, Special Operators, and our Special Missions Units never grow soft. Without them, we’d be conquered inside of a month by those forces aligned against us. May the Divine Father continue to protect our citizens—even from themselves—as we move forward into the uncertain future of the AI world. I don’t need a machine to think for me or mimic what only I can create. What about you?

By Roderick T. Beaman

The socialist sweep at the New York polls a few weeks ago was frightening. We might be in the culmination of a nearly century long process of step-by-step introduction & imposition of one socialist program after another. Their existence has now become so permanent & ubiquitous that they are just supposed to be there. People cannot imagine life without them. This is dangerous.

It began in earnest under Democratic Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt but there were hints of it even 100 years before with the introduction of government education. By the time of FDR, the communist goal of tax funded public education was an established fact and its validity without challenge. Roosevelt unleashed a torrent of new programs and threw them at the public. Congress cooperated, the people acquiesced & grew used to them. Since FDR, government’s role as a solution to any problem, real or imagined, has been within the realm of reason.

The St. Augustine Tea Party’s Town Crier Committee has announced that a major movie is underway detailing the Tea Party Movement’s creation and its current state. According to Lance Thate, SATP’s long standing Chairman and a founding member, “The decision to undertake this historic production is the direct result of the very successful event with the Dartmouth at the Castillo de San Marcos on July 4, 2026”.

Thate went on to report that the parking lot, in front of the fort, was closed for parking. The State of Florida had parked two semitrailer vans filled with Historic displays. Tea Party volunteers revealed that the public was more interested in being photographed with the newly restored Dartmouth than being involved with the government displays.

Dartmouth’s big day started the day before its showing at the Castillo de San Marcos on July 4, 2026. We have put together a short video for your enjoyment. An appearance such as this event takes the efforts of many individuals and for some it is a 20 hour experience.

The Birth of Liberty
When Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, it marked a turning point in American history. The idea that ordinary people could claim liberty was new in a world ruled by kings and empires. The signing is often seen as the beginning of the Revolutionary War, which dragged on until 1783, but the real spark came earlier—in 1773, when Sam Adams and his “Sons of Liberty” dumped British tea into Boston Harbor. They boarded three ships—the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver—and threw overboard 92,000 pounds of tea to protest the taxes King George III had put on the colonies. Adjusted for today’s money, that’s about $2.3 million worth of tea gone in a single night.

There was joy on the 250th. Hope too. The story continues with the pictures.