Tales of Our Great Nation

An introduction from the deckplates

I’m Kevin Laughrin, a medically retired Logistics Specialist Seaman from VFA-103, the Jolly Rogers.

As America marks its 250th anniversary, it feels right to begin telling the stories that built this country and the men and women who have worn its uniform. This blog is where we’ll do that—branch by branch, story by story—always with respect.

My dad and I, along with our buddies from different services, have always given each other a hard time. Army versus Navy when the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy is on the line. Marines and the crayon jokes. “Chair Force” ribbing. It’s all in fun, and it’s all rooted in respect. We jab because we know the standard each branch holds itself to. That kind of rivalry only works when the foundation is mutual admiration.

Over the coming posts I’ll share the histories of every branch. Some will have deeper well-worn stories than others—the Space Force is still the baby of the family, after all—but every service has earned its place. We’ll dig into the hard lessons and the legendary moments:

• How the 1967 fire aboard USS Forrestal and the 2000 attack on USS Cole forced the Navy to change how it trains, fights fires, and protects its ships.
• Temper Temper.
• The story of the USS Texas.
• The French fourragère worn by the 82nd Airborne—the “French lapel” that marks a unit’s valor in the eyes of an ally.
• The Marines who, in the most Marine way possible, essentially said “hold my beer” and took Iwo Jima.
• The Tuskegee Airmen and the Navajo Code Talkers—Americans who proved excellence and ingenuity under the hardest conditions.
• Training that shapes every service member, and the one lesson that still sits heaviest with me: the Flag Code and the absolute respect owed to the American flag.

I’m going to take my time and get the details right. I’ll revisit the history books, talk to people who were there when I can, and make sure these “Tales of Our Great Nation, the U.S. of A.” are accurate and respectful. Every branch will get its due.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your patience while I put the pieces together the right way.

Kevin Laughrin

Medically Retired LSSN VFA-103 “The Jolly Rogers”