The Naval Order is dedicated to Naval History, which usually means actions of the US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard, or Merchant Marine on, above and under the oceans and shores of the world. Being ready for actions in those spheres has been a hallmark of our services since their inception and we have a proud history. September 11, 2001; however, provided a wake-up call for readiness to all of our services. We had a proverbial ‘shot across the bow’ with the First World Trade Center Bombing in February 1993, Oklahoma City in April 1995, and in October 2000 with the terrorist attack on USS Cole in Yemen but this series of acts on September 11th changed our view of World Terrorism. This attack came against unprotected facilities on our home turf (again) using very unconventional tactics that we were not ready for.
We have heightened our awareness and increased our vigilance against such actions, and we must continue to modify our actions in the face of an ever-changing threat. The loss of life was tremendous in the attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon, but a small group of Americans on a flight in Pennsylvania took matters into their own hands to avoid additional attack while sacrificing themselves. The actions of this day shifted our focus to the new threat axis and took us back to Iraq and mired us in Afghanistan where we saw, and still see the relentless face of terrorism and radicalism.
The unity we saw that day and the time that followed was unsurpassed; however, we seem to have gone in the other direction in recent years as we seem to be de-stabilizing ourselves. Our National Character and position in the world since WWII have been a major influence in working to a stable world order; we cannot sacrifice that position. Our military forces have always been able to learn and adapt to these changing venues and tactics in warfare. Their effects on world politics are not as easy and it is up to us to help to be part of the solution for the future without being distracted by the political infighting; do the right thing on the moral high road! Learn the lessons of the past and correct the course of actions for the future!
For the Good of the Order