Happy Birthday, Navy!

Look. This would be a lot cooler Navy birthday message to deliver if you sailors still had battleships. But oh well, here it goes anyways because we'll give you this one caveat. A Carrier Battle Group could in all likelihood decimate a medium to large sized country with very little effort or risk, and that my friends who brave the salty spray of Neptune's seas, is pretty damn nice.From your formation till today, as much as the jokes have endured so has our naval superiority. It wasn't always due to your amazing and technologically equipped ships. Rather it was the sailors who forged a reputation for being the last force you want to piss off in any of the seven seas and beyond. They did that through bold violent action tho tossed to and fro by the rage of the sea.Captain John Paul Jones in his famous battle with the HMS Serapis exclaimed:

"I have not yet begun to fight!"

Spurring his men on the Bonhomme Richard, and despite the loss of the ship, Jones managed to win an overwhelming victory and capture the HMS Serapis. That is the story of the United States Navy. Forged in defiance and victory.

Tattooed, hard drinking, ruffians of the sea forged a navy that is without rival today. Russia, nor China, nor Iran, nor any other country could stand should the full might of the United States Navy be brought to bear on them.This was evident in the battles following Pearl Harbor. Our battleships and fleet lay burning...wrecked, outclassed and outnumbered by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Yet we all know how that story ended. With the quote of Lieutenant Howell Maurice Forgy, Naval Chaplain, while he encouraged the fight against the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. He unknowingly set the tone for the war in the Pacific."Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!"We are a nation of peace. At least we strive to be. We can be that because of the power that the United States Navy projects across the globe.[caption id="attachment_18861" align="aligncenter" width="564"]

USN Admiral George Dewey at Manila Bay 1837-1917 [Photo via Newscom][/caption]And in closing, we wish you a happy 243rd birthday Navy and quote Admiral George Dewey.“You may fire when you are ready Gridley.”Fire when ready United States Navy. Fire when ready!