Growing up on a family farm in Southeast Missouri, we never gave much thought to the wide seasonal swings within our local weather. Today, as a pilot, and as a former corporate government affairs manager traveling across more than 20 states, I have come to enjoy the Show-Me State’s four distinct seasons. August is cherished more for what it leads to (NCAA & NFL Football, cool fall nights, and the conclusion of fall general elections), than for what it means to me in the present. September is near, and Missouri’s meteorological masterpiece called the month of October will soon be as well.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “travel makes a man wiser but less happy.” That same challenge must apply to those who serve our country. Take a look at this video of the Typhoon class of nuclear submarines that the Russians have deployed until 2019 and think about the dedicated lifestyles that all seamen must endure. Months at sea, under the water, ice, and sunset waves. Rigorous training in tight quarters for a phone call that should never come. Years away from family and friends as landlubbers like us enjoy the freedoms of our weekends and nights.

It seems easy to believe that these jobs must be filled by Nordic orphans raised by seals off the coast of Latvia. The truth is that our United States Navy depends upon native Missourians like you and me to keep our seaways secure from Somalian pirates, foreign occupations, & nuclear holocaust.

That’s why Pelopidas, LLC is so proud to have helped the USS Missouri Submarine produce this video:

While many friends won’t be able to see the most advanced naval ship ever built this weekend, there are other ways that you can help with small donations.

At your office, encourage your colleagues to raise a mug to celebrate a new chapter of Missouri history (login as “mightymo” promo code). Dedicate a corporate gift to become a corporate sponsor this fall. Take a moment to educate a child about how science and technology can be used in dramatic ways to protect our freedoms.

In part three of this blog series, we will post up photos and news from our trip to Groton, CT where Missouri elected officials like Congressman Ike Skelton dedicate this vessel to America. As I think about small town Missourians diving off the Atlantic coast into the abyss, the humid days of August already seem a lot cooler.

Quotes from the 1990 Movie: “The Hunt for Red October,” where Sean Connery fantasizes about American freedom after a life at sea:

Capt. Vasili Borodin: I will live in Montana. And I will marry a round American woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me. And I will have a pickup truck… maybe even a “recreational vehicle.” And drive from state to state. Do they let you do that?
Captain Ramius: I suppose.
Capt. Vasili Borodin: No papers?
Captain Ramius: No papers, state to state.
Capt. Vasili Borodin: Well then, in winter I will live in… Arizona. Actually, I think I will need two wives.
Captain Ramius: Oh, at least.

“Washington, April 12, 1945 – Fate today raised to the highest administrative post on earth a plain, friendly man from Missouri – Harry S. Truman.

On the eighth of next month he will be 61. As he steps into the bright light of world celebrity he can look back on a career that began behind a plow on a 600-acre farm near Kansas City…”

The epic months that followed America’s closure to World War II remind us all how amazing it was to have our entire country doing what they could to protect our liberties. Part of what made Truman’s legacy so memorable was that he rose to challenges thought to be much larger than anyone might choose for themselves.

This week, I was fortunate to join the St. Louis Science Center in their hosting of the USS Battleship Missouri Memorial event, along with the St. Louis Navy League. Under the stars of the planetarium, we were reminded how the American spirit of freedom was transformed into this monstrous structure of teak wood, steel, iron, and ammunition named ole “BB-63” – the USS Battleship Missouri.

Most had come to know the “Mighty MO” of our Pacific fleet as the place where Japan surrendered to America. Its presence for this conflict alone is enough to retire it admirably. However, I was amazed to learn about how seamen and technology adapted itself over the decades to project its capabilities even as recent as Operation Desert Storm.

When you think about lobbing 2,700 pound projectiles at a precise range from 16-23 miles using the analog computers from the 1930’s, our computing systems of today owes much to this military experience. When I think about how my uncle must have felt at Pearl Harbor walking to church when the sirens went off, you have to believe that surviving ships like “Mighty MO” were a substantial inspiration as he flew across the Pacific into harm’s way.

When you hear about the dent in the ships’ side left after a Japanese kamikaze pilot tried to sink it, it reminds us all of the value of mental toughness over adversity. The Mighty MO has always been about more than naval superiority, it’s 45,000 tons gave each generation something onto which we can attach our emotions.

At our dinner event, we were each given a small piece of teak wood from this historic deck, now in process of a historic preservation in Hawaii. The battleship is all but retired, except for an appearance before a Universal Studios upcoming movie in 2012. However, just like decades before, the USS Missouri is adapting its mission again – this time for science educators and their pupils. Over the next month, many school groups will use it as their living history classroom. The St. Louis region is fortunate to have at least two strong advocates for science education within Admiral (Ret) Lee Metcalfe and General Duncan J. McNabb.

The torch defending our freedom now passes to the next generation. Just like before, our country is stepping up with something bigger and better. In my next blog, we will feature what’s next to come: the USS Missouri Virginia class of submarine.

Travis H. Brown

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