Bowfin News | May 2025

The USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was a Skipjack-class nuclear-powered submarine that sank in 1968. The circumstances surrounding its loss remain mysterious and have been the subject of various theories and investigations. The submarine was declared missing on May 27, 1968, after failing to return to its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia. The U.S. Navy had lost contact with the Scorpion on May 21, 1968, and by the night of May 22, 1968, there was significant concern about its status. The Navy waited until May 27 to officially declare the submarine missing, but by that time, the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) had already detected the breakup of the Scorpion’s hull as it sank beyond its crush depth.

The cause of the Scorpion’s loss has been the subject of much speculation, with theories ranging from a torpedo accident to a Soviet attack. The Navy’s official inquiry, completed in 1969, was unable to determine the specific cause of the loss. However, it listed accidents involving the Mark 37 torpedo as three of the most probable causes, including a hot-running torpedo, an accidentally or deliberately launched weapon, or the inadvertent activation of a torpedo by stray voltage.

The incident occurred during a period of heightened tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, and some theories suggest that the loss of the Scorpion could have been related to this geopolitical context. The USS Scorpion was part of the U.S. Navy’s fleet during the Cold War, and its loss was a significant event during this era.

The sinking of the USS Scorpion remains one of the most significant submarine losses in U.S. Navy history, with the loss of 99 crew members and two nuclear weapons. The incident has been a subject of ongoing interest and speculation, reflecting the challenges of operating submarines in the deep ocean and the risks associated with nuclear technology.

Aloha,

On April 18, 2025, the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation will host the Ernie Pyle 80th Anniversary Memorial in Honolulu at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. This ceremony is to commemorate the death of World War II Scripps-Howard feature columnist and war correspondent Ernie Pyle, who was killed in 1945. 

This tradition was established in 1949, the year Ernie Pyle was interred at the Punchbowl National Cemetery in Honolulu. At the time, a eulogy was written and read by Buck Buchwach, the editor of the Honolulu Advertiser. This carried on every 5 years until the 1990s. In 2015, the Ernie Pyle LegacyFoundation renewed the ceremony, to continue every 5 years. In lieu of a 2020 event due to the pandemic, the VFW and American Legion held a belated ceremony in 2021.

Now in 2025, April 18th, known as Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day, is here. The ceremony to honorErnie will be held at 10am at the National Cemetery of the Pacific. The Memorial Address will be given by Suzanne Vares-Lum, the Director at Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.Other notable speakers include Jason Seal, the VFW Senior Vice Commander and CR Drumheller, theCommander of the American Legion Post 17. 

Following the ceremony, the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation will be hosting a luncheon at 12pm at the Oahu Veterans Center. Members of the community and guests of the ceremony are invited to attend to continue the conversation about Ernie, and his positive impact on our world today.

In honor of Ernie Pyle Remembrance Day, we are also honoring all veterans, whom Ernie respected so dearly. We also want to recognize all journalists following in the footsteps of Ernie Pyle in their human interest storytelling, which is now more prevalent than ever. 

Written by Gerald “Jerry” Maschinogeraldm@erniepylefoundation.org.

Regards/
“CR” Drumheller

Ernie Pyle: The Voice of the American Soldier in World War II

The history of the U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer (CPO) is a story of leadership, tradition, and evolution within the Navy’s structure. Below is an overview of its key milestones:

Establishment of the Rank

• The rank of Chief Petty Officer was officially established on April 1, 1893, marking a pivotal moment in the Navy’s history. This date is celebrated annually as the “Navy Chief’s birthday.”
• The creation of the rank addressed a leadership gap between officers and enlisted sailors, providing a senior enlisted rank to bridge this divide and enhance career advancement opportunities for enlisted personnel.
• Initially, the rank included nine specialties, such as boatswain’s mate, gunner’s mate, and machinist. Over time, it expanded to encompass other roles like electrician and radioman.

Role and Responsibilities

• CPOs were tasked with providing leadership, training junior sailors, and ensuring discipline and operational readiness aboard ships. They became known as the “backbone” of the Navy.
• Chiefs are expected to be technical experts in their fields and uphold Navy traditions while mentoring both junior and senior personnel.

Evolution of the Rank

• In 1958, two additional pay grades were introduced: Senior Chief Petty Officer (E-8) and Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9), further formalizing the enlisted leadership structure.
• The first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON), Delbert D. Black, was appointed in 1967, serving as a senior enlisted advisor to Navy leadership.

Historical Contributions

• During World Wars I and II, CPOs played critical roles in training recruits, maintaining equipment, and leading combat operations. They were instrumental in submarine campaigns and major invasions like Normandy.
• Roberta L. Hazard became the first female Chief Petty Officer in 1972, breaking barriers for women in the Navy.

Traditions and Legacy

• CPOs are considered “caretakers” of Navy history and traditions. Over the decades, Chiefs have been entrusted with preserving Navy heritage and instilling the core values—Honor, Courage, and Commitment—in generations of Sailors, shaping today’s Navy.
• The Career Compensation Act of 1949 standardized pay for all CPOs and eliminated distinctions between temporary (“acting”) and permanent appointments by 1965.

The rank of Chief Petty Officer remains a cornerstone of U.S. Navy leadership, symbolizing professionalism, expertise, and dedication to service.

The history of the U.S. Submarine Warfare Insignia, commonly known as “Dolphins,” dates back to 1923 when Captain Ernest J. King, then Commander of Submarine Division Three, proposed creating a distinctive badge for qualified submariners. He submitted a pen-and-ink sketch depicting a shield mounted on the beam ends of a submarine, flanked by dolphins forward and abaft the conning tower. The idea was strongly endorsed by the Commander of Submarine Division Atlantic and forwarded to the Bureau of Navigation (now Naval Personnel Command) for further development.

On March 20, 1924, the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation recommended adopting this design, which was approved by Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Acting Secretary of the Navy. Initially, the insignia was worn only while attached to submarine units or commands but later became a permanent badge for qualified submariners in 1941.

“Dolphins” symbolize the identity and prestige of submariners and are considered one of the Navy’s oldest and most challenging warfare badges to earn.

Qualification in submarines is a daunting task. However, once finished you become part of a fellowship that can only be understood by those who have done it themselves. That can only be truly recognized by the very small and special group of men that have the pride and honor of calling themselves SUBMARINERS.

Dolphin History
Qualifying the Boat

On September 11, 2001, nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners so they could be flown into buildings in suicide attacks. Two of those planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Within two hours, both towers collapsed with debris and the resulting fires causing partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the WTC complex, as well as major damage to ten other large surrounding structures.

A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense), leading to a partial collapse in its western side.

The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was targeted at Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after its brave passengers tried to overcome the hijackers.

In total, 2,977 people died in the attacks, including the 227 civilians on the four planes and 412 first responders in New York City.

Watch Tribute Video HERE!

We will never forget!

On September 11, 2012, a heavily armed group of militant terrorists attacked the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, Libya.  The attack began at night in a compound meant to protect the main diplomatic building. A second assault in the early morning the next day targeted a nearby CIA annex in a different compound. Four Americans were killed, U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.  Ten others were injured.

Although this attack took place in Libya, it happened on American soil. Our embassies and consulates are U.S. soil, and the attack in Libya violated a U.S. territory.  These terrorist attacks are as heinous as if they happened in Honolulu.

Watch Tribute Video HERE!

We will never forget!

On August 26, 2021, 13 U.S. military members part of Operation Allies Refuge, the mission to evacuate American citizens and Afghans who assisted the U.S. and its allies during their 20-year war in Afghanistan. Were killed near the Abbey Gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan by a suicide bomber. The bomb was a vehicle born improvised explosive device, or a car bomb. The attack marked one of the deadliest days for American forces in the past decade of the 20-year war in Afghanistan — and took place just days ahead of the U.S.’s planned full withdrawal.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Lee Espinoza, 20 – He was originally from Laredo, Texas, and he left behind a brother, mother, and his stepfather.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan Merola, 20 – He achieved the rank of Lance Corporal and was from Ranch Cucamonga, California. Merola was only in Kabul for two weeks before he was killed and students back home at his old high school even wore red, white and blue in his honor. He texted his mother that he would not be able to call and talk to her while on his evacuation assignment. “He wrote…’I love you and I’ll talk to you soon,’ ” said mother Cheryl Merola.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20 – Schmitz was from St. Louis, Missouri, and had achieved the rank of Lance Corporal. He was even honored in a Facebook post by State Representative Nick Schroer. The State Representative has also made several other posts since Schmitz’s death.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20 – He was originally stationed nearby at Camp Pendleton in California and he even sent his father a video of him talking with Afghan children and giving them candy at the airport. The video was sent the day before he was killed.

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20 – McCollum was from Bondurant, Wyoming, and was on his first deployment. He had only just graduated from high school in 2019 and was recently married and only 3 weeks away from becoming a father. There is a Go Fund Me page set up to help raise money for his child’s education and it has raised well over it’s goal of $5,000, which is very impressive and will be worth the while for his family.

Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22 – He was from California and wanted to be like his parents after his deployment. He planned on becoming a sheriff’s deputy once he returned home, to follow in his parents’ footsteps. The family would like all donations made to the Riverside County Deputy Sheriff Relief Foundationin honor of  Lopez.

Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, 22 – He was a Corporal from Logansport, Indiana. Sanchez was only out of high school for 4 years when he was killed and had the Indiana State Representative Jim Baird posted and identified him, Indiana Senator posted on Twitter, and the Logansport Mayor post on Facebook indirectly about Sanchez.

Navy Hospital Corpsman Maxton Soviak, 22 – Soviak was a Navy Medic working with the marines in Afghanistan, since the Marines do not have their own medical field. He is from Berlin Heights, Ohio, and there is a Go Fund Me page started by a family friend as a memorial fund for Soviak.

Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23 – She was a Sergeant who originates from Roseville, California, and was a maintenance technician with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.  Gee posted an Instagram pic the week before she was killed talking about how much she loves her job and Sgt. Mallory Harrison, who was her roommate and friend from Camp Lejeune posted a painfully heartbreaking post about Gee on Facebook.  While Gee was deployed, Harrison was asked to look after her car and couldn’t let the image of the car go when she stated, “Her car is still there & she’s gone forever.”

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, 23 – Knauss was from Knoxville, Tennessee, and has been the first Army soldier to be identified from the attack. He had just completed Psychology Operation Training and hoped to move to Washington, DC, when he came back from his deployment. He left behind his Stepmother, Grandfather, and his wife, who he loved to help with her garden.

Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan Page, 23 – He was from Omaha, Nebraska, and was the 2nd Regiment of 1st Marine Regiment (aka “The Professionals”) at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. Page planned to go to trade school after his deployment. He left behind his parents, step-parents, grandparents, four siblings, and his girlfriend.

Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25 – She was a Sergeant who was from Lawrence, Massachusetts, and was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Female Engagement Team. Rosario Pichardo was also part of the Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and was on the ground aiding in the evacuation that took place. At this time, her family wants privacy and want their loved one to be honored as the hero she was.

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover Jr., 31 – Hoover was from Midvale, Utah, and was a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps. He played football in high school and loved what he did in the marines and spent most of his life fighting for the country. The Utah Governor ordered that flags at all state facilities and public grounds be at half-staff through sunset on Monday, August 30, 2021, in honor of Taylor’s memory along with all the other soldiers that have been killed.

We will never forget!