Anniversary of the sinking of the General Belgrano (USS Phoenix)

The USS Phoenix (later ARA General Belgrano) seen as it steams past Battleship Row, Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.

25 years ago today the British fast attack submarine HMS Conqueror made history when it became the first nuclear powered submarine to sink a surface vessel with torpedoes on a combat patrol. The sunken ship, ARA General Belgrano, began life as the USS Phoenix (CL-46) and ended it by taking 323 men with her. The controversies that rose from this action are well documented, as are details of the combat patrol made by the crew of the Conqueror.

Since the war cheerleaders rarely think beyond the "Top Gun" style of military knowledge and history, it's always good to bring out a historical tragedy from war. The hawks who parrot, like Ed Rogers, never appreciate it when you "wave that bloody rag" in their face.

History lesson in your own backyard

You can live in a place for years and never know the hidden history of your surroundings and never be the wiser of it. I saw this article at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website and was quite surprised: http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/04/15/0416LVchurches.html (Free registration required)

When I first moved down to Atlanta from the hills a little over 10 years ago, my first apartment was in the neighborhood mentioned in the article. I had no idea of this wrinkle of history about the church, let alone the neighborhood and I'm someone who prides himself on knowing history. Especially of the places I have lived.

Never assume that you know all of the history about a given place or time, there is always something new to learn. The same can be said about life. I may have to take a drive through the old neighborhood this weekend just to look around and see how things have changed since I moved from there seven years ago and take a look with a new set of eyes to guide me.