Sacred Waters and Public Questions: The Debate Over Kash Patel’s Pearl Harbor Snorkeling Visit

June 4, 2026June 3, 2026BenjaminLeave a comment

© Benjamin H. Groff II — Truth Endures / benandsteve.com
June 4, 2026

The FBI defended the event, describing it as a historical and educational visit connected to official government travel rather than a recreational outing.

The waters above the USS Arizona have long been regarded as sacred.

Pearl Harbor. Aerial view. Scene of Japanese attack.

Beneath those calm blue waves rests a battleship torn apart during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. More than 900 sailors and Marines remain entombed within the vessel, making it not only a historic landmark but also a military cemetery.

For generations, Americans have visited the USS Arizona Memorial in silence. Visitors arrive by boat, stand above the wreckage, and pay their respects. Snorkeling and diving around the site are generally prohibited to the public.

That is why reports that FBI Director Kash Patel participated in a military-coordinated “VIP snorkel” near the memorial last summer ignited controversy across the nation.

According to government emails obtained by The Associated Press, Patel joined an exclusive snorkeling excursion during an official visit to Hawaii. The Navy later confirmed the event took place, emphasizing that participants were instructed not to touch the ship and were briefed on the memorial’s significance as the final resting place of hundreds of service members.

The question is not whether the trip occurred. It did.

The question is whether it should have.

For some veterans, the answer is a firm no.

Marine veteran Hack Albertson, who has participated in authorized dives to inspect the wreck, described the site as hallowed ground and said it deserves the utmost solemnity. Navy veteran and Naval Academy historian William McBride was even more direct, comparing recreational access to the memorial to playing games at Arlington National Cemetery.

Others view the matter differently.

Some family members of Pearl Harbor survivors have expressed little concern, noting that such visits have occasionally been granted to government and military officials for decades. The Navy has stated that the excursion was not unique and that similar access has been provided to distinguished visitors in previous administrations.

Perhaps what this controversy reveals is not simply a disagreement over one man’s actions, but a larger debate about how America honors its fallen.

Military cemeteries are different from other historic sites. They are places where history and sacrifice meet. Whether one believes the snorkeling trip was respectful or inappropriate, the reaction from many veterans demonstrates how deeply Americans continue to value those who never came home.

Eighty-four years after Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona still evokes powerful emotions. The men who died there are not statistics in a history book. They are sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers whose final resting place remains beneath those waters.

At Rest. The USS Arizona Memorial – Pearl Harbor.

That is why the debate matters.

Not because of politics.

But because Americans continue to ask how sacred ground should be treated, and who, if anyone, should receive privileges that ordinary citizens do not.

Benjamin Groff II
Groff Media © Truth Endures

How the T-Shirt Became an American Icon

May 6, 2026Benjamin4 Comments

May 6, 2026

creative clothesline with paper t shirt art — _{^{Photo by Marek Ruczaj on Pexels.com}}

Someone asked during a conversation yesterday where the T-shirt got its name.

I honestly had never given it much thought. It was just… a T-shirt. That’s what everyone called it when I was growing up. A plain white undershirt hanging on a clothesline, folded in dresser drawers, or tossed over the back of a chair was simply a “T-shirt.” No explanation ever needed.

But the question stayed with me.

But the question stayed with me.

Everything has an origin. Even the most ordinary things we stop noticing had to begin somewhere. Somebody, somewhere, had to create it, name it, wear it, and eventually make it part of everyday life. So I decided to do a little digging.

What I found was surprisingly interesting.

A Shirt Shaped Like a Letter

The most widely accepted explanation is also the simplest: the shirt resembles the shape of a capital “T” when laid flat. Sleeves stretched outward, body hanging downward — there it was. A “T-shirt.”

Sometimes the simplest answer really is the correct one.

But the story goes deeper than shape alone.

The U.S. Navy and the Birth of the Modern T-Shirt

The modern T-shirt is largely credited to the United States Navy around 1913. Sailors were issued lightweight, short-sleeved cotton undershirts to wear beneath their uniforms.

At the time, heavy wool uniforms were common, uncomfortable, and brutally hot below deck. These new cotton shirts were breathable, washable, inexpensive, and practical. Sailors began wearing them while working, especially in warmer climates.

Before long, they were being worn not just under uniforms — but by themselves.

That simple military undershirt quietly became one of the most recognized articles of clothing on Earth.

Did the “T” Mean “Training”?

There are also theories suggesting the “T” stood for “training,” as in “training shirt,” particularly tied to military use. While interesting, historians generally lean toward the far simpler explanation involving the shirt’s shape.

Still, like many pieces of history, a little mystery remains.

Literature Helped Spread the Name

_{^{This Side of Paradise – Groff Media©2026}}

One of the earliest known uses of the term “T-shirt” in popular culture came from author F. Scott Fitzgerald in his 1920 novel This Side of Paradise.

That surprised me.

The idea that something now hanging in nearly every closet in America once sounded modern enough to appear as fresh terminology in literature is hard to imagine today.

The Dockworker Theory

There is also an older and far less accepted theory that similar garments called “tea shirts” were worn by dockworkers as far back as the late 1600s. Some believe the term gradually evolved into “T-shirt.”

Most historians, however, still point back to the military undershirt and the shirt’s unmistakable shape as the true origin.

From Underwear to American Icon

What fascinates me most is how something designed simply as underwear became a cultural symbol.

The T-shirt went from military practicality to factory wear, then to rebellion, fashion, concerts, politics, advertising, and self-expression. It became a billboard for causes, rock bands, opinions, humor, memories, and identity itself.

person wearing white and red nirvana top

Everybody owns one.

Rich or poor.
Young or old.
Farmer, mechanic, teacher, police officer, celebrity, or kid riding a bicycle down a dusty street in summer.

The T-shirt may be one of the few pieces of clothing that truly belongs to everybody.

And all these years later, most of us never once stopped to ask why it was called that.

Sometimes the most interesting stories are hidden inside the most ordinary things.

October 10 in History: Key Milestones and Cultural Impact

October 10, 2025September 7, 2025Benjamin1 Comment

3–4 minutes

Oct 10th a good day for history — ^{_{How history can pile up on any day of the year.}}

How did we arrive at our current state? It is a question a lot of people are asking. It didn’t happen all at once. Getting to where we are, was forever in the making. Before anyone alive today was here. There have been people making decisions, some not so great. Life happens. It is a popular saying for some people. And as you can tell through this date in history. October 10th was a great day for history to be set. It doesn’t explain everything that has happened. But it does give one an idea of how history can pile up on any given day.

Here’s an evocative image of a calendar marking October 10. It serves as a visual prompt for a day rich in history. This day includes milestone events and global observances.

October 10: A Crossroads of History, Culture, and Global Awareness

A Time-Honored Legacy

1845 – U.S. Naval Academy Founded
- In Annapolis, Maryland, the Naval School opens with its first class of 50 midshipmen. This event lays the foundation for the modern U.S. Naval Academy.(1)
1911 – Wuchang Uprising Ignites Revolution This bold move sets the stage for the fall of China’s Qing dynasty. It also leads to the emergence of the Republic of China.(2)
1935 – ‘Porgy and Bess’ Debuts on Broadway
- George Gershwin’s groundbreaking opera, featuring an all-Black cast, premieres to widespread acclaim.(3)
1964 – Tokyo Olympics Start: A Global Broadcast
- Making history, these Summer Games are the first to be televised live worldwide.(4)
1973 – Vice-President Agnew’s Resignation
- Spiro Agnew steps down amid tax evasion charges, a rare and dramatic political moment in U.S. history.(5)

October 10, 1973: A Domino That Changed the Presidency

On October 10, 1973, U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned in disgrace. He pleaded no contest to tax evasion charges. These charges stemmed from a bribery scandal dating back to his time as Maryland’s governor. A sitting Vice President had never stepped down under criminal accusations before. This event sent shockwaves through American politics.

The resignation created an immediate power vacuum. Under the 25th Amendment, passed just six years earlier, President Richard Nixon was capable of nominating a new Vice President. His choice was Michigan Congressman Gerald R. Ford, a steady Republican leader respected across party lines. Congress confirmed him in December 1973, setting in motion a sequence of events no one predicted.

Only months later, the Watergate scandal deepened. Nixon’s credibility unraveled under the weight of investigations into the cover-up of the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. With impeachment looming, Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974—the first U.S. president to ever do so.

In that instant, Gerald Ford became president. He told the American people in his swearing-in speech:

“Our long national nightmare is over.”

Ford’s ascent to the Oval Office was accidental. He became the only person to serve as both Vice President and president without being elected to either office.

Looking back, it’s clear that Agnew’s resignation on October 10 wasn’t just a scandal. It was a turning point in American history. Had he remained Vice President, Agnew—not Ford—would have been next in line when Nixon resigned. The nation, already reeling from Watergate, faced the reality of a president tainted by his own corruption charges. Instead, Ford’s calm, if brief, presidency offered a bridge back to stability.

👉 OCTOBER 10, 1973 stands as proof of how a single resignation reshaped the presidency. It altered the line of succession. It changed the course of American political history.

October 10 is more than a date—it’s a living mosaic of pivotal moments, human emotion, progress, and remembrance. It reflects how history shapes us and how we, in turn, continue writing it.

Thank You!

May 25, 2025BenjaminLeave a comment

Thank you to all the people who serve in the military to protect our civil society. This Memorial Day we recognize the ultimate contributions so many have given so a freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression can be had.