Submariners! Bubbleheads. Please share how your branch's heroism influenced the battlefields.

Well I'm not a bubblehead, but during the Cold War as well as present this country depends on the Triad to deter a nuclear attack. The traid consist of ICBM's, land based intercontinental bombers, and nuclear submarines. Most superpowers who could be considered enemies could probably effectively defend against one or possibly two of these threats. However, to defend against all three would not be considered achievable with unacceptable loss of life and property. The greatest of these threats was and is the nuclear submarines. US submarines are extremely quiet and nearly undetectable by known decides at this time. Their mere presence can deter a nuclear strike alone. My hat is off to of those who support and carry out the missions of the Triad, especially the Submariners.

Immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack, Submarines were, quite literally, all we had left. It was up to Subs to carry the fight to the Japanese. And they did. WW2 was a war of attrition and the best way to defeat someone is to destroy their chain of supply. The Japanese could not afford tanker and transport losses. 67% of all Japanese shipping sunk by the Allies was sunk by the US Navy's Submarine Force. Had more efficient torpedoes been available from 1941 (instead of 1943), the war may well have ended a year early as the Subs were hitting ships daily. Post war, the Subs entered the Cold War in a sea-denial/surveillance role and in that, they excelled. The majority of the CIA/NSA's spy traffic came from "spy subs" that tapped Soviet undersea cable traffic. The reliability of the SSBN program - and indeed, the speed with which it was created - were technological marvels. The technology and safety - all lead by the brilliant Admiral Hyman Rickover - enabled the USN to lead the world in technology that we as a nation would eventually use to power our cities. Indeed, many of the nations' nuclear power plant operators are former US Navy Submariners. The submarine launched Trident 2 D-5 missile is capable of hitting any hostile target in the world from the safety of American waters, giving the 14 Ohio Class "boomers" the ultimate stealth and reliability. Four of the class, including USS Ohio herself, were converted to Guided Missile Submarines (SSGN) carrying 144 cruise missiles and squads of special forces including Navy SEALs, Army Delta Force and/or USMC Recon units. The US Navy's Submarine School is still located in Groton, CT and is now open to female sailors. I served onboard the best of the US Navy's missile boats, the USS Casimir Pulaski during the 1980's. For an inside look at Submarine life, go to http://www.usscasimirpulaski.com