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Article: NO LAUGHING MATTER; Captain Ernie Blanchard was a career Coast Guard man, a credit to the uniform, until the day he stood up at a dinner and told some dirty jokes. He found himself in the treacherous waters of political correctness. And he drowned.
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- July 7, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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The jokes had worked before. In the same kind of room. On
just such an occasion.
The last time Capt. Ernie Blanchard took the floor at a Bravo
Company dinner, back in 1981, his audience of U.S. Coast Guard
Academy cadets, honored guests and fellow officers ended up bursting
into "God Bless America." The spontaneous sing-along followed his
rousing speech, which followed his opening jokes, which 14 years
later, on a January night in 1995 in New London, Conn., seemed to be
getting mostly nervous laughs.
Then only a few embarrassed titters.
Then silence.
Blanchard moved on. The speech proved more reliable: a few sea
stories, then a stirring summons to Coast Guard life delivered ...