On May 18, 2025, a car went over the seawall at St. Peter's Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and plunged into Harbor Cove with three women trapped inside. Alex (M.A. in history) and Dennis (U.S. Navy veteran) tell the true, fully-sourced story of off-duty fire lieutenant Buddy Doucette and the crew of the lobster boat Tight Lines, who went in after them with nothing but a hammer and a knife. We checked. It's real. You're not going to believe it.

Pinned Comment:

Sources for this episode include CBS Boston/WBZ, the Boston Globe, NBC10 Boston, and statements from Gloucester Fire Chief Eric Smith and Deputy Fire Chief Tom LoGrande. Full source list available on request. — Wear the mindset: K-B-O Standard Supply 

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

 On September 11th, 2001, while the towers were still burning and the whole country went silent, something else was happening on the water that almost nobody remembers: roughly 500,000 people evacuated from Lower Manhattan by boat in under nine hours — bigger than Dunkirk, run by ferry captains, tugboat crews, and dinner-cruise operators who'd never drilled for anything like it. This episode opens our First Responders line with the story that got buried under the horror of that day — the men who turned down cash to save more strangers, the passenger who got to safety and turned right back around to help pull others out, and the quiet, humble courage of people who didn't ask to be remembered. Not invincible. Provably resilient. Accurate, absurd, affectionate — even here. 

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

A bonus episode, off the usual cycle — requested by one of our most loyal listeners, and there was nothing to do but honor it. November 10th, 1975: twenty-nine men, a storm called the Witch of November, and three words on the radio that became the whole hinge of the story. We get into the ship, the theories nobody's ever agreed on, and the reason this wreck is remembered when deadlier ones on the same lakes mostly aren't — a songwriter who spent the rest of his life making sure he got it right. Accurate. Absurd. Affectionate. Even here.

 This one's for a listener who asked us to tell it straight, so we did. If you know the Gordon Lightfoot song, you know the ending. What you might not know is he kept fact-checking it for fifty years. That's the whole episode, really. 

KBO Standard Supply is still building out piece by piece — more soon.

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

The most famous line in Coast Guard history — "You have to go out. You don't have to come back." — might not be real. At least, not exactly. It traces to a 1904 rescue off Cape Hatteras and a keeper named Patrick Etheridge, but the earliest surviving account of what he actually said wasn't written down until 1946 — forty-two years later. There are at least three competing versions. The station logbook records every technical detail of the rescue and not one word of dialogue.

This episode follows the line from a disputed 1899 regulation with zero safety off-ramp, through fifty years of Coast Guard policy that treated "too dangerous" as an unacceptable excuse, to the year — 2018 — the Coast Guard finally rewrote its own rulebook to admit that rescuers' lives count too.

Accurate. Absurd. Affectionate. As always.

Wear the mindset: https://k-b-o-standardsupply.com/

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

 July 1948, Berlin. A blockade, a fence, two sticks of gum, and a farm kid from Utah who broke every rule in the book because thirty starving kids asked him not to worry about them. This is the true story of Operation Little Vittles — the unauthorized candy drop that got a superpower to file an actual diplomatic complaint, and the general who could've ended it with one word and instead told the lieutenant to keep going. Accurate, absurd, and — for once — genuinely kind. KBO Standard Supply recognized it as true and worth wearing. Wear the mindset: k-b-o-standardsupplyllc.com (store's still coming together — bookmark it now). 

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

Description:
December 22, 1944. Bastogne is surrounded. The Germans deliver an ultimatum: surrender or face annihilation. The general in charge says one word back — and the real story of how that word got written down is funnier, and truer, than the legend. This episode: the myth versus the muttered reality, a staffer's assist that made history, and why "Nuts!" ended up on a shirt eighty years later. Accurate. Absurd. Affectionate. Wear the mindset at k-b-o-standardsupplyllc.com. 

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

 June 1918. Belleau Wood. The Germans are fifty miles from Paris, the French line is folding, and a brand-new brigade of American Marines is told to fall back with everyone else. Captain Lloyd Williams says six words instead — "Retreat, hell! We just got here!" — and dies nine days later making sure they were true. We checked. The Marine Corps' own history division can't even agree on who really said it. This episode also covers: an accidentally-claimed substitute teaching shift at a high school with its own bridges (two of them) and its own police officer, a lockdown survived largely on the strength of a good pair of boots, and why nobody quits at the turn on hole five. Accurate. Absurd. Affectionate. Wear the mindset — k-b-o-standardsupplyllc.com. 

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

A Navy chaplain isn't allowed to touch a weapon. That's not weakness — that's the entire job. So when the attack on Pearl Harbor hits the USS New Orleans and the ship's ammunition locker is welded shut with the key ashore, Lieutenant Howell Forgy grabs a fire axe, breaks the men into their own bullets, and does the only thing left that's actually his to give: he starts shouting the men into motion. Less than a year later, his line is the biggest song in the country.

This episode, Keep Buggering On host Dennis — a U.S. Navy veteran — takes the wheel to tell it right. Then it turns personal: what happens when the job description in your head (sons, Saturday golf) collides head-on with the job you actually get (two fearless daughters, one nine iron, one unlucky forehead). Real story, real bruise, real lesson about showing up for the job in front of you instead of the one you pictured.

This is the first release in KBO Standard Supply's military tribute line — one branch at a time, starting with the Navy. We checked. It's real. You're not going to believe it

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

 For the first time on KBO, we're not doing this alone. Dennis — my husband, my business partner, and the most silent partner in podcast history — joins the mic to hash out the argument we have over every single product: backstory vs. copy-paste, font size vs. storyline, and whether anyone actually knows what "heading the ball" means. Along the way: the true story of two brothers-in-law who got assigned to run a business together and accidentally built Procter & Gamble, a hard truth about how every brand on the internet suddenly has an origin story, and a PGA trainer named Brady who complimented my golf bag right up until he saw how I carry it. We checked. It's real. You're not going to believe it. 

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

In 1968, on his own 45th birthday, golfer Roberto De Vicenzo shot the best round of his life — good enough to force a playoff at the Masters. Then he lost the green jacket over a pencil mark he didn't even make. His playing partner wrote down the wrong score, he signed the card without catching it, and the rulebook said the signature was the truth now, whether or not it matched what actually happened. His only response: "What a stupid I am."

In this episode of Keep Buggering On, we follow that story wherever it leads: into the actual Masters rule that cost a man a major championship, into the very human habit of signing off on things — expense reports, performance reviews, forms — without double-checking them, and into the fact that it took professional golf fifty-six years to fix the rule that broke Roberto's heart. Along the way, there's a personal detour involving a disastrous first round of golf, a butterfly with impeccable timing, and a well-timed kiss that intercepted a swear word before it could escape.

Everything in this episode is true. None of it is going to make you feel better about humanity. That's the deal. Keep Buggering On is connected to KBO Standard Supply — find us at k-b-o-standardsupplyllc.com — where the store is coming together one phrase at a time.

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

Oscar Wilde once said "Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess." He meant it as a philosophy. He lived it as a cautionary tale. And somewhere along the way, the American restaurant industry, the internet, and this very podcast all decided he had a point.

In this episode of Keep Buggering On, we start with a confession: we mentioned KBO Standard Supply way too many times in our early episodes. We know. You know. We're fixing it, and we're owning it — because a show about human beings not getting it right the first time probably shouldn't pretend otherwise. Then we follow Wilde's line where it actually leads: into the history of a man who succeeded wildly by going too far in everything, into the restaurant menus that put bacon on a donut and called it progress, into the fried pickle (a perfectly good vegetable that humanity simply could not leave alone), and into the comment sections where someone decided a stranger's tomato garden needed their unsolicited expert opinion at eleven PM.

Everything in this episode is true. None of it is going to make you feel better about humanity. That's the deal. Keep Buggering On is connected to KBO Standard Supply — find us at k-b-o-standardsupplyllc.com — where the store is coming together one phrase at a time. We'll let you know when it's ready.

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

 Where does "Keep Buggering On" actually come from — and why do we keep yelling "huzzah" like it's 1812? On this episode, we trace the real Winston Churchill moment that gave this whole show its name (December 10th, 1941, three days after Pearl Harbor), the surprisingly contested history of the word "huzzah," and the actual sailors who shouted it mid-battle aboard the USS Constitution. Plus: a multi-state Halloween costume hunt that produced a huzzah that wasn't even ours. Fully sourced. Genuinely funny. Wear the mindset — KBO Standard Supply, link in the show notes. 

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

 A golf shot so rare almost nobody saw it happen — and the legend got told anyway. On this episode of Keep Buggering On, we trace Gene Sarazen's 1935 Masters double eagle, the "shot heard 'round the world" that maybe two dozen people actually witnessed in person. Then: a ten-year-old argument about whether Benedict Arnold really deserves to be America's most famous traitor, and a classroom story about the kid nobody expected anything from. Fully sourced. Genuinely funny. Wear the mindset — K-B-O Standard Supply LLC

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

Ever snapped at someone for asking a completely innocent question like, "Hey, did you grab milk?" We’ve all been there. In this episode of Keep Buggering On, we are breaking down the art of the one-liner, the volatility of homemade carbs, and the real reason you are secretly furious at the person standing right next to you.

First, we tackle one of history's most iconic verbal takedowns: Winston Churchill’s infamous 1946 "sober tomorrow" zinger to Labour MP Bessie Braddock. Except, there’s a catch—Churchill almost certainly didn't write it, and he might not have even said it. We unearth the 150-year-old history of this recycled joke to uncover a deeper truth: the massive gap between a bad night and a bad character.

Also in this episode:

• The Bread Wars: A hilarious, three-act tragedy of how the exact same ingredients can result in perfect sourdough, accidental naan, a wet paper towel, or a literal roofing shingle.
• The Blast Radius of Stress: Why your router, the person counting exact change in the checkout line, and your pets aren't actually the problem—they are just the closest soft targets when an old fuse finally blows.
• The Ultimate Skill: How to look at an ugly world and figure out whether the thing in front of you actually caused the storm, or just happened to be standing there when the rain started.

Pour a drink, hide from your kitchen projects, and let's dig in.

Wear the Mindset: Don't forget to check out the show notes link to grab the latest gear from KBO Standard Supply. We checked. It’s real. You’re not going to believe it.

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply 

Welcome to the premiere episode of the Keep Buggering On podcast. This show takes something true—fully, footnote-having true—and tells it to you like it’s the best thing that happened at the bar last night. No wellness routines, no debates, and no conspiracy theories. We checked, it’s real, and you’re not going to believe it.

We kick things off with a confession from the driving range about a fifty-four-year-old beginner trying to master the simplest, most brutal instruction in human history: keep your head down. Because as it turns out, looking up to supervise an outcome halfway through a swing is the exact thing that guarantees you miss.

From there, we scale this exact human instinct up to two completely different levels. First, we travel back to the summer of 1859 to look at the Pig War of San Juan Island—where a lone American farmer, a British sheep farmer, a dead Berkshire boar, and an inability to de-escalate nearly caused two global empires to trigger a third Revolutionary War battle over an unfenced potato patch. Then, we bring it home to the modern workplace, breaking down why we treat process updates like an armed ambush and how to take the "one-breath pause" before reaching for the rifle.

The lesson? The swing already works if you let it finish. Stop checking the sky, look at what's in front of you, and Keep Buggering On.

Wear the Mindset: Every episode of this show starts with a design hanging in our shop right now. Grab the official Episode 1 "Keep Your Head Down" graphic tee and explore the full line of rugged, purpose-built apparel at KBO Standard Supply: 🔗 https://k-b-o-standardsupplyllc.com/

What is KBO Standard Supply? We make no-nonsense apparel for the disciplined, the relentless, and anyone who knows that a rough day is no excuse to quit. If you’re going to face the chaos of the world, you might as well look lethal doing it. 

K-B-O Standard Supply