The mission was to show the flag, explore commercial opportunities – including routes to supply gold-mining operations – and display a little firepower. An article in Naval History described how Loomis liked to demonstrate the ship’s Colt machine guns to local officials. “This gun, firing some 500 shots a minute, produced a vivid impression here,” Loomis wrote in a report. Following his retirement, Butler became an outspoken critic of American military adventurism, famously describing himself as “a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism” during his long military career. Those military involvements are often described as “forever wars” by parts of Trump’s MAGA base.

Source: Egypt Independent January 10, 2026 09:36 UTC