• Memorial Day . Eric Paliwoda was a big dude. Probably six-foot-six. Those big, meaty hands that would swallow your own in a tight handshake. His jaw stuck out, exaggerated by a lip full of dip. He was raised in Connecticut, but seemingly emerged from a Nebraska cornfield, ready for war. A short, ten-year-old Memorial Day piece worth pulling up again for the weekend. Quiet, well-said, no flag-waving . ( STSW ) • The Legend of Chief Shannon Kent : On the late Navy cryptologist and Senior Chief — a profile of a remarkable career and the quiet community that knew her. Memorial-weekend reading. ( Coffee or Die ) see also Fullbore Friday: The secrets we keep . Every Naval officer should know his name, but few do. He was born in 1925, and he is still with us. What a story. Imagine you are just your standard-issue U.S. Navy fleet Lieutenant in your late 20s. You missed the big war, but you are ear deep in the next one, the Korean War. You know, on paper at least, you are flying a plane outclassed by your opponent.…