Tailhook Tavern

It's Where We Drink

by Will Dean

3522 Cottman Ave., 215-338-4027

Considering all of the military decorations at Northeast Philly taproom Tailhook Tavern, I was not surprised when Tom Devine, the husband of owner Marie, offered to sign me up for the Marines. But when I pointed out my lack of anything close to towering physical strength, he conceded that perhaps I should try the Army instead.

Tom, who retired from the Marines three and a half years ago, collected most of Tailhook's decorations during his years of service.

Behind the bar sits a propeller he received to honor his retirement—memorializing a C-130 that crashed in Iraq. The unlucky rotor was signed by the members of Devine's unit, the 49th Marine Air Logistics Squadron.

In contrast, there's also a slender, hooked piece of metal that saved the lives of countless pilots and gave the tavern its name. Looking like a sideways question mark, the tailhook is what catches the arrestor cable on the deck of an aircraft carrier and slows landing aircraft down enough so they can safely halt.

Servicemen and women have also donated unit badges, posters and pictures. One sign says 'Semper Fi,' and there's a painting depicting Marines from every period of American history carousing together at a bar.

"We're all on the same side," Tom says about the different branches of the armed services. "The Marines just happen to be the best."