Tag: US Navy

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Tom

Today I drove to Mt. Irenaeus for Mass.  It’s part of what I usually do nearly every Sunday. On the way I placed a call to my nephew Tom who’s a member of the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard in Anacostia, DC. Earlier this week my brother called to let me know that Tom would be marching on Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday accompanying our new President. I wanted to call Tom and let him know how proud I am of him and that he would be in my prayers and that I hoped he would be able to stay warm despite the bitter cold that grips the east coast of our nation.  I left my message on his voice mail and continued to drive to the Mountain.

My trip this morning was a bit more exciting than normal because the road to Mt. Irenaeus was not completely plowed and my little PT Cruiser couldn’t quite make the final hill on the first try. I decided to back down the hill and wait for my friend Duane Karl who has a four-wheel drive pickup. After backing down the hill and getting my car parked on Weatherby Road I looked up and my guardian angel arrived in the person of a snow plow and sander for the Town of Wirt. The plow cleared the road and the sand provided the necessary traction for me to make the grade. Once I arrived I made my way to the chapel and Mass.  After Mass I turned my phone on and discovered that I had a nice message from Tom. He told me that he had been practicing for the inauguration and that he’d be carrying the California flag at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday afternoon.  My heart swelled with pride as I shared this news with the Friars and other guests.  I can’t think of Tom nor his part in the upcoming inauguration without becoming filled with pride and choked up a bit with emotion.

I did get home in time to see Tom on HBO. As with most of this historic event I watched it on my laptop computer.  I missed the first part of the show but saw the California flag at the end of the event and though I couldn’t see Tom I knew that he was up there. My daughter sat next to me and we both agreed that this was a special moment for us and especially for Tom.

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Watching the Obama Train

Lots of thoughts today. I got up this morning to bone chilling cold. Our home is warm, but it was -9 degrees fahrenheit outside. I thank God that we have heat and a well insulated home. Our daughter is home this weekend. She and I headed to the gym earlier for a good workout. I got in 40 minutes on the eliptical machine and Dara varied her workout among eliptical, weights and a stationary bicycle.

As we headed to the gym I let Dara know that 34 years ago I put on my dress blues and headed to work at the Naval Hospital in New London, Connecticut and reported to the officer of the day who signed my orders to leave. That was my last day of active duty. I was happy to be going home. Now, all this time later I’d like one more day with or at least a few hours with those men and women with whom I served. I’d like to say thank you again and catch up a bit. The perspective at 56 years of age is different than it was at 22.

I’ve been relaxing on the couch next to our pellet stove most of the rest of the day. I had some rice krispies with milk and honey which is my favorite breakfast.  I’ve been watching C-Span, CNN and MSNBC most of the day to see President-elect Obama, Vice-President-elect Joe Biden and their wives touch the lives of millions of Americans with their train ride from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.  There is quite a contrast from four and even eight years ago.  Obama isn’t God and he’s got his work cut out for him but people everywhere along that route and in much of our country and around the world are excited too. I’ve been thinking about my nephew Tom who is a sailor serving in the United States Navy Ceremonial Guard in DC. Tom’s going to be marching with our new president on Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday. I wish I could be there. I’m so proud of Tom and wish I could be there in person to see him. Many times today I’ve been moved to tears as I watched the President-elect’s train and listened to he and other speak along the way.

My brother Brian and his friend Lillian will be in Washington for the inaugural too.  Lillian stood on the mall with Dr. King in 1963 as a teenager. How special for her to return now to see a member of her race inaugurated. I’ve been thinking too of Dr. King himself and what he would have thought of all of this.  Today is a day that makes me proud to be an American. It’s one of those signature days.  I’m grateful to be an American and a veteran of the United States Navy. I salute my countrymen, our President and Vice-President Elect, their families and the millions of soldiers, sailors, marines and coast guardsman who serve us. God bless America and may America bless God again.

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Gratefulness

Today is my birthday and I’m fortunate to have so many friends with whom to celebrate. Birthdays are events for looking forward and sometimes looking back. Today I did a little of each as I wondered how much longer I get to hang around here. Fifty-six is only four years from sixty and that used to seem old. Now that it’s right around the corner it’s different. My brother Mark called at 7:30 this morning to wish me well. He was in Charleston, South Carolina and it was a warm 32 F compared to our 8 F here in Franklinville. Mark always calls and this year we chatted for longer than usual. I asked about my nephew Tom who is serving in the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard in Washington, DC. Mark said he was doing well and had even served at the White House already.

I spend most of my day in an elementary school where my office is and so each morning I’m greeted by a sea of young faces many of whom know me by name. Sometimes I stop to visit, other times they need help opening a locker or picking up something they’ve dropped. I’ve been greeting young people in this building for just a few months shy of thirty years.  These children are the flowers of my life. They pick me up on days that I’m down.  This morning I greeted a kindergarten class that was passing near my office. I asked them to wait so I could bring a special friend to greet them. I quickly retrieved a life-size Teddy bear from my office and held him so the children could touch the bear. They were delighted that I brought the bear out. Most of the children took time to hug the bear and when I saw them later in the hall they mentioned the bear again.

I usually eat alone in my office but today my wife came and made sure that I’d come to the faculty room at 11:30 AM for a special lunch. When I entered the room all present began to sing Happy Birthday. It was a nice surprise and I was very touched. We all shared some birthday cake and a few stories.  I’m grateful for my wife, my life and the students of Franklinville Elementary School who have been so much a part of my life since March of 1979.

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Happy Birthday

Today is the two-hundred and thirty-third birthday of the United States Navy.  Much has changed since the 13th of October in 1775 and much has remained the same. The Continental Congress authorized the outfitting of two naval vessels to search our shores and protect us from British warships supplying their troops.  In the two centuries plus that have followed thousands of young men and women have chosen to serve this country as members of the United States Navy.   Just yesterday at brunch while at Mt. Irenaeus I spoke with a physician who had served as a U.S. Navy Medical Officer for ten years. He was at the Mountain with his young family. He was a graduate of Siena College who spent time as a Franciscan Volunteer before going to medical school and after that the U.S. Navy.  He left the Navy for private practice in Greencastle, PA.  My own family has a record of naval service that spans three generations now.

There is within me a longing for the sea and the surf that has been in me all my life. Perhaps I’ll never know where it came from but it is there nonetheless. Whatever its source I salute the United States Navy today on its birthday.

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Drilling out

Friday night as I sat waiting for dinner at Kabob Kafe in nearby Ellicottville, New York with my wife and daughter my Blackberry buzzed. I picked it up and looked and I had been “poked” on Facebook by my nephew, Tom Watkins. Tom was letting me know that he just “drilled out” of the U.S. Navy’s Ceremonial Guard. He graduated from Boot Camp in August and went right to Anacostia Annex in the District of Columbia. I don’t know too much about the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard other than it is a highly trained outfit. I kept a picture of Tom on my phone so that every time I opened it to use it I would remember to pray for him in this new assignment. He won’t graduate officially for another eleven days but he’s made the grade and we’re all very proud of him. I hope to speak with him soon.

Today is special for me too and each year I remember that I too graduated from Boot Camp at Great Lakes, IL on the 13th of October at 1300 hours from the 13th Battalion. I led graduation carrying the American flag in the color guard. Just last week I thought of my shipmates and how much I wished I had one more day with them to catch up. I miss them a great deal and the older I get the more I wish that we hadn’t lost contact.

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Bill Cosby

Last night my wife and I drove west the sixty-seven or so miles that it is from our home in Franklinville, New York to Chautauqua Institution. Chautauqua is one of those lovely contemplative venues that I love. Diane loves Bill Cosby and for her birthday in June I bought a couple of tickets to Saturday’s 8:15 performance. She and our children regularly watched the Cosby Show when it was regular series.

I’ve liked Bill Cosby since I was a young boy. I can remember him starring on “I Spy” with Robert Culp. I remember seeing him on other television shows too. I remember that Bill Cosby wrote an endorsement for the Temptations on their “Great Hits” album.

But, it wasn’t until after I purchased the tickets and read about him on Wikipedia that I realized that we had something in common. It turns out that we are both US Navy veterans and we both served as Hospital Corpsman. Diane thoroughly enjoyed the show. She laughed so hard her sides hurt. Thank you to Bill Cosby for a great evening.

I used my new Blackberry Curve to take this lovely picture of Chautauqua Lake after Diane and I finished dinner at the Tally Ho.

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Three generations

I put together a short video of pictures of my uncle, my Dad, myself and my nephew in uniform. That’s three generations serving the United States of America in uniform. My uncle was the lone Army veteran. Dad, Tom and I went Navy.   Animoto is a really interesting Web 2.0 site that allows you to create short or long videos and it has gateways to Flickr and Picasa.

[clearspring_widget title=”Animoto.com” wid=”46928cc51133af17″ pid=”48b0268016504f98″ width=”432″ height=”260″ domain=”widgets.clearspring.com”]

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Rewarding

At 0730 last Friday morning I found myself riding with my brother and his family through the Illinois Street Gate at United States Navy Recruit Training Command. That morning was filled with excitement for all on board. It was homecoming for one old sailor returning to a place where I too had once served. Once we got thoroughly checked by the U.S. Navy Police we were allowed to walk from our car to the MCPON building which was our portal to the drill hall where my nephew and 967 of his shipmates would pass in review. My brother Mark, was out in front leading the way. Like any father he was more than anxious see his son again. I walked between my sister-in-law Terry and their two children. It was a sunny day with a bright blue sky. Much has changed at Recruit Training Command since my time there. Only one of the buildings from the 1972 era is still there, but the pavements were the same. As I walked, emotion welled to the surface. No one noticed but my eyes were filling with tears. I could feel them trickle down my cheek. Tom was passing in review today but I was home again in a place that didn’t seem like home in 1972. The ghosts of thousands of sailors were with us as we walked and I was aware of them. We crossed the street and moved toward the drill hall where Tom would graduate.

My eyes were drier now and all around me were petty officers shepherding our every movement. I felt at home and as one who had been on a long journey. On my way into the drill hall I passed a 1st Class Hospital Corpman. I forgot she wasn’t supposed to talk me and I blurted out, “I was a 3rd Class Corpsman.” We reached our seats and were to have a wonderful experience watching these young men and women pass in review. After the ceremony as I shopped once more in the Navy Exchange for souvenirs to bring back to my family I spotted a quote from John F. Kennedy. I’d never seen it before but it is one that I will not forget.

I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: “I served in the United States Navy”-John F. Kennedy

Before the day was over and as we waited for my nephew to check in with the Transient Holding Unit I fell asleep under a tree next to the drill field I had graduated from in 1972. I was filled with an abiding sense of peace and I slept fitfully there under that tree. It’s a memory that will be with me for a long time.

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Pass in Review

Division 290 Ship 11 enters

Friday Morning at 0900 the Pass in Review ceremony at Great Lakes Recruit Training Command began and after the preliminary review of colors and a short film about life in Boot Camp we got our first look at the graduates. My nephew’s unit, Division 290 Ship 11 was the first to come marching into the drill hall. They looked great. A sharp unit with crisp military bearing. For my nephew, Tom, the journey began on June 18, 2008 when he arrived at Great Lakes Recruit Training Command. Friday morning, August 15, 2008 it culminated with his shipmates as they passed in review.

As we drove onto Recruit Training Command through the Illinois Street entrance our car was inspected by Navy Police and then after our IDs were checked we were directed to a parking area. Driving across the parking area I exclaimed to my brother that we were on the grinder, as we called it then, that I had graduated from in October 1972. Once we were parked, we walked with hundreds of other parents and families to the drill hall for this momentous occasion in the lives of these the U.S. Navy’s newest sailors.

Much has changed in the years since I had been there. Only one building looked the same, the rest had been replaced with new construction. It was great to be back. I know all the parents and friends were filled with anticipation and the drill hall where we were eventually seated was full of families anxious to be reunited with loved ones. As each division entered the public address announcer stated the unit and so when to door rose and the announcement, “Division 290 Ship 11” rang from the speakers my heart began to beat a bit faster. I couldn’t find my nephew from among the crowd of shipmates that surrounded him. My nephew, Dan who was seated next to me was the first to spot his brother. I trained my Kodak even more and tried to capture these moments for history. God smiled on my efforts and I managed to get dozens of great shots of these brave young men and women who have answered the call to serve their country.

In all 967 new sailors graduated that morning. Being in the presence of so many brave young men and women filled with reverent awe and gratitude. I felt a sense of hope for the future of our country that I haven’t felt in a long time.

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It still fits

I got out one of my old white hats as I prepare to return to the Great Lakes, IL area tomorrow. It still fits and it’s in very good shape. I thought I’d bring the hat with me so that my nephews could see it. I had been looking for my old neckerchief that I wore with dress blues. I was going to give it to my nephew as a gift from an old sailor to a new one. Alas, I can’t find the neckerchief. I’ve got my dress blues, dress whites and a couple of white hats, but no neck gear. My Dad gave me his neckerchief from World War II after I got out of Boot Camp and I wore it on some occasions. I wanted my nephew Tom who passes in review on Friday to have a keepsake too.

Tom passes in review on the Feast of the Assumption. It’s a day that has meaning for Tom. He brought it up in a letter he sent me a few weeks back. There is something Marian about the Navy and Great Lakes. I’ve loved the color blue all my life and Friday I’ll be in one of the bluest places on earth. I’m going to get Tom a gift certificate to Starbucks. He said the chaplain said that God’s love is like a double chocolate chip frappucino and I think the chaplain might be right on the money. God bless Tom, his shipmates and the United States Navy.