I'm in. Pete

Had son home over the fourth of July for his first leave since going to Guam. The OKC is a hardworking boat. Their operational tempo is very high.

Hey, here is the other half of the group.  We spoke with our son as well.  He was pretty upbeat.  I think it is okay to say that somewhere in their travels they crossed the equator and were part of the training operation Valiant Shield 2012 which was held (per public news releases off Guam).  They only had seven pictures of the boat returning on the squadron facebook page and while we appreciate that a lot,  I would have liked a few dozen.

Congratulations to your son. John earned his dolphins as well. They must have been on the same cycle or decided to push to get guys finished up. I wish they had pictures.

Keith, Have you heard anything from your son?  I know they safely arrived.  John said there was a lot of talk about sending them off to schools while maintenance activities were going on.  We were thinking of going out an visiting them since they are a lot closer now then they have been or will be.  Pete

I am going to S.D. tomorrow to visit.  Will let you know how it goes.  Pete

Just returned from my SD adventure.  It was great.  Had a great tour of the boat and spent time doing stuff with John.  Stayed right on base. Pete

I don't have a sailor on the USS OKC but I do live 20 minutes east of this ships namesake city. 

Nice, I noticed that 2013 is the 25th anniversary of the boat.  You wouldn't to happen to know if Oklahoma City (namesake) had that on their radar?  I know when Chicago turned 25 they had a proclamation from the city council.

Tim,  Don't worry.  I might send them a note asking. Pete

Hi Tim, I sent some guy in the OKC city council a note informing him of the anniversary.  I figure if they want to do soemthing they will and if they don't they won't.  Pete

Sailors from USS Oklahoma City Make Namesake Visit...

Story Number: NNS130925-06Release Date: 9/25/2013 1:48:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Amanda Owens, Navy Office of Community Outreach

OKLAHOMA CITY (NNS) -- Sailors from USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723) reached out to their namesake city during a visit to Oklahoma City Sept. 20.

The crew met with government officials, corporate executives and participated in various community relations events during this namesake visit.

"Debi Martin, city council chief of staff, did a wonderful job of putting together an itinerary that allowed us to see the whole city in one week," said Master Chief Electronics Technician Joey Hundley, Chief of the Boat on Oklahoma City.

At the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City crew members helped the food bank put together backpacks for their Food for Kids Backpack Program. The backpacks provide under-privileged or homeless children food to eat on weekends and holidays until they return to school.

"Learning about the food bank and what services it provides was truly inspirational," said Hundley. "During our three hours, we were able to assist in providing the equivalent of 2,184 meals."

Crew members also visited the Boys and Girls Club in Oklahoma City, which has more than 2,000 youth that attend annually.

"The Boys and Girls Club visit provided us the opportunity to have some small group time with many of the youth that attend the club that were primarily in their teenage years," said Hundley. "The opportunity to interact with our youth at this level is extremely important and we provided some positive reinforcement regarding doing well in school and not messing with drugs."

Oklahoma City is the second U.S. Navy ship to be named after Oklahoma City, Okla., and is currently home ported in Apra Harbor, Guam.

"The visit to Oklahoma City was absolutely fabulous," said Hundley. "I have never been a part of a namesake visit and this visit certainly set the bar high. The city is extremely proud to have a submarine in their name."

Thanks for posting this.  The FRG for the OKC also posted a video clip of the captain speaking to high school students.  I sent an e-mail to the City council asking about recognizing the boat because it is the OKC's 25th anniversary of commissioning and received a nice e-mail back saying that they had that in their radar and were working towards something in the future.  Pete