Thanks to All Hands

Just want to thank everyone for the support to me, my son, Michael, and to all of our men and women in our armed services.

As a point of introduction, I am the son of a Naval officer who saw Pearl Harbor from aboard the USS Helena (CL50) on Dec. 7th, then progressed through the War on troop transports and freighters (kinda like Mr Roberts). He saw action from the bridge at Iwo, Leyte, Okinawa and with the invasion fleet at Japan. I joined the ranks in 1948 with him as a baby sailor and served with him for about eleven years, through the Korean conflict as he ran ammunition and mash units to the front.  In '54 -'56 we spent time together in the Philippine Islands at Sangley Point Naval Air Station. (The best years of my life.) When he retired from active service in 1959 I set my sights on following my Dad into the service after high school and even took two years of cadet training in high school. But the good Lord must have figured Dad had done enough for the country for all of us because I drew a 4F from the service center and the other two boys pulled college deferments and out lived the draft. So I put my disappointment aside and went to college. But the salt water has always been in my blood and the Navy has always been my home.

When my son, Michael, decided to serve in the Navy after high school I can honestly say it was one of the proudest and most heart filling days of my life. Dad has been living vicariously the sailors life through his exploits ever since then. Now I have the opportunity to take the Tiger Cruise aboard his ship CVN 65 USS Enterprise and I will finally get the opportunity to spend some time aboard a 'ship of the line' at sea.

It'll be a time of emotion for me as I remember my Dad and his desire to sail aboard a 'ship of the line' after Pearl and, for me, since the Enterprise was the ship I was hoping to serve aboard back in '66. Michael keeps reminding me that she's the oldest ship in the fleet. I guess she's just waiting for me to come aboard and ride with her one last time. God willing, I'll llive the childhood dream.