Well today is Veterans Day as I write this blog and it is always a day that causes me to pause and reflect on my time that I served in the United States Navy. I look back on the years that I served with fond memories. I always tell my wife that I would so much enjoy a reunion with many of my shipmates as there was a strong bond that I formed at the time with both those like myself who were enlisted for a few years as well as those shipmates who we referred to as the “lifers,” the career sailors. Since I worked in the ships post office I really got to know just about everyone on the ship which was no small accomplishment since, as I recall, we had a complement of about 900 in the crew. Of course everyone loved to stop by before our mail delivery with that anxious question of “Hey Nick (military shortcut for my last name), did I get any mail today?” I could easily make or break someone’s day as you might imagine since there was nothing better than hearing from one’s family, spouse, girlfriend, etc.
My time served was during the Viet Nam era but my deployments were not in that part of the world or as the expression goes in harms way. On the contrary, my brother in law was a marine who clearly spent significant time in Viet Nam and who I admire for how he served at a difficult period of our history. Those difficult times have clearly been back for a number of years now given our country’s engagement in conflict within Iraq and Afghanistan. Whether we believe in the cause or not, that is not the point here, we should be extremely proud of every military person who is serving over there and offer our sincere wishes for their safe return.
This past Sunday, a beautiful Autumn day as it turned out, my wife and I and some friends took a nice drive up to West Point for the annual Salute to Veterans concert that is performed by the military orchestra. Driving through the academy grounds is a very nostalgic experience as one reflects on its rich history, especially when reaching our destination of Eisenhower Hall for the event. By the way, for my fellow navy veterans, I have been to Annapolis so cut me some slack going to West Point now instead. This trip is just 35 minutes for me compared to 2 ½ hours to Maryland! In addition, the musical tribute plays to all the military services showing no partiality. I highly recommend anyone who is in driving distance of the academy to take advantage of the numerous free performances available on various occasions. I would imagine the other academies offer the same to the public.
So as we celebrate Veterans Day I put out on the internet the fact that I proudly served on the U.S.S. Everglades (AD-24) during the late ‘60’s and welcome a reply from anyone who might see this blog with some connection!
One Comment
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