Just wanted to share with the rest of the family a moment from the MeetnGreet in Eureka Springs last night.
Don (USN05LE) went on terminal leave with the Navy yesterday at 0900 hours. This means he has completed all official duties and responsibilities as a 20 year veteran of the United States Navy and has NOTHING he has to do before he is officially Honorably Discharged and retired from the US Armed Forces.
I've known Don since he was a 16 year old and I was his boss at his first part-time job. He was a tall skinny obnoxious kid who never shut up, and those of you who know him now know that he has changed a lot, he's not skinny anymore...
Seriously, I am now proud to call him my best friend, and I am very proud that he has spent 20 years serving his country, as a submariner in a nuclear ballistic missile boomer, the Ohio Class USS Rhode Island and as a Recruiter for the US Navy.
So, I asked Don what the Navy did for retiring Naval personnel after they did their 20, the short (printable) version of his reply was "Nothing".
No way...
I figured at the least, they would have him dress up in the dress white "Somebody go carry Debra Winger out the door" ice cream suit, have some jerk from up the chain of command come in and say something pompous, and give him some token to remember his time in the Navy.
Nope.
I may be a civilian, but I find this reprehensible. I would understand for a normal 2-3 year hitch, give you your papers and the "Don't let the door hit ya where the pig bit ya" routine, but for 20 years?!?
So to the point of this post, I decided that Don should have something to remind him of his Navy career, and to celebrate the completion of his service to the United States Armed Forces. It's not much, but to make it memorable I thought what better way than to give it to him last night at the Meet-n-Greet in the company of some of the best people we know. Don, I love you brother and am proud to call you my friend. Thank you for the last 20 years. (Insert flag proudly waving in the breeze emoticon here)
P.S.- It is a real ship's bell, they make them for military and civilian boats in all sizes up to oceangoing yachts. It is antiqued bronze, the last thing on God's earth anybody who has ever been in the Navy wants is to ever again see something that is brass and has to be polished...
Don (USN05LE) went on terminal leave with the Navy yesterday at 0900 hours. This means he has completed all official duties and responsibilities as a 20 year veteran of the United States Navy and has NOTHING he has to do before he is officially Honorably Discharged and retired from the US Armed Forces.
I've known Don since he was a 16 year old and I was his boss at his first part-time job. He was a tall skinny obnoxious kid who never shut up, and those of you who know him now know that he has changed a lot, he's not skinny anymore...
So, I asked Don what the Navy did for retiring Naval personnel after they did their 20, the short (printable) version of his reply was "Nothing".
No way...
I figured at the least, they would have him dress up in the dress white "Somebody go carry Debra Winger out the door" ice cream suit, have some jerk from up the chain of command come in and say something pompous, and give him some token to remember his time in the Navy.
Nope.
I may be a civilian, but I find this reprehensible. I would understand for a normal 2-3 year hitch, give you your papers and the "Don't let the door hit ya where the pig bit ya" routine, but for 20 years?!?
So to the point of this post, I decided that Don should have something to remind him of his Navy career, and to celebrate the completion of his service to the United States Armed Forces. It's not much, but to make it memorable I thought what better way than to give it to him last night at the Meet-n-Greet in the company of some of the best people we know. Don, I love you brother and am proud to call you my friend. Thank you for the last 20 years. (Insert flag proudly waving in the breeze emoticon here)
P.S.- It is a real ship's bell, they make them for military and civilian boats in all sizes up to oceangoing yachts. It is antiqued bronze, the last thing on God's earth anybody who has ever been in the Navy wants is to ever again see something that is brass and has to be polished...