REMEMBERING

[22WRF]

I Was A Sailor Once

Sharing a glimpse of the life many so dearly loved...

I liked standing on the bridge wing at sunrise with salt spray in my
face
and clean ocean winds whipping in from the four quarters of the globe I
liked the sounds of the Navy - the piercing trill of the boatswains
pipe,
the syncopated clangor of the ship's bell on the quarterdeck, harsh,
and
the strong language and laughter of sailors at work.

I liked Navy vessels -- plodding fleet auxiliaries and amphibs, sleek
submarines and steady solid aircraft carriers.

I liked the proud names of Navy ships: Midway, Lexington, Saratoga,
Coral
Sea, Antietam, Valley Forge - - memorials of great battles won and
tribulations overcome.

I liked the lean angular names of Navy "tin-cans" and escorts, mementos
of
heroes who went before us.

And the others - - San Jose, San Diego, Los Angeles, St. Paul, Chicago,
Oklahoma City, named for our cities.

I liked the tempo of a Navy band.

I liked liberty call and the spicy scent of a foreign port.

I even liked the never ending paperwork and all hands working parties
as my
ship filled herself with the multitude of supplies, both mundane and to
cut
ties to the land and carry out her mission anywhere on the globe where
there was water to float her.

I liked sailors, officers and enlisted men from all parts of the land,
farms of the Midwest, small towns of New England, from the big cities,
the
mountains and the prairies, from all walks of life. I trusted and
depended
on them as they trusted and depended on me -- for professional
competence,
for comradeship, for strength and courage. In a word, they were
"shipmates"; then and forever.

I liked the surge of adventure in my heart, when the word was passed:
''Now
Hear This'' "Now station the special sea and anchor detail - all hands
to
quarters for leaving port," and I liked the infectious thrill of
sighting
home again, with the waving hands of welcome from family and friends
waiting pier side The work was hard and dangerous; the going rough at
times; the parting from loved ones painful, but the companionship of
robust
Navy laughter, the "all for one and one for all" philosophy of the sea
was
ever present.

I liked the fierce and dangerous activity on the flight deck of
aircraft
carriers, earlier named for battles won but sadly now named for
politicians. Enterprise, Independence, Boxer, Princeton and oh so many
more, some lost in battle, and sadly many scrapped.

I liked the names of the aircraft and helicopters; Skyraider, Intruder,
Sea
King, Phantom, Skyhawk, Demon, Skywarrior, Corsair, and many more that
bring to mind offensive and defensive orders of battle.

I liked the excitement of an alongside replenishment as my ship slid in
alongside the oilier and the cry of "Standby to receive shotlines"
prefaced
the hard work of rigging spanwires and fuel hoses echoed across the
narrow
gap of water between the ships and welcomed the mail and fresh milk,
fruit
and vegetables that sometimes accompanied the fuel.

I liked the serenity of the sea after a day of hard ship's work, as
flying
fish flitted across the wave tops and sunset gave way to night.

I liked the feel of the Navy in darkness - the masthead and range
lights,
the red and green navigation lights and stern light, the pulsating
phosphorescence of radar repeaters - they cut through the dusk and
joined
with the mirror of stars overhead. And I liked drifting off to sleep
lulled
by the myriad noises large and small that told me that my ship was
alive
and well, and that my shipmates on watch would keep me safe.

I liked quiet mid-watches with the aroma of strong coffee -- the
lifeblood
of the Navy permeating everywhere.

And I liked hectic watches when the exacting minuet of haze-gray shapes
racing at flank speed kept all hands on a razor edge of alertness.

I liked the sudden electricity of "General quarters, general quarters,
all
hands man your battle stations," followed by the hurried clamor of
running
feet on ladders and the resounding thump of watertight doors as the
ship
transformed herself in a few brief seconds from a peaceful workplace to
a
weapon of war -- ready for anything.

And I liked the sight of space-age equipment manned by youngsters clad
in
dungarees and sound-powered phones that their grandfathers would still
recognize .

I liked the traditions of the Navy and the men and now women who made
them.
I liked the proud names of Navy heroes:Halsey, Nimitz, Perry, Farragut,
John Paul Jones and Burke.

A sailor could find much in the Navy: comrades-in-arms, pride in self
and
country, mastery of the seaman's trade. An adolescent could find
adulthood.

In years to come, when sailors are home from the sea, we still remember
with fondness and respect the ocean in all its moods - the impossible
shimmering mirror calm and the storm-tossed green water surging over
the
bow. And then there will come again a faint whiff of stack gas, a faint
echo of engine and rudder orders, a vision of the bright bunting of
signal
flags snapping at the yardarm, a refrain of hearty laughter in the
wardroom
and chief's quarters and mess decks.

Gone ashore for good we grow humble about our Navy days, when the seas
were
a part of us and a new port of call was ever over the horizon.

Remembering this, WE stand taller and say, " I WAS A SAILOR ONCE."

I sure do miss my Navy
author unknown

[SouthernMoss]

Nice!!

[Bruce FLinch]

Wished I was more more mature when I was in the Navy & could have appreciated it then.

[noslolo]

God Bless, the author for we owe him and his brethern much!!!!!