Sobering Reminders

It's been a pretty good week out here: I'm looking forward to the Navy Day Ball coming up (I'll have a very special lady on my arm); I've got a four-day weekend thanks to Columbus Day; I've had more time to talk to folks back home; and the Yankees' season is over, without a new ring to add to their collection.

We have a phrase for what it is we do in the Navy: “Living the dream.” It's a good life. You're paid well, it's pretty easy to hold your job, you have full benefits, and you have a job and a lifestyle you can be proud of. This week, we are proud to celebrate 236 years of service, when we mark the birthday of the Continental Navy (later the US Navy) on Oct. 13, 1775. This year's Navy Day Ball will also commemorate 100 years of Naval Aviation.

But this week is also full of sobering reminders that sometimes, this “dream” we're living can quickly become a nightmare.

Last week (Oct. 7, 2011) we marked the 10-year anniversary of the war in Afghanistan (which began with carrier-based airstrikes and ship and submarine based Tomahawk missile strikes). To date, 1,747 American service members have given their lives in Afghanistan; at least 9,971 have been wounded, and one remains missing in action. That's over twelve thousand American families who have lost loved ones, far too soon. And it's not even over yet. The war in Afghanistan has generated an increasing amount of political debate since its beginning, but I hope today we can just take a quick moment to silently remember and honor those who have put those debates aside and answered their country's call and gone to their duty-- in some cases, never to return.

We also mark the 11-year anniversary of the attack on the USS Cole (DDG67) in the port of Aden, Yemen (Oct. 12, 2000), while it was harbored for refueling. Seventeen sailors were killed, and 39 injured, when a small boat packed with explosives pulled up alongside the Cole and detonated, tearing a hole 40-foot by 60-foot into the side of the vessel. The blast destroyed the ship's galley, where the crew were lining up for lunch, and threatened to sink the ship completely. The Cole anniversary is a stark reminder not only of the dangers we face constantly while serving in the Navy, but also of our commitment to each other and to the ships on which we serve.

There's a mentality we have in the Navy — that every one of us is a damage controlman. While we have some sailors whose job rating is specifically damage control (DC), every one of us is trained, during boot camp, in basic damage control and firefighting — the Cole being a clear reason why we all receive such training. Certainly, every sailor aboard the Cole was a damage controlman that day, not just the DC ratings on board. The attack on the Cole is a painful memory for the Navy; but the fact that it is still in service to this day is a source of tremendous pride, and that is due to the training every sailor receives, and the commitment we all share towards our shipmates and our ships.

Fortunately, I'm still just “living the dream” right now. But as this week goes on, I'll be keeping those whose dreams have become nightmares in my thoughts and prayers. I hope you'll honor them in your own way, as well.