On to Richmond...

Okay, bad pun there and I'm certainly mixing up my historical message, but it is what it is. Chock it up to just one more thing that history nerds like me smirk at and goes right over everyone else's head. If it's any consolation, I made it a lot faster than Little Mac. On topic.

Yesterday I had a great opportunity to present the USS HORNET Project to the Richmond Council, Navy League of the United States. Special thanks to Dave Vachet, SCPO (ret) for arranging the introductions, and for lunch! And in another proof of 'small world, small Navy' - I ran into the former CMC from USS Carter Hall, John M. Heistand MCPO (ret), whom I had the privelege to serve with for a short period in 2008 - and found out that he was responsible for one of my favorite daily diversions - the CO's daily speech on giving the Sailor of the Day his challenge coin. It went something like this (Master Cheif, feel free to correct me here):

"...and as the Sailor of the Day, they'll recieve the much sought after, difficult to obtain, designed by me, completely indestructible, made from the secret compound unobtanium, the hardest, most precious metal known to man, the formula for which is kept in a peanut butter jar in my safe, the only known cure for the common cold, the key component in the flux capacitor that makes time travel possible... the USS Carter Hall Sailor of the Day Coin."

Or something like that. It used to be much longer, funnier and changed almost daily. You would of had to hear it aboard the ship, echoing through the machinery spaces, after a long day. I don't know why that did it for me, but it did. At any rate, it was great to catch up with a shipmate, albeit a brief one, and share a recent happy memory of life at sea. Great to see you Master Chief!

Resume, FOCUS!

That's a close order drill command - not many people know that.

The meeting went very well, and I could tell by the questions and comments that the idea of the USS HORNET Project resonated with a great many members of the board. I look forward to developing a partnership that allows us each to compliment each other's missions and enhance our effectiveness.

And for those of you who don't know, the Navy League of the United States has been DIRECTLY HELPING SAILORS AND MARINES for many, many years. The Richmond Council is composed of approximately 550 men and women who are interested in promoting the safety, welfare, and future of the maritime forces of the United States. Membership is open to all patriotic Americans not on active military duty. Prior service in the Armed Forces is not a requirement for membership. They currently sponsor USS CARTER HALL, LSD-50 (fighting five-oh!), USS NORMANDY, CG-60 and USCGC Northland. They give 'Deployment Dollars' for morale, welfare and recreation, buy big-screen TVs, send care packages, and just about anything else they can to support our Sailors and Marines on the front lines.

My hat is off to you all, Richmond Council, for the valuable service I PERSONALLY HAVE SEEN that you do. Thank you for your contributions!

Thanks again for taking time out of a very busy board meeting to hear about our project, and I look forward to working with you all over the weeks, months and years to come!

NNNN