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I haven’t updated the blog since
August of 2016, the trip by air and land to New Mexico and Texas. I haven’t
written about sailing much. I have covered most of where and what I did in
previous post from the past years. Last year I sailed to American Samoa for one
leg. I was glad to have sailed that. It now puts me to have sailed every
navigated route NOAA has established for its ships operating in the Tropical
Pacific. So I have sailed from Mexico to the Solomon Islands and from Hawaii to
the Samoan Islands! No certificate or recognition, just oral evidence of my 19 seasons
of sailing for NOAA. I finally saw, but didn’t set foot on, was Baker and
Howland Islands. Howland is famous for where Amelia Earhart was to land for
refueling to continue her round the world trip. The atolls are uninhabited and
there are signs indicating that Amelia Earhart was to land at Howland. The
remains of the control tower are named after her as if a planeload of tourists will
come to visit these remote atolls near the equator. If you were to fly Hawaiian
Airlines, Baker Island is listed on the map displayed in their routes to Asia. I
will ask some Hawaiian Air representative next time why they do that.
After that trip we steamed
towards Pago Pago and it was there I got off the ship to return to Hawaii. Afterwards
we packed our bags and headed to San Diego for my parents funeral. It was a
dozen years ago that I last set foot in “America’s Finest City” when the
Ka’imimoana had winter maintenance at San Diego Naval Station. The trip was
short and melancholy. I didn’t see any old friends due to circumstances of the
trip. We soon boarded a flight to go home. Next time San Diego; we shall enjoy
you on a happier occasion. I did take the family down to the border with Mexico
to show them the I-5 exit sign that indicated “Last US Exit” before crossing
into Tijuana.
I finally received my 30-year
certificate! Unlike others in my organization it was not ceremonious. There
were no write-ups of my accomplishments in the organizational news bulletins or
photo session to accompany it. I’ve read articles of others who received their
15, 20 and 25 year certificates and pins and were showered with accolades of
accomplishments. No need to feel sorry for myself. At least I crossed the
threshold into retirement. I was informed at a retirement party for a captain I
sailed with. He signed it and I am glad to have his signature on it to
commemorate my 30 years. I wished he was around to give it to me but you can’t
always get what you want. In many ways it is symbolic of my affiliation with
NOAA in my latter years. Many officers that I sailed with that were senior to
me have either retired or took up administrative billets on the east coast.
Those that are in charge now I came up through the ranks with. In many ways it
was akin to my retirement from the Navy nearly 20 years earlier. A month before
I was to retire, a Master Chief came into our shop and read us the riot act for
not attending a retirement ceremony for three Chief Petty Officers whose
squadrons were disestablished during the Clinton drawdown. So it was up to our
squadron to provide them with a retirement ceremony. A senior petty officer in
our shop decided to conduct training since we did not know the chiefs. That is
where it all began. Attending retirement ceremony was a military duty and that
took precedents over maintenance and training. Next month was my retirement
ceremony and it was listed in the Plan of the Day. I told my friends in other
activities and invited them to attend. When it came time for my ceremony, my
counterparts from the shop were not there due to the same Master Chief who made
them work on a plane. Despite of protests that a retirement ceremony of a shop
member none of them were in attendance. In fact in the hall where I gave my
farewell address there were only two people whom I knew. However, those are the
same two people I still keep in touch with after all these years! They signed
the squadron photo along with a dozen other names I did not recognize. I took
the cake down to the shop to give to the guys who could not make it! They were
still out on the plane so I left it in the shop with a farewell note. I’m just
wondering if I had a “traditional” ceremony, how much of it would I remember?
The New Year began with what is
now known as the infamous “Trump Shutdown.” Where the tribal chief took
responsibility in front of political opponents and the cameras broadcasting to
the nation. I was not exactly furloughed but on the list to report for duty
when called. This was my third shutdown so I treated it as if it were a
vacation on the house. I knew we were going to get back pay so I used it as a
dress rehearsal for retirement. I worked out at the gym and back into shape. I
went to the library and checked out books. I revived one of my hobbies,
reading. Contrary to many of my counterparts, I was feeling good with the
activities I was doing. Just like
the shutdown of 2013, I went to the beach with friends nearly every day. The
last week of the shutdown I did receive a letter “ordering” me to report to
work! What’s the use? I was getting paid anyway! I received a phone call first
then the “recall letter” via e-mail. So I reported to work due to my status and
donated at least 20 hours of free labor. The “Trump Shutdown” was over by the
end of the week. So now I am back to work, stressed out, out of shape but still
manage to cling on to reading.
That’s about it for now.
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