Anchors Aweigh

The dis-oriented author is now officially a Navy Dad. Today I attended graduation ceremonies at the Navy Training Center Great Lakes. My son was one of some 800 recruits who officially transitioned to sailor today.

I found the ceremony moving. Here were 800 young men and women who had voluntarily signed up to serve their country during a time of armed conflict. In a short time these new sailors will be joining the fleet and many will find themselves in harm's way.

They come from all backgrounds, from cities and from farms. Some rich, some poor. Some like my son are college graduates and others barely made it through high school.

With young men and women like this, our future is secure.

As Edward L. Beach said:

"From time immemorial, the purpose of a navy has been to influence, and sometimes decide issues on land. So it was with the Greeks of antiquity; the Romans, who created a navy to defeat Carthage; the Spanish, whos armada tried and failed to conquer England; and most notably, the Atlantic and Pacific during the two world wars. The sea has always given man inexpensive transport and ease of communication over long distances, and concealment, for being over the horizon meant being out of sight, and effectively beyond reach. The sea has supplied mobility, capability and support throughout western history, and those failing in the sea-power test- most notably, Alexander, Napolean and Hitler, also failed the longevity one."

When the the recruits and the crowd sang Anchors Aweigh, I could barely hold back the tears — I was so proud.