Lee and I walked on Mission Beach a couple of days ago. Lee lived in Mission Beach when he was enrolled at UCSD. He said it was difficult to study, because the views and weather are so beautiful. Not surprising!
On the other side of the main drag through Mission Beach is Mission Bay. This sliver of land is not too wide - one main street, and a depth of one block of homes on each side. Lee lived on the bay side:
On the south side of Mission Bay is Point Loma. We drove towards the end of the point, and looked back on the U.S. Navy Base, and across to downtown San Diego.
A lighthouse stands at the end, up high on a bluff:
Also on the point leading up to the light house is Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. It is on both sides of the road, and easily accessible.
I stopped and contemplated one gravestone, of a young marine killed in Iraq. I didn't know him, but seeing the gravestone saddened me. I think it is true that because the current wars are on other continents, Americans feel separated from those wars. Wars become more abstract than real. Jorge's gravestone reminded me it is important to stop and remember our soldiers, and pray for them often.
Along the same lines, we visited the USS Midway, whose home is now on the San Diego waterfront. The Midway was built between the years 1943 to 1945, and commissioned just after the end of WWII. She served in several wars, including the Korean War, Vietnam War, and Operation Desert Storm. She was decommissioned in 1992 and opened to the public as a museum in 2004. The exhibits are exceptional, and the tour lets visitors see the areas where daily activities took place. Because she is an aircraft carrier, she is also a museum of aircraft used through the years on carriers.
Lee in the brig!
Sailors' quarters:
The engine room:
The dentist's chair!
Steep stairways everywhere:
The biggest soup kettles I have ever seen:
Industrial irons for all those uniforms:
The chapel:
Instructions for trimming mustaches in the barber shop:
The point is, it's amazing how much it takes to keep a crew of 2000 and a huge ship functioning properly. I had never thought of all the details. Sick bay; ICU; Captain's Quarters, Chaplains' quarters; post office; pilots' "ready rooms"; a "store" of supplies like toothbrushes, tooth paste, and other personal items; and much, much more.
There are stories, too. For example, the USS Midway was involved in the massive airlift of refugees following the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnamese War. 3,000 evacuees were on board that ship. One small airplane flew over the aircraft carrier late that first day, wishing to land. The deck was cleared, and when the plane landed and came to a stop, a husband, wife, and three children emerged. This is a reproduction of that airplane, nothing like your typical aircraft carrier jet:
To move on, below: Lee is in seventh heaven, at the controls in a jet's cockpit.
I took these photos for my dad, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War:
From the flight deck, visitors can view the San Diego skyline:
Thank you, Veterans.
Signing off,
Eileen
