I have been living in at least two different worlds the last few days. We are in Villefranche-sur-mer, France, a beautiful little town on the Mediterranean Sea just east of Nice. It has the only natural deep water harbor on the north coast of the Mediterranean. It was the home port of the United States Sixth Fleet for 14 years ending on January 20, 1967 when the fleet needed to leave because President de Gaulle took France out of NATO. During that time about 200 french women from Villefranche and the surrounding area married US sailors. This weekend is a celebration of the close ties between Villefranche-sur-mer and the Sixth Fleet and marks the 50th anniversary of the departure of the USS Springfield, the then flagship of the Sixth Fleet from Villefranche. Many US sailors who served in the Sixth Fleet while it was home-ported in Villefranche have returned along with others who are Navy veterans. The current commander of the Sixth Fleet, the USS Carney (DDG-64) and a large contingency of other sailors are here.
There have been speeches, parades, exhibits, banquets, cocktail parties and many other events. Last night many of us were able to attend a reception on the USS Carney. It has been about 45 years since I last set foot on a United States Navy ship. I was the navigator on the USS Mt. Katmai (AE-16) during the Vietnam war. The Navy has a "funny" tradition of naming ammunition ships after volcanos. We traveled between Subic Bay in the Philippines and the coast of Vietnam to rearm destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers working off the coast of Vietnam. My next job was the communications officer for the Commander of the Amphibious Forces in the Atlantic. You can guess which was the easier job.
As Jane and I were getting ready to attend the reception on the USS Carney, we turned on the tv (actually our computer) to watch the lead up to the inauguration of President Trump. I felt sick and completely disoriented. Little did I imagine that I would feel even more so after the reception and listening to President Trump's inauguration address.
Over the last few days I have been really impressed with the sailors who we have met, officers and enlisted personnel alike. They obviously take great pride in what they do. They were excited to show us old veterans what today's Navy is like, and they were extremely welcoming. They came here from Spain, where their home port is during what is part of their in port time. They are four weeks out on patrol or assignment and four weeks in port. They were young people (even the senior officers looked young to me, I guess that's my age) who made me proud to be an American and a former sailor. This picture is from our balcony. The warship in the foreground is a French frigate. The USS Carney is the one farther out in the harbor.
The young junior officer who was guiding the tour we were on was very impressive both in his knowledge of his ship and his ability to answer our questions with poise and clarity. I was particularly excited about going on the bridge because as navigator that is where I spent most of my time. I must say they use electronics to navigate today and do not even have a paper chart on the bridge. They push buttons and use joy sticks, but they do it very well. On the other hand, I used the sun and stars and paper charts to keep track of our position. I think on every bridge on every ship in the Navy there is a nice chair reserved for the captain of the ship. When I was in the Navy something very bad could have happened to me if sat in the captain's chair, but I figured now what could they do to me. So I sat, and here I am.
The celebration going on in Villefranche right now is honoring the friendship between Villefranche and the Sixth Fleet, but it was also about the strong bonds between longtime friends and allies. I almost never wear lapel pins, etc. but this weekend I am proud to be wearing a lapel pin with the French and US flags, symbolizing our wonderful relationship. After the reception, we returned to our apartment and listened to President Trump's inaugural address. How could that man be the President of the United States? I was enjoying being proud of the Navy and all the sailors, and I was celebrating our friends and allies, and then I hear only about America first from our new President. I was sick once again.
Today we went to the Saturday market. Of course, the headlines in the newspapers were focused on America first. While we were buying fruits and vegetables, we spoke to the couple selling them who were rightfully disgusted with President Trump but enthusiastically embraced our idea that we should just stay in France. True friends are people who will help you when you need help even though they don't know you. We need a lot more of that in the world today.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
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