Blue Overhead by Tojosan on Flickr

Blue Angels ripping up the sky sure is showy. For some that’s all the Navy they’ll ever get. We know the Navy from the passages, bulk heads, and bilges. Our families know it from the absences and the odors.(diesel smell never comes off)

Coming home it’s often our spouse or a single loved one greeting us on the pier. No cheering crowds or cameras.

What was your best homecoming memory? Or is best memories?

One of my best homecoming memories is my wife coming down on the sub when I couldn’t leave right away. There we sat in the mess chowing down on spaghetti and chatting with the other guys, some with their loved ones.

Sharon is an inveterate engager. She’s the first to strike up a conversation and make friends. The sub was no different.

Sitting with us in the mess was one of the cooks. I’m sure it was Toothless.(do we all have a guy with that nick name or was it just my crew?) Immediately they were talking, swapping stories. Talk about turning a boring evening on standby into laughs.

From that day forward I think my wife was better friends with some of the guys that I was. I’ll never forget the impression she made with the guys. Her visits were always welcome afterwards.

What’s one of your best homecoming memories? It doesn’t have to be a ticker tape parade. It could be the warm waters and cold beers poolside.