I've found that pandemic times can also be nostalgic times. Yesterday, in the spirit of TBT (Throw Back Thursday) I was reminiscing about an adventure I went on back in 1995. My son was serving in the United States Navy at the time, and he invited me to go along as a guest on a 4 day cruise aboard the Aircraft Carrier, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. We were to travel from Seattle to San Diego. It was the very first, and the very last cruise I’ve been on.
What many may not know is that the length of an aircraft carrier is approximately three football fields. They are about 18 stories tall. You don’t realize how many stories there are, because half are below water. What they don’t tell you before you board is the only elevator between floors is for airplanes, not people. And, the steps consist of ladders. It was fun to watch those sailors hold onto the ladder rails, lift their feet and slide down. I didn’t manage to master that skill, and when we docked in San Diego, they nearly had to carry me off the ship, because my thighs were sore from climbing ladders.
The carrier is actually a floating city with 5200 Navy men and women, plus Marines that handle the ordinance. My son is U.S. Navy Retired now, but I remember the cruise like yesterday.
The pictures below show me doing a little target practice off the flight deck of the ship. I got a kick out of the 50 caliber machine gun. If you are wondering if all those empty shells around me were fired by me, that would be a definite NO. I had my share of them though!
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