The Ramblings of Weesatch Joe

A little over two years ago, our son was finishing his senior year of high school. He is smart, but he was bored and his grades and work reflected it. Both of his sisters went to college, but that didn't seem to be the right track for him. Not wanting him to waste his time or money, I encouraged him to enlist in the service, gain some experience, perhaps learn a trade, and earn the GI Bill for when he had matured a bit. In the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023 the world was fairly calm place. Thes service seemed like a solid opportunity for growth and learning something about serving others, learning about himself. After a soft attempt at the Air Force, a Navy recruiter found him at school. A few conversations later, he decided if the USAF didn't want him, but the USN did, that was good enough. He enlisted a few months before graduation and was sworn in at MEPS in San Antonio: Seaman Recruit Meyer.  And then, Russia decided it was fun to play chess with people rather than plastic...

Today, we welcomed home the USS Jason Dunham, DDG-109, and her crew of 300, give or take, after 9 months deployed. It was a scene rich in emotion as other ships blew their horns, tug boats sprayed water arcing into the air, and family members lined the pier cheering, waving, and calling sailors by name.  My wife and I were there among the throng. Dressed in everything from dress whites to cut-offs and Tshirts, the crowd waited to welcome our loved ones back to terra firma .  For a few moments, as the sailors came by, I was surrounded by heroes. I suspect if you asked them, they would not want that label. "Just doing our job," or some equally nebulous answer was probably repeated more than once. But the Combat Action Ribbons and the black-painted outlines of the enemy weapons - drones and missiles - the ship and her helos shot down all tell a different story. You don't get a CAR for getting a paper cut. You don't paint those outlines on the side of a ship f...