USS Richmond K Turner

 535 feet in length. 7800 tons. 30+ knots in speed. And Haze grey inside and out.

This is the USS Richmond K. Turner DLG/CG 20

This is the place where a naive 18-year-old punk from Loudon County, Tennessee became a man.

I was privileged to be able to attend this grand Lady's reunion this past weekend in Nashville. Some 240 former Shipmates showed up. Sitting in the back of the room, it gave me such a great deal of pride to be included in such an amazing group of men and Patriots. 

At nearly 55-years-old, I was the second youngest former crew member there. The sea stories flowed and the memories always get better with time. And for the former crew of this magnificent machine represent Her with pride and integrity. But one of the most incredible part of the weekend was the fact that when I looked into the eyes of my Guys, I got the definite understanding that, to the Man, they would all do it again. Despite some of the bullshit that happens in every single branch of the military, despite stuff breaking constantly; they would do it all over again. 

I read a quote once that said, "Don't eat with someone you wouldn't starve with."

This perfectly sums up how I feel about my Guys