kitsap veterans life 4/26/2013

LifeVeteransA Sound Publishing Monthly Magazine May 2013

Military ChowTime

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“I have a funny story but it’s about premeditated mur-der.”

And this is how 26-year Army and Marine veteran Tony D’Acquisto began to reminisce about his six years in Vietnam. D’Acquisto, a translator and a group of Chinese mountain people and mercenaries, known as “Nungs,” received intel that the Viet Cong were coming down the Bong Son River.

“So I decided to set up an ambush. You know the Patton quote, ‘Nobody ever won a war by dying for his country — he won it by making the other guy die for his? ’ Well, I was going to kill them. I would fire the first shot and the other guys were going to follow me. Mine was the only gun that worked. Lesson learned: Always check your equip-ment,” D’Acquisto said.

D’Acquisto, then 17, enlist-ed in the Marine Corps right after graduating from West

Seattle High School. When he was 20 he qualified for the Army Special Forces.

“I was special,” he said with a laugh. “I was on the short bus.”

D’Acquisto wanted to go to Vietnam very badly. He felt that the purpose of the military was to protect our country and at the same time he felt that the United States was in danger.

“Due to the propaganda of the time, I felt like were were in jeopardy,” he said.

While in country, D’Acquisto made good use of his SP packs (Sundry Packs)

by trading the contents of his SP pack with the Marines for cans of Vienna sausages. With chickens and eggs plentiful, he enjoyed cooking the eggs with the sausages for a satisfying meal. To trade his SP pack for the sau-sages, he would flag down the Marine trucks regularly to complete the transaction.

Months later, the Marines were quite accustomed to seeing D’Acquisto from pre-vious trades and knew exact-ly what he wanted. Cans of sausages. So they acquiesced, lobbing can after can of sau-sages at D’Acquisto.

“I was just pummeled

with cans,” he said. “I had to dodge ‘em. I should have pulled my gun,” he said, with a laugh.

Another memory D’Acquisto recalled fondly is, as he described, “The premeditated stealing of the toilet seat from Phu Cat AFB in South Vietnam.”

Longing for just a few comforts of home, D’Acquisto took the toilet seat and stashed it in his Jeep. When he returned to his camp he promptly installed it in his latrine. He was excited to use it for the first time when he noticed footprints on the coveted toilet seat.

“The Vietnamese, you see, don’t sit on the toilet; they squat,” he said.

From then on, D’Acquisto kept his latrine locked.

D’Acquisto served in Vietnam for six years. He decided to keep extend-ing his tour because he saw friends who would do a tour for a year and then return to serve in a different capacity. D’Acquisto was comfort-able doing the duties he was trained to do in the location he was assigned to. So he stayed, until he was finally sent home by Lieutenant Colonel Santana in 1969.

“He (my boss) figured I had been there long enough,” he said. “But you see, every time I extended, I got 30 days of leave. I went to Australia and Hong Kong. All I had to do was pro-vide my propaganda paper (money).”

It is remarkable that in his six tours in Vietnam, D’Acquisto was relatively unscathed physically. He did experience the most common of the Viet Cong’s booby traps: the punji stick. These traps were made of sharpened bamboo that had been hardened by fire. The wounds inflicted by the punji stick traps were rarely fatal; however, they did work exceptionally well to remove soldiers from the fight and increase the battle fatigue of those left on the field. To increase the injury, the Viet Cong would coat the punji stick with poison or feces to cause infection.

D’Acquisto was injured by a punji stick and did not realize it until he stopped and saw there was blood on his pant leg. The swelling and infection resulted in a trip to the hospital. He was sent to Army Hospital Camp Zama in Japan to recuperate.

When D’Acquisto left Vietnam, he went into the MP (Military Police) Corps., and finished his degree in forensic chemistry. From Vietnam, D’Acquisto was stationed in the U.S., and then in Frankfurt, Germany, for ten years.

“My three kids went to two schools, which is unheard of in military fami-lies,” he said.

D’Acquisto returned to Western Washington in 2000 from Alabama. He spends his days with his dog, Bennett, riding Harleys and what he describes as, “Piddling — I’m actively engaged in absolutely noth-ing.”

VETERAN PROFILE

By JESSICA GINET

Tony D’Acquisto

Veterans Life is published monthly by Sound Publishing Inc.; Corporate Headquarters: 19351 8th Avenue, Suite 106, Poulsbo, WA 98370. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $24/year via USPS. Copyright 2012 Sound Publishing Inc

3888 NW Randall Way, Suite 100, Silverdale, WA 98383www.kitsapveteranslife.com

LifeLifeLifeLifeLifeLifeLifeLifeLifeLifeLifeLife

C-rations. K-rations. MREs. For anyone who has served in the military, these words may bring back memories of meals eaten in the trenches of France and Germany or the jungles of Vietnam. The memories probably don’t match up with those of the best meals they’ve ever eaten. But call it what you may, it was food. It was nutrition. It was exis-tence.

In this month’s edition of Veterans Life, we’re taking a look at how military food service has changed from the pre-Revolutionary War days to the current day. At each juncture of the journey, branches of the military have looked to find ways to nourish Soldiers, Sailors and Marines taking into account the realities of the battlefield and warfare.

Take a look at what they’ve been eating and how it’s changed. If you are a veteran, think about the best and worst meal you ever ate in the military.

And then join us as we meet Erick von Hefwegen, the person in charge at the award-winning Trident Galley at Navel Base Kitsap - Bangor who explains what feeding up to 800 Sailors and Marines can entail.

It was Mexican Tuesday when we ate at the Trident Galley. I had a great chicken enchilada with Spanish rice and refried beans. And then I topped it off with strawberry cheese cake made fresh that morning by some of the best bakers around. It’s not the eat-and-run kind of food I thought would be served in the Navy. It was much better, and better than any Mexican restaurant I’ve been to.

Aside from military food, in this edition Jessica Ginet profiles Vietnam Veteran Tony D’Acquisto who served in Vietnam for six years. He is a 26-year veteran of the Marines and Army and tells about when he stole a toilet seat from Phu Cat AFB in South Vietnam to have the comforts of home.

Another veteran of Vietnam, Chester Peek, of Bremerton, shares with readers his poetry. He writes about just about everything from his cat to politics to his war memories. He was inspired to share his poems with readers because of the stories in the last issue of Veterans Life that honored Vietnam Veterans.

Another feature is about the epidemic of veteran suicides. Writer Luciano Marano speaks to officials at the Veterans Administration about the topic and offers advice to anyone who may see signs of dismay and discouragement among veterans.

We also share with readers a story from Shawn Skager, who writes about the making of a Marine. They call it The Crucible. For a Marine Corps recruit, it is the final test, the last chance to prove he has the physical and mental tough-ness to become a United States Marine. And we’re right there to experience it.

Finally, don’t forget to take a look at our The Bond column this month. It’s a fitting end to our tribute to military food as we share a Sailor’s memory of pizza night aboard the USS Lincoln.

Next month we’ll look at what veterans do in their spare time. Whether it’s fishing, hunting, travel and vacation-ing, or just playing in a rock ‘n’ roll band, we’ll share their stories. We’ve found a local veteran who is a goat farmer. Feel free to share your “down time” pursuits with us by emailing me at [email protected].

We always welcome your contributions.

On the inside

The Bond If it’s Friday, it’s pizza night. At least that’s the way former Navy

photographer Luciano Marano remembers it. 19WriTing iT doWn

Vietnam Veteran Chester Peek shares his pursuit of poetry which for him has helped heal the emotional wounds of war.10

A Timeline of TAsTe Chow time in any branch of the military means the chance for a few

minutes of downtime. But rations have changed through the years.

inside

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Up To

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American Revolution (1776)

In 1775, the first military food program is established by the Continental

Congress. By 1977, rations were most often distributed to groups rather than

individuals. Soldiers had to be fed on the move, so food was preserved in salt

and stashed along the path the troops planned to travel. Typical meals included

Spruce beer (brewed with spruce needles or buds in it) or cider, beef, pork

or salted fish; peas and beans, rice or corn meal, hard bread and milk. In 1832

rum, brandy and beer in rations were replaced by coffee.

PHOTO: NATIONAL ARCHIVES

May 20, 1943 “A kitchen was set up along the beach for the labor battalion unloading the boats. This picture shows a couple of the men enjoying a hot meal for a change. Massacre Bay, Attu, Aleutian Islands.”

Civil War (1861-1865)Cattle were brought along with the troops and slaughtered as needed, but nutritional balance was non-existent. Fresh vegetables were rare and poor diet caused many illnesses. Food available included beef, “dessicated” vegetables which were chopped, mixed, dried and pressed into hard lumps, beans, bread or hardtack, hominy, coffee and sugar.

World War I (1914-1918)For the first time, hot food and fresh

water were delivered to troops in the trenches. “Trench rations” arrived in

heavy cans that would feed up to 25 men. Individuals carried “emergency rations” of chocolate bars and cakes

of beef powder and wheat. Troops ate hard bread, corned beef, roast beef,

salmon, sardines, coffee, salt and sugar.

World War II (1939-1945)Alphabet rations debuted. Perhaps the best known of the 23 types were the unpopular C-rations which contained M-units (meat and vegetables) and B-units (bread, sugar and coffee). Pocket-sized K-rations that paratroopers carried were the most nutritionally complete. A C-ration dinner was hard bread, can of spaghetti and meatballs, beef stew, or franks and beans, crackers, chocolate or hard candy, cigarettes, chewing gum and coffee.


Jan. 13, 1945Chow is served to American

Infantrymen on their way to La Roche, Belgium.

347th Infantry Regiment.


1864 A log hut company kitchen set up to feed soldiers in the Civil War.

By Leslie Kelly

Napoleon famously said “An army marches on its stomach,” but it’s been a hard slog from hardtack biscuits to malted milk tablets to MREs, sometimes jokingly called “Meals Rarely Edible.”

Soldiers’ rations during the Revolutionary War contained 16 ounces of beef, 18 ounces of flour, 16 ounces of milk, 6.8 ounces of peas, 1.4 ounc-es of rice, a sliver of soap for washing, a small candle and a quart of beer. While contain-ing sufficient calories, miner-als and protein, the rations lacked vitamins A and C.

Food on the go: Feeding the troopsCHOW TIME FOOD IN THE MILITARY -

A TIMELINE

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Operation Desert Storm (1990-1991)The first Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) were widely panned. Improvements began in the early 1990s, with brand-name snacks and innovations such as the heat-resistant Hershey Desert Bar. Typical of a meal would be chicken stew, freeze-dried fruit, M&Ms, and peanut butter and crackers.

When Americans fought the British in the War of 1812, they received a slight increase in beef as well as rum, vinegar and salt.

Food rations improved greatly during the Civil War. In addition to more beef and flour, soldiers were given potatoes, yeast, dried beans and green coffee to go along with sugar, vinegar, pepper and salt.

World War I rations contained more items and greatly improved the diets of the soldiers in the trenches. Still lacking in Vitamin A, rations kept soldiers relatively healthy, a difficult task in the trenches. However, the rations were expensive and exceeded the ration allowance. To combat the rising costs, new items such as bacon, lard, onions, canned toma-toes and margarine were intro-duced at the end of the war.

By the time America entered Word War II, rations were more standardized and more envi-ronmentally based. There were

rations designed for the individual and the detachment, for the use in the field and in combat. Two familiar rations introduced were the C- and K-rations.

C-rations consisted of six cans, three containing meat and vegetables and the other three had crackers, sugar and coffee. Packed with 2,974 calories, C-rations were considered too bulky for use by mobile troops. The K-ration was created to cater to the needs of paratroopers, tank crews and other soldiers who depended on mobility for survival. It was adopted in 1942. Both kinds of rations remained in service for decades feeding troops in Korea and Vietnam.

Developed in a laboratory in Chicago in 1938, C-rations were intended to replace the reserve ration as a short-term individual ration designed for infrequent use and to be supplemented with a D-ration survival bar.

Initially C-rations were marked with paper labels which soon fell off making a guessing game of most meals. C-rations were not well liked because they were

heavy and cumbersome. While they were declared obsolete in 1945, production didn’t stop until 1958. They were used in Korea and Vietnam and a Marine Tank commander in Vietnam in 1968 noted his unit frequently was sup-plied with C-rations with dates of 1950 on the cans.

In the 1980s, C- and K-rations were replaced by Meals Ready to Eat. Technology used to store food for astronauts was put to use. Packed in vacuum-sealed pouches, MREs can last for years. That durability coupled with diverse menus has helped make the MREs the mainstay of mili-tary field nourishment.

Typical contents are: the main course, side dish, dessert or

snack, crackers or bread, spread of cheese, peanut butter or jelly, powered beverage mix, fruit fla-vored drink, cocoa, instant coffee or tea, sport drink, or dairy shake, utensils (usually just a plastic spoon), flameless ration heater, beverage mixing bag, Xylitol chewing gum, water-resistant matchbook, napkin, moist tow-elette and seasonings such as salt, pepper, sugar, creamer and Tabasco sauce.

Often troops came up with nicknames for the MREs such as Meals Rarely Edible, Meals Rejected by the Enemy and Meals Ready to Expel. Because of their low dietary fiber, they also had the names of Meals Requiring Enemas and Meals Refusing to Exit.

Korean War (1950-53)Despite advancing research into better nutrition, troops were mostly stuck with the leftover C-rations from World War II, supplemented with canned fruit and cakes. A C-ration dinner included hard bread, canned meat dish, crackers, chocolate, cigarettes, chewing gum and coffee.

Vietnam War (1957-1975)

Challenges in Vietnam were unique because

there was no clearly defined front. Mobile

kitchens trailers (MKTs) carried food along

with the troops but usually had no

refrigeration. Included in a

typical meal was grilled corned beef, Lyonnaise potatoes,

stewed tomatoes, cabbage with green

pepper salad, corn bread and coffee.

In 1972, cigarettes were removed from

the offerings to soldiers.

Peace Time in the 1980sIn 1983 the first Meals Ready to Eat debuted. MREs would last for 34 days. Troops consumed only about 60 percent of the food. In 1986 a better version came out and in 1993, the FRH (Flameless Ration Heater) debuted, allowing service members to heat a meal simply by adding water to a pouch.

Afghanistan and Iraq (2001-present)Troops have 24 menus with options such as kosher and vegetarian. Professional tasters evaluate mouthfeel and “nasal pungency.” Calling the latest MREs gourmet would be a stretch, but they beat hardtack and beans. Included are chicken pesto pasta, ratatouille, potato cheddar soup, cinnamon roll, jalepeno cashews, Twizzler (cherry) Nibs.


July 28, 1981 New recruits stand in line to receive their first Marine Corps hot meal at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. As they stand in line, they hold a tray in one hand and a white laundry bag with their exchange issue in the other hand.


Packages of Meals Ready to Eat.


June 1, 1981 Sailors go through the food line for the evening meal aboard the destroyer USS John Hancock.


Feb. 1, 1991 Mess specialists of a Naval Mobile Construction Battalion serve a meal during Operation Desert Storm.


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It doesn’t matter whether you’re a veteran of the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines, they all agree. The best time of the day is chow time.

It may not be those MREs that bring back the best memories of military food. But regardless of whether the meal was a ready-to-eat, mix with water kind of a meal, or a hot, well-bal-anced almost home-cooked dinner, sitting down to eat, and having those few min-utes to yourself, is almost universally special to veter-ans. And to active duty folks as well.

Take last Tuesday at the award-winning Trident Galley on Naval Base Kitsap Bangor. At just about 1100, the doors open and flocks of Sailors and Marines in grey cammos begin to enter

the base dining hall. Some head toward the express line where they can get a plate of the daily special. Others head toward the custom-made line where they can order up a chicken sandwich or a hamburger with all the fixings.

“Tuesdays are Mexican (food) day,” said CWO 4 Erick van Hofwegen, who is in charge of the Trident Galley. “We’ve got chicken enchiladas, beef fajitas, beans, rice and everything you would want to go with it.”

Although nobody will argue that the Trident Galley is just about the best food around, and has won many awards, most who eat there don’t know what it takes to get that food on the plate. The Trident employs 38 military and 40 civilian staff.

There’s a large storage room where those assigned to work in food service make sure to have a 30-day supply on hand. A comput-erized ordering system is manned with Sailors who constantly check stock. Food supplies are ordered from a Navy-issued cata-logue and most of the food comes through Sysco Foods.

“If it’s not in the cata-logue, and it’s something we want to have, we try to find a distributor who we can get it from,” van Hofwegen said.

The kitchen has an area for vegetable prepping, for baking and decorating cakes, pies and other baked goods, a steam-cooking area and several large stoves where culinary specialists cook for up to 500 Sailors and Marines at each meal. The Trident serves three meals a day seven days a

week.“When it gets near pay

day, we can see up to 800 in here,” van Hofwegen said. That’s because meals are part of the package deal

for enlisted persons and are paid for, he said. The basic daily allowance per Sailor is $10.58. But when Sailors have money in their pockets, they’ll often go to

McDonald’s or grab a pizza.The Trident offers three

salad bars, a selection of freshly baked deserts and


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By LESLIE KELLY

Time to chow downMeal time’s the best time in the military

Brian Kelly /Staff Photo

Civilian baker Connie Jordan frosts a chocolate cake in the bakery at the Trident Galley.

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a full selection of drinks, including Starbuck’s coffee with a Starbuck’s trained barista.

Just what gets offered each day is decided by Naval Supply Systems Command.

“They’ll tell us, but we can adjust if we can’t get the ingredients we need,” van Hofwegen said. “But we have to write down why we made the changes.”

For most Sailors, the tar-get calories intake is 2,100 a day. In places where Navy Seals are, it’s more like 3,000 to 4,000 a day. There is a focus on nutrition and mak-ing sure the meals offered are balanced with fruits and vegetables.

Even the old “SOS” has taken on a new look. No more salty dried beef and thick enriched white flour gravy. Now the Navy serves creamed beef, made with freshly cooked beef and a lower calorie brown gravy.

The most popular meals are “what’s ever on the speed line,” van Hofwegen said.

“They like to get in and eat and get out,” he said. “Italian food, Mexican food and Filipino are real popu-lar. Course they’d like us to serve steak and lobster everyday, but that’s not in the budget.”

On Thanksgiving, they serve a big buffet with tur-key and the trimmings and prime rib, and many retirees and their families come to eat.

As a culinary specialist during his 28 years in the Navy, van Hofwegen came into boot camp undecided. He was offered the spot to cook and he took it.

Likewise for Richard Yanagihara and Wilson Diaz who both now work at the Trident Galley.

All three have cooked aboard ships and on land. And all have stories to tell.

Like the time when van Hofwegen was a Seaman Apprentice and messed up on a bread recipe adding in 500 portions of yeast.

“We had this huge doughy thing that I couldn’t serve,” he said. “We didn’t want to get caught, so we threw it overboard. It made a huge splash and just laid there. Pretty soon we heard the call, ‘Man overboard.”

They never did find the dough and eventually it sunk, he said. “But it was a bad day.”

van Hofwegen said those who become culinary spe-cialists in the Navy have sometimes watched too much of the Food Network channel.

“I have to reel them back,” he said. “I can’t have too many Emerils running around the kitchen.”

When at sea, the food supply is usually for 60 to 90 days. Food is brought out to the ship as needed and can include local fruits and vegetables that are native to the closest port cities. There can be up to five galleys on

a ship, and as many as 5,600 service members to feed.

Yanagihara has been in the Navy for 13 years and cooked aboard the USS Lincoln for two years, before coming to Bangor.

Diaz, a Silverdale native who graduated from Klahowya in 2002, has spent eight years in the Navy and and has been deployed on the Lincoln, stationed in San Diego and now is back near home at Bangor.

Cooking Mexican food is OK by him, but he just doesn’t really like to eat it.

“I’m more of an Italian guy,” he said. “I like to cook pasta.”

As for Yanagihara, it’s the tortilla soup that’s his favorite.

“Spicy,” he said.One of the civilians

who works in the Trident Galley, Heather Larson, said working at the galley is her dream job.

“It’s the best,” she said. “We’re proud of everything we make. And we’re proud of the fact that we employ veterans here, too.”

As for van Hofwegen, the job of overseeing what’s being fed to Navy personnel can get weird sometimes.

“I’ve had moms call me and tell me their sons are out of money and can’t eat,” he said. “I tell them ‘I don’t manage his bank account, but I’ll make sure he eats.’”

Brian Kelly /Staff Photo

Sailors stationed at Naval Station Kitsap Bangor dish up their grub at the Trident Galley.

When you walk into the Trident Galley, you may feel like you’re in a museum at first.

That’s because the entry way is filled with accommo-dations and awards that the galley has received.

Recently, the Trident Inn Galley at Naval Base Kitsap - Bangor won the prestigious Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award in the Small General Mess category.

The annual awards for outstanding food service were established in 1958 and are co-sponsored by the International Food Service Executives Association.

“This is the most presti-gious award a food service team could ever win in their career, and we can now say we are one of the best military and civilian teams in the Navy,” said Chief Warrant Officer Eric van Hofwegen, NBK food

services officer. “I am very proud of all of them. It is huge win for each and every one of them.”

Captain Ney was head of the subsistence division of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts between 1940 and 1945, and the awards encourage excellence in Navy Food Service programs with the objective of improv-ing the quality of life for Navy personnel.

“When you win it, every-one wins and shares the moment with you,” said van Hofwegen. “It gives my team a tremendous sense of accomplishment know-ing the Sailors and Marines who we support every day are getting the best food and customer service possible. That means more than any-thing to us, and it is our part of our command mission.”

The Trident has won the Ney award four time prior to winning this year, van Hofwegen said. The com-

petition is tight and it is a co-effort of the civilian and Navy employees at the galley.

This year’s judge was a commander with 32 years in food service. His visit was planned within a week, but the staff at the galley didn’t know the exact day he would arrive.

The galley is judged on all foods prepared that day.

“He takes a bite of every-thing,” van Hofwegen said. “He was really impressed.”

Van Hofwegen said he kept waiting for the chef-judge to ask questions, but he didn’t. He kept waiting for him to mark them down on items, but he didn’t.

But it wasn’t until weeks later, after other places in the round-robin competition had been judged that they got the news.

“I was out getting ready for the Supply Corp Ball and my phone was on fire,” he said. “I kept getting texts, ‘We won.’”

At the galley, all the Navy and civilian employees were cheering and yelling, said Heather Larson, a civilian manager.

“It’s a big deal,” she said. “And we are just so proud.”


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Bangor’s Trident Galley earns the Ney award

Brian Kelly/Staff Photo

The staff of the Trident Galley will soon add another Ney cup to those that are exhibited in the entrance to the inn at Naval Base Kitsap - Bangor.

Brian Kelly/ Staff Photo

Kitsap native Wilson Diaz serves in the Trident Galley.Brian Kelly/ Staff Photo

Richard Yanagihara has cooked on the USS Lincoln.Brian Kelly/ Staff Photo

CWO 4 Erick van Hofwegen leads the crew at the Trident.

The “Aisle of Honor” flag display will be a part of the upcoming Memorial Day weekend celebrations on Sunday, May 26.

As in year’s past, the Key Peninsula Veterans will host the Aisle of Honor and Memorial program at the Vaughn Bay Cemetery May 26.

The event showcases more than 320 flags flying from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and an open public ceremony at 1 p.m.

There will be a special guest speaker and the pro-gram includes the US Navy Band from Bremerton and a US Honor Guard from Joint Base Lewis/McChord. Musical selections will be heard from the Northwest Pipe and Drum corp and

other local talent.A roll call of military vet-

erans whose flags are flying in review will be recited dur-ing the ceremony.

Golf carts and a handi-capped toilet are available for the disabled. Light refresh-ments will be available.

For more information contact KPV President Mike Coffin at 253-884-9852. For driving directions visit the website at www.kpveterans.net.

Vaughn Bay Cemetery is located at the corner of 100th Street KPN and 186th Ave. KPN in Vaughn, Wash. and can be reached by fol-lowing “Aisle of Honor” road signs along SR 302 and Key Peninsula Highway.

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Sometimes in the mid-dle of the night, when Chester Peek can’t sleep, he slips out of bed and goes to the living room where he can turn on the light and not disturb his wife, Leslie, who is sleep-ing.

There, he sits in his chair with his notebook and pen and the poems just come pouring out. Maybe it’s a poem about the weather, or the church on the hill in his hometown of McCleary. But more often than not, it’s a memory of his time served in Vietnam.

“It’s an outlet that helps me with my PTSD,” said McCleary, now 70 and retired living in Bremerton. “I’m not sure how long ago I started writing. It was just my therapy when I couldn’t sleep at night.”

For years after he was in Vietnam, Peek suf-fered with memories of the war. At first, he didn’t know what was wrong with him. People didn’t talk about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder then, he said. But he just knew he wasn’t right.

Peek was 23 when he went to Vietnam. The year was 1960. He served in the U.S. Navy for eight years and saw two tours of Vietnam in the brown water Navy repair unit in Danang. For 12 months, he was attached to the f loating dry dock and the LCM-6 repair boat, mak-ing simple repairs to the river combat boats.

He also served on

the USS Henderson in Vietnam for seven months.

When he returned to Washington state, he worked as a logger, did millwork in McCleary, picked brush, and for 23 years he was a sand-blaster and painter at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

He met and married his wife in 1970 and together they have a son and a daughter and two stepsons and a grand-daughter. His daughter lives in Bremerton and works at Bangor. His son works in Washington, D.C. and is director for the Passport office there.

He is an active mem-ber of the VFW Post 239 in Bremerton and the DAV Chapter 5.

When his PTSD first surfaced, he tried to get help at the Veteran’s Administration.

“Some of the poems are about my frustrations with the VA,” he said. “I wrote them during the time I was trying to find out what was wrong with me. It took more than four years but I did finally get a 50 percent disability.”

Part of that includes working with a treatment program through the VA that helps veterans with PTSD. He goes to group meetings with others who have PTSD.

“Those meetings do help and my writing helps,” he said. “Some things I can’t put into words to say, but I can write them down. I never sit down and decide what I’m going to write. I just

write whatever comes to mind.”

His poems often reflect his thoughts of the time he spent in Vietnam.

“I couldn’t say what my worst memory is,” he said. “There are lots of them. But my best memory is leaving, even though I felt guilty that I was going home and for the guys I was leaving behind.”

Today, Peek is work-ing on his second book of poems. His first, “Collected Writings By a Vietnam Veteran,” published in February, is sold on Amazon.com. He’s also taken up knit-ting and makes military hobo scarves in the selected colors of various branches of the service. And he works with the local drag races put on by the Handlers and Westbay Auto Parts.

He is known to some for his tunnel of fire motorcycle stunts from 1971 to 1975, where he set the world record in 1972 when he rode a motorcycle through a tunnel of fire for a dis-tance of 60 feet.

Peek isn’t sure how many more poems he has in him. But as long as they keep coming to his mind, he’ll keep writing them down and sharing them with others.

“My dream is to sell a million books,” he said. “I want others to enjoy my memories and my thoughts and maybe they’ll help someone else who is suffering with memories of Vietnam.”

VETERAN PROFILE

By LESLIE KELLY

Chester H. Peek

With just 35 housing vouchers available for homeless veterans living in Bremerton and cen-tral Kitsap County, offi-cials at the Bremerton Housing Authority are working to try to secure more.

The housing vouch-ers are part of the VASH program, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, said Sarah Van Cleve, housing direc-tor for the Bremerton Housing Authority.

The federal program is part of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development.

Bremerton Senior Housing Specialist Courtney Norwil said the vouchers are similar to the ones that are used for the general public, known as Section 8 vouchers.

They will pay from 60

to 70 percent of rental incomes to participating landlords to get homeless veterans off the streets. The housing authority pays about $16,000 a month in VASH housing payments.

“The description of homeless is generally someone who has been living in temporary housing and their time is up,” she said, “or some-one who is at a homeless shelter or just living on the street.”

When she gets a refer-ral of a homeless veteran, she contacts VASH rep-resentative Tony Sparber at the VA office in Retsil. The 35 vouchers that are allotted for this area are all being used, Norwil said.

To participate in the VASH program, veter-ans have to abide by the program regulations that include getting services from the VA. That can

include medical and mental health services, counseling, vocational and job training and possibly substance abuse counseling.

Once a veteran is able to find other permanent housing, which the hous-ing authority can help with, the VASH voucher is then “recycled” to help another homeless vet-eran find housing.

“We’ve done that at least three times in the last year,” said Van Cleve.

Van Cleve and Norwil are working to try to get more vouchers to serve veterans in this area.

The Fiscal Year 2014 U.S. budget as it is being proposed by President Obama includes $75 million in new vouchers for the HUD-VA VASH Program, bringing the total number of vouch-ers to more than 67,000 nationwide.

The Department of Veterans Affairs would provide $278 million in case management sup-port for the program, a $33.581 million increase over Fiscal Year 2013.

“We know our home-less veteran count is much higher than 35,” Norwil said. “We’re working to try to be able to help as many home-less veterans as we can.”

The VA estimates that there are about 8,714 homeless veterans in Washington State.

The exact number of homeless veterans in Kitsap County isn’t known, but because of the amount of military in the area, it could be in the hundreds.

For more informa-tion about the VASH program, call Norwil at 360-616-7127. Sparber can be contacted at 360-536-7520.


VASH program helps Kitsap’s homeless veterans find helpBy LESLIE KELLY

Military Veterans

The days are short

The nights are long

Year after year

The Military Veterans

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for them.

A Band of Brothers and

Sisters to the end.

God Bless our Military Veterans

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the Day Politics DieD

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God Bless the USA.

Poems by Peek:


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Three signs someone you love might be struggling with depression and/or thoughts of suicide:A sudden and dramatic change in mood, behavior, or life circumstances (such as, crying all the time; pulling away from people and/or activities they once enjoyed; loss of job or loved one; legal problems).Making comments (even joking) about life not worth living, no one caring if they were gone, and/or that they would be better off dead.Making preparations for death (for example, giving important items away; suddenly getting affairs in order; saving up pills or obtaining weapons; saying goodbyes.)

Call the National Crisis Line at 800-273-8255 for support, guidance, and further resource ideas.

Veteran suicide is a con-troversial topic that has come under increased scru-tiny as we as a society have come to better understand

issues like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological trauma, and depression. Especially since the undesirable ending of the Vietnam War and the regrettable treatment the

returning service members too often endured, America as a nation has had to look more closely at the way we treat our troops, even after their terms of service are technically completed.

The latest report on the subject of suicide rates within the national Veteran population was released February 1 from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which called it “the most comprehensive study of Veteran suicide rates ever undertaken by the depart-ment.”

According to the study, an estimated twenty-two veter-ans died from suicide every day in the year 2010, indicat-ing that the percentage of veterans who die by suicide has in fact decreased since the previous report, however the total number of veterans who have died by suicide has actually increased overall.

It’s a bittersweet victory for VA, which had recently completed a mandatory hiring spree, in accordance with the President’s Aug. 31, 2012, Executive Order, which mandated a larger staff trained to support and increase the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line by fifty percent. The program boasts an impressive success rate, and has made approximately 26,000 rescues of “actively suicidal” veterans, accord-ing to the official VA press release which accompanied the publication of the report.

Also, having come under fire for being slow to respond to the issue and unable, until very recently, to even say at all how many veterans kill themselves with any degree of accuracy, VA has certainly appeared to have increased their capac-ity to understand and treat the issue of Veteran suicide. Some, however, remain skeptical.

“If the VA wants to get its arms around this prob-

lem, why does it have such a small number of people working on it?” retired Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, a former Army psychia-trist, was quoted as asking in a recent article in The Washington Post. “It’s a start, but it is a faint start. It is not enough.”

VA Secretary Erik K. Shinseki has said that his agency would only continue to intensify their suicide prevention efforts in the future. “The mental health and well-being of our coura-geous men and women who have served the nation is the highest priority for VA, and even one suicide is too many.”

The VA study has been criticized for using data compiled from only 21 states (not including Texas and California, both which include large military populations) and then using those numbers on which to base the national figures. According to the study: “Of the 147,763 suicides reported in 21 states, 27,062 (18.3 per-cent) were identified as hav-ing history of U.S. military service on death certificates.

However, veteran sta-tus was unknown or not reported for more than 23 percent of all suicides during the project period. Without linking to VA or Department of Defense resources to validate history of U.S. military service, it is necessary to remove those without information on his-tory of military service from estimates of veteran status among suicide decedents. Among cases where history of U.S. military service was reported, veterans com-

By LuCiANo MArANo

Veteran suicides: a critical

social issue

c o N T I N u E d o N p A g E 1 8

They call it The Crucible.For a Marine Corps

recruit, it is the final test, the last chance to prove he has the physical and men-tal toughness to become a United States Marine.

For 54 hours, recruits make their way through The Crucible. Operating on just four hours of sleep a night and three meals, they will march more than 40 miles to confront physical and mental tasks conceived to simulate the rigors of combat.

At issue — whether the recruit has absorbed the extensive training he has

received in the past 11 weeks.“This is it, this is every-

thing they have learned, and they are tested on it,” said Col. Robert W. Gates, Chief of Staff for Marine Corps Recruit Training San Diego. “It all goes toward determin-ing if the recruit has the mental toughness to become a Marine.”

The final task of The Crucible is a nine-mile hike with 80-pound pack and 8-pound M16A4 service rifle. At the end The Reaper awaits, a 700-foot peak in Camp Pendleton, a Marine base 49 miles north of San Diego.

At the top waits the ulti-

mate prize — the Marine Corps emblem, the Eagle, Globe and Anchor. It is bestowed in a ceremony that marks the completion of The Crucible and the first time the recruit is officially called a Marine.

“When I reached the very top my senior drill instructor told me to control my emo-tions,” said David Gubarik, a Marine from Auburn. “I kept a straight face but inside I had tears of joy in my heart. It was an incredible feeling like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

The Journey Begins

Although every male Marine recruit west of the Mississippi begins his train-ing at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego — females and males from the east go to MCRD Parris Island in South Carolina — the actual jour-ney begins when they sign their enlistment papers at the local recruiting office.

Because of the small size of the Corps, just over 200,000 active duty Marines currently serving, that means most join on a deferred basis.

For Shane Rogers, a recruit from Enumclaw, that meant several months

between his enlistment and his actual reporting day in January to prepare for the mental and physical require-ments of Marine training.

Led by recruiters from the Marine Corps recruiting office in Covington, Rogers used his time wisely.

“They got me pretty physically fit and taught me all my general orders and rank structure before I left,” Rogers said. “They prepared me pretty well. They tell you what is going to happen pret-ty much. I think I was pretty well prepared mentally.”

In January, Rogers caught a plane from SeaTac Airport bound for MCRD San Diego.

“I got into the airport at 10 at night,” Rogers said. “I remember they gave us this coupon for a meal, but I didn’t get to use it. One of the instructors saw us and lined us up in the middle of the night in the cold air for two hours waiting for every-body else to land. The buses were there and we waited out in the cold standing at attention.”

Soon the new recruits were on the road, heading for MCRD and the yellow footprints, the starting place for every Marine who joins the Corps.

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c o N T I N u E d o N p A g E 1 9


Cecil Calavan is quick to share his smile and witty sense of humor.

He knows he is part of an exclusive group that has faded in numbers. Yet at almost 89, he is the youngest among the

survivors of the USS Utah, and he jokes that his small group is the envy of other Pearl Harbor veterans when it comes to holding a reunion.

“They say, ‘You have too damned much fun,’” Calavan said. “’We’re going to have to go down there and ruin it for

you.’”Calavan, a longtime

Anacortes resident, is one of only seven known survivors of the USS Utah, the first ship that was hit and sunk at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

He is president of the USS Utah Survivors Association and

for the second year in a row is leading a fundraising effort to reduce costs for the group’s annual reunion in Las Vegas.

Five Utah survivors, including Calavan, are planning to attend the event, which takes place the second week of May. At least four survivors from

other ships damaged or sunk at Pearl Harbor also are planning to come.

“When we started in Salt Lake City, we had over 300 (Utah survivors in attendance),” Calavan said. “We’ll be lucky if we can get five now to the reunion.”

Only seven are known to be still alive, he said.

“There might be some others in homes who’ve outlived their families,” he said. “There’s no way for us to find out if they’re still alive. But we look hard.”

Calavan said that last year’s reunion was a “marvelous success,” with five Utah survivors and two from other ships in attendance. He said the Navy sent officers to speak at the banquet, which was attended by about 50 people.

Calavan said it became apparent two years ago that costs associated with the reunion were getting too steep, so requests for donations started last year.

He said about $2,500 was raised from people in Island and Skagit counties.

Pearl Harbor survivors who come to the reunion don’t have to pay. The money raised helps reduce costs for survivors’ families, caregivers, guests and other veterans. He said donations helped slice the cost of the banquet in half last year.

“The idea is for everybody to have a good time or the old guys will be there by themselves,” Calavan said. “There will be no reunion if nobody else comes.”

Calavan was 17 the morning the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, striking the ship he was aboard and causing it to sink in less than 15 minutes.

The memories are still clear 72 years later. He watched a torpedo drop from an aircraft and strike the Utah, the explosion knocking him off his feet.

“I can still see that airplane,” he said. “If it had had a number on it, I’d probably remember that.”

Before he jumped off the ship and swam for shore, Calavan remembers seeing a body laying in the water at the stern of the ship.

Calavan only recently learned that the body belonged to Melvyn Gandre. He learned that after meeting Gandre’s son at a USS Utah reunion.

“For years, I didn’t know who he was,” Calavan said. “It turns out that his son was our quartermaster putting up the flag.”

Calavan said that Gandre was manning a machine gun and died while protecting others.

“He was killed while helping get people off the ship,” Calavan said. “I met his son at our reunion. Just think about that.”

If you’d like to make a donation toward the USS Utah reunion, mail to: USS Utah Association Treasurer, 388 Blair Mine Road, Angels Camp, CA., 95222.

USS Utah survivors plan their annual reunion for MayBy RON NEWBERRy

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The opportunity to make a difference is right in

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jobs

INSIDE SALES

Are you tired of working nights and

on weekends?

Do you love to sell?

Are you ready for an exciting career in

advertising?

Sound Publishing, Inc. is seeking an experienced Part Time Inside Sales Consultant. Position will be based ou t o f our Poulsbo office. We are looking for candidates who are assertive, goal- driven, and who possess s t rong i n te r pe rsona l skills—both written and verbal. Ideal candidates will need to have an except ional sales back- ground with, strong cus- t o m e r s e r v i c e a n d phone solicitation skills; print media experience is a definite plus. Must be able to work indepen- dently and as part of a team. If you thrive on calling on new, active or inactive accounts; are self-motivated, well or- ganized, and want to join a professional, highly energized sales team, we want to hear from you. Compensation includes a base wage plus commission, paid vacation, sick leave and holi- days. EOE

Please send resume with cover letter in PDF

or Text format to

[email protected] or by mail to:

HR/CLS ADSALES

Sound Publishing, Inc.19351 8th Ave. NE,

Suite 106Poulsbo, WA 98370

Real Estate for RentKitsap County

BREMERTON

2,400 SF 3 BR CONDO Beautiful views of Mount Rainier, Puget Sound & The Olympic Mountains f rom your deck! Gor- geous home with bonus room. This condo only sha res one common wa l l . Fr i end l y, qu i e t neighborhood! Walk to Mountain View Middle School. 2 mi to PSNS. 10 mi to Bangor. 2 story home has large master bedroom, 2 addit ional nice size bedrooms and a Jacuzzi tub. Additional bonus room too! Wash- e r, d r ye r and pe l l e t stove. Low yard mainte- nance. $1 ,400, $700 dep. Monthly/ year lease upon approval. Small pet negot w/ $300 non-re- fundable deposit. Laurel 360-479-2413.Get the ball rolling...Call 800-388-2527 today.


PORT ORCHARD

3 BEDROOM, 3 Bath Home in Town, near Park. 2500+ SF. Heat Pump, Air Conditioning, Pa t i o D e ck , Fe n c e d Spac ious Front Yard. Basement with possible 4th Bedroom. Separate Small Off ice, Washer/ Dryer, Dishwasher, Mi- crowave, Attached 2 Car Garage. In a quiet cul- de-sac. Available May 1st. $1775 month, $1200 deposit. Pets negotiable & require additional de- pos i t p lus per month charge. Must pass credit check and have refer- ences. 360-731-4218

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SUQUAMISH

2 BR, 1 BA DUPLEX wi th covered park ing and some storage. Wa- t e r a n d s ewe r p a i d . $750/ Month plus elec- tr ic. $450 damage deposit . Cal l Daphne at 360-286-4634 or Don at 206-255-1014.

Apartments for Rent Kitsap County

POULSBO

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Apartments for Rent Kitsap County

POULSBO

FJORD VISTA II19581 1st Ave NE

Very Nice 2 or 3 BR Apt.Rent Is Based On 30%

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360-779-6939 TDD: 711

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POULSBO

WINDSONG APTS19880 3rd Ave NW Very Nice 1 or 2 BR. Short Waiting List!

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WA Misc. RentalsGeneral Rentals

VETERANS WANTED for homes. I f you are homeless, or have un- stable housing; have an income, dependents, & DD214, we may have a home for you! Call 206- 849-2583.www.themadf.org

real estaterentals

Commercial RentalsOffice/Commercial

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND2400 SF OFFICE Com- mercial Space. Light, bright, open sunny! De- sirable Island Center location! $.95 per foot per month. More details call J im 206-842-4552 or email [email protected]

SOLD IT? FOUND IT? Let us know by calling 1-800-388-2527 so we can cancel your ad.

Commercial RentalsOffice/Commercial

OFFICE &WAREHOUSE SPACE FOR RENT

Twelve Trees Business ParkVarying sizes and

configurations available. North Poulsbo area. Call Mark, Crista or

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announcements

Announcements

ADOPT: A loving family longs to provide every- t h i n g f o r 1 s t b a b y. Beaches, laughter, f i - nancial security. Tina 1- 800-933-1975 Expenses paid

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Announcements

IF YOU USED THE MIRENA IUD

b e t w e e n 2 0 0 1 - present and suffered perforat ion or em- bedment in the uter- us requiring surgical removal , or had a child born with birth defects you may be entitled to compensation.

Call Johnson Lawand speak with fe-

male staff members1-800-535-5727

EmploymentGeneral

CarriersThe North Kitsap Herald has openings for Carrier Routes. No collecting, no selling. Friday morn- ings. If interested call Christy 360-779-4464

EmploymentGeneral

INCOME OPPORTUNITY!

The Bainbridge Island R e v i e w n e w s p a p e r seeking qual i ty motor route carriers. Thursday night delivery. No collec- tions. Must be at least 18 years of age. Reliable people with reliable vehicle please call Brian.

206-842-6613

EmploymentMarketing

MARKETINGREPRESENTATIVE

Kitsap CountyAre you good a t o r - ganization and customer service? Do you enjoy working wi th people? This posit ion requires both telephone and in person sales. I f you have a dynamic person- ality and enjoy working with people then this is the pe r fec t pos i t i on . Salary plus commission. Please send resume to

[email protected] mail to:

HR/MRNK,Sound Publishing, Inc.,

19351 8th Ave NE,Suite 106,

Poulsbo, WA 98370

professionalservices

Professional ServicesInstruction/Classes

ARTINSTRUCTION

NationallyRecognized Artist

Acrylic, Gouache, DrawingTeenage to Seniors.

$25/hr. Refs upon req.

Peter: (360)769-7394

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GOT CLUTTER?WE TAKE IT ALL!

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Serving Kitsap Co. Since 1997

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click! www.nw-ads.com email! classi� [email protected] call toll free! 1.888.399.3999 or 1.800.388.2527

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Use our handy online ad 24 hours a day form by clicking the “Place an ad” link at www.nw-ads.com to put an ad in theClassifieds online and in your local paper.

Home ServicesHouse/Cleaning Service

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1.25 million readers make us a member of the largest suburban newspapers in Western Washington. Call us today to advertise.800-388-2527

Home ServicesWindow Cleaning

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The opportunity to make a difference is right in front of you.RECYCLE THIS PAPER

flea market

Flea Market

BABY BLANKETS and baby booties for sale. All hand kn i t w i th ca re ! Blankets are 3 colors in Ripple pattern; 5 avail for $15 each. Cute baby booties; 10 available at $3 each. I l lahee 360- 373-9388.

BOOKS: 18 Louis La- mour Paperback West- erns and 21 Zane Grey Westerns and 10 Tom Clancy books. .50 each or 3 for $1. Illahee 360- 373-9388.

LIGHT TRUCK TIRES P265-70-R17. $10/ea. To m , 2 0 6 - 7 8 0 - 6 7 5 4 , Bainbridge Island

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pets/animals

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Estate Sales

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1.25 million readers make us a member of the largest suburban newspapers in Western Washington. Call us today to advertise.800-388-2527


You receive it on Graduation Day. But it’s never handed Graduation Day. But it’s never handed Graduation Day.

to you. Because when it’s a degree from to you. it’s a degree from to you.

Columbia College,it’s a degree fromColumbia College,it’s a degree from

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demands effort andit’s a degree thatdemands effort andit’s a degree that

rewards hard work. � at’s a notionour students at 18 campuses on military 18 campuses on military 18 campuses

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understand. bases truly understand. bases truly

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prised approximately 22.2 percent of all sui-cides reported during the project period.”

The recent data also shows that almost two-thirds of veterans who commit sui-cide are over the age of 50, a surprising discovery, indicating that service members recently returning from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are not the reason for the increase, as was once speculated.

Specifically, men in their fifties, a compar-atively large percentage of the overall veteran population, prove to be a confusing statistic. The suicide rate for veterans is approximate-ly three times the total national rate, but the percentage of men in their fifties who com-mit suicide is the same for both Veterans and civilians in that age group. Indicating perhaps that the increase only appears to be affecting Veterans specifically more than it actually is.

“There is a perception that we have a vet-erans’ suicide epidemic on our hands. I don’t think that is true,” said Robert Bossarte, one of the epidemiologists assigned by the VA to the study. “The rate is going up in the coun-try, and veterans are a part of it.”

Indeed the VA study indicates that the total number of suicides in the country has increased by almost 11 percent from 2007 to 2010. According to separate statistics published by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2012, suicide was the tenth leading cause of death for Americans of all ages in 2010 and there were 38,364 successful sui-

cides that year (an average of 105 a day). Furthermore, suicide among males is

four times higher than among females and represented 79 percent of all U.S. suicides at the time. However, females were ironically “more likely” than males to have had sui-cidal thoughts. Perhaps most disturbingly, the CDC found that suicide is the third leading cause of death among persons aged 15-24 years and accounts for 20 percent of all deaths in this age group annually.

“Depression and suicide are complicated, and often misunderstood, emotional and behavioral experiences that touch many American lives,” said Dr. Joel Mitchell, Director of the Outpatient Mental Health Service at the American Lake Division of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. “While everyone has times they feel ‘down’ or ‘blue,’ clinical depression is a mental health condition that falls outside of what we would consider to be an expected reaction to an event or series of events.”

Suicide among veterans remains a criti-cal social issue that demands more study to truly understand, and greater training and preparedness to adequately treat. Although true answers are difficult to come by, and we may never truly understand the psychologi-cal triggers that cause so many people to decide to end their own lives, today the topic of veteran suicide is finally receiving the care and attention it deserves. Through continual study and treatment, like the newly released VA survey and improved National Crisis Line, our national veteran community is being better cared for now than ever before.

SUICIDECONTINUED FROM A12

“We got on the bus and had to sit with our heads between our legs,” Rogers said. “Then we got there, got yelled at and got lined up on the yellow footprints. Then we took off our regular clothes, put on camo bottoms and PT tops. We got our heads shaved and started all looking the same and split up into differ-ent platoons. It was a lot of, ‘Hurry, hurry up we’re late.’ Then we’d get there and wait.”

Making a MarineSoon the shock of being a recruit wears off

and the real business of training begins.By the time recruits become Marines after

13 weeks of boot camp, they are honed to

fine edge physically, able to sprint 880 yards wearing boots in less than 3 minutes and 48 seconds. They are able to lift a 30-pound ammo can from the chest over the head 45 times in 2 minutes. They can perform the maneuver-under-fire event — a 300-yard shuttle run where recruits carry two 30-pound ammo cans for more than 100 yards and simulate a rescue of a wounded comrade all while zig-zagging and crawling through a marked course — in under 3:29.

They will have spent hours training in the Marine Martial Arts Program and become proficient in unarmed combat.

Hours will be spent on a rifle range, learn-ing how to fire the M16A4 service rifle accu-rately out to 500 yards.

More importantly, however, they will learn how to think like Marines and gain a self-confidence cultured by drill instructors dur-

ing the past 10 weeks.“I don’t wake up thinking I want to go

home,” Rogers said. “I just wake up think-ing about what’s next. I was really excited for boot camp because it’s the next phase of my life. There was never a point where I wanted to go home or didn’t want to be here.”

Following The Crucible, the newly minted Marines will graduate with the rest of their recruit company. They will march at the cen-tral parade grounds in dress uniform for the first time. After retiring the platoon guidons, the flags they have carried for the past 13 weeks, the Marines will be dismissed.

A 10-day leave to return home and visit family and friends, and then it’s off to Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton where they become a combat ready infantry-man.

Then they will attend a school to learn their job in the military (Military Occupational Speciality or MOS) and be assigned a duty station where they will serve as an active-duty Marine for the next four years. After that, it’s four years as a reservist.

For many, the Marines are an opportunity to serve their country while bettering them-selves.

That holds true for Stormy Starkey, a recruit from Kent.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Starkey said. “I don’t regret it at all. You don’t really see any kids here who do. It’s a life-changing experience. I can already feel myself chang-ing for the better as far as growing and becoming disciplined. I’m definitely chang-ing as a person.”


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On a ship at sea, time is extremely relative.

There is only “work time” and “sleep time” and very little occurs outside of the strictly scheduled events to differentiate one day from another. While on deploy-ment, the days drag out and blend together, until entire weeks feel like one long and excruciatingly boring Tuesday afternoon. You find yourself questioning what day it is all too often, and even the small respite of Holiday Routine (stingily

dolled out by your superiors like porridge in a London orphanage to Oliver Twist) does little to alleviate the monotony of the all-con-suming routine.

Then, all of a sudden and with no warning, it is Friday again.

There is no change in the schedule, the day’s list of activities and the ever-regen-erative to-do list remains the same, but as the morning turns to afternoon there is a palpable feeling of excite-ment in the air. On the face of every passing Sailor in the passageway and in the voices

echoing out of compart-ments and offices through-out the haze grey city, there is a lively and apprehensive electricity. Something differ-ent is about to happen.

Friday night is pizza night. Pizza night is, with-out question, the one thing most looked forward to by deployed Sailors except per-haps for the ultimate salva-tion of a port call.

The smell begins to waft though the ventilation sys-tem around 1400, distant and teasingly faint at first. Then, by 1530 and the quick-ly approaching beginning of

chow time, it has crept into every compartment and lad-der well on the vessel.

1600 arrives, at last, like a pristine and beautiful Christmas morning remem-bered from a picture perfect childhood, and the lines begin to form in earnest and the cooks begin to carve up and dish out the doughy slabs of happiness slathered in a rich sauce of hope. You will sit with your friends and enjoy a slice, joking about whatever silly thing hap-pened in the shop recently.

Inside jokes build around shared experiences, until

you and your tribe begin to speak in an almost secret language, gibberish to those at the next table. Then, just for a little while, you could easily be sitting at a bar together, it is Friday night after all, maybe going to see a movie. On Pizza Night everything is OK and all is right with the world.

Time lends perspective.Looking back I know that

the ship pizza was average at best. If I am completely honest with myself, I knew it then too.

But it is through the small

reminders of real life, be it a slice of pizza or a favorite movie, that deployed Sailors remind themselves that the situation is temporary and only part of the job, and that maybe just one more week won’t be that bad.

They will make it through the next week, as they have all of the previous weeks. And then, just when they begin to think they can’t possibly stand another day of the routine, it is Friday again.

And Friday night, as everybody knows, is Pizza Night.

The Bond

By Luciano Marano

Pizza Night

MAKINg A MARINECONTINUED FROM A13


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Six convenient locations on the Peninsula to serve you!

You want the best healthcare for you and your family. That means top doctors and the latest technology, as well as compassionate care and convenience.

Harrison HealthPartners is a rapidly expanding medical group associated with Harrison Medical Center. We provide award-winning, patient-focused healthcare to best meet the needs of families throughout the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas. It is a privilege to be entrusted with your care, and we look forward to being your partner in health.

Visit a Harrison HealthPartners primary care provider near you!

Belfair Primary Care21 NE Romance Hill Road, Suite 104 Belfair, WA 98528 360-277-2950

Port Orchard Family Medicine and Internal Medicine450 S. Kitsap Blvd., Suite 200 Port Orchard, WA 98366 360-744-6250

Bremerton Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Endocrinology2601 Cherry Ave., Suite 315 Bremerton, WA 98310 360-405-7900

Poulsbo Internal Medicine, Adult Primary Care & Rheumatology22180 Olympic College Way, Suite 102 Poulsbo, WA 98370 360-779-4444

Forks Family Medical Center461 G St. SW Forks, WA 98331 360-374-6224

Silverdale Family Medicine & Dermatology9927 Mickelberry Road, Suite 131 Silverdale, WA 98383 360-337-5800

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kitsap veterans life 4/26/2013

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