USS Austin (Dependents’
Cruise) by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
After
learning about charts versus maps, we went into a dark, secretive room where
they have all the gadgets to detect any menace to the ship. Weapons control happened there.
Outside
on the deck, we looked at the laser-operated guns. Mild-mannered Ruth just had to try on one of
the vests attached to the guns just to see what looking through the scope was
like.
I
checked out the grenade launchers, M-14-, and M-16-rifles while everyone was
eating barbecue elsewhere on the ship.
The weapons look heavy, but they are actually lightweight. An officer came and said, “We have a
demonstration that’s going to take place” and all the seamen ran to see it
giggling.
The
day’s show was a helicopter crash simulation on the deck. This show was even better than a NASCAR
accident. (Yes, it was that
hideous.) Five teams in silver suits
approached the burning helicopter from two sides to put out the flames.
Once
the flames were out, the firefighters held up the hoses to make a water screen
for the men in the heat-resistant suits to enter the fire to rescue casualties
and disable the helicopter batteries.
The
casualties pulled out of the fire during the mock presentation were treated by
the medical team and were walked off by a stretcher team.
We
ate grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken.
The barbecue sauce tasted of catsup and brown sugar and pleased my sweet
tooth.
One
of the sailors brought out juggling equipment and entertained us all. He looked like a cute Pulchinella character
from Venice’s Commedia dell’Arte. Laurent
learned how to toss three juggling balls into the air and catch one from his
shipmate.
I
helped Laurent prepare the Officers’ Wardroom (dining room) for dinner.
We
threw away garbage, vacuumed, wiped tables and counters, put tablecloths on
tables, folded cloth napkins, set the table, and put condiments out on the
tables.
One
of Laurent’s shipmates took photos of us with our chefs’ hats on for the ship’s
newsletter.
The
sun came out for our ride back into port and warmed us up. My face reddened with a sunburn, but I did
not care. I was having fun.
Who
would have thought that visiting a Navy ship could be like visiting a state
fair.
We
picked up Florence, who talked non-stop about how much fun it was to sing to
Lee Anne Rimes and went to Pizza Hut. I
fed the jukebox quarters and sang along with Florence to Lee Anne Rimes,
Madonna, and the Spice Girls.
The
USS Austin spouses and kids went roller skating and made the Spice Girls song
“Wannabe” our song. We all think Ginger
made a good choice marrying Beckham and like how soccer promotes all-around
fitness and stamina. Roller skating and
dancing to songs is hard and our ship could do it.
Even
though I did not like mess crank, I loved being a US Navy spouse for
on-the-ground war games with Army.
We
were so war-ready, that Navy could have fun and promote peace through fun.
By
Ruth Pennington Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
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