|
There is something about the
Naval Service that the civilian simply doesn't understand. That
the men who go down to the sea in ships man the far distant
pickets during peace-watching, listening for those perturbations
in the political environment that may mean a future threat to
the homeland. They are the first to hear the crackling of peace.
And when the clouds of war roll out of the horizon, it is they
in their iron watch towers who bear and blunt the first shocks
of malevolence.
In the meantime, they watch and
wait, peering into the distance, usually unnoticed, often
unappreciated in the times of peace. Not until the drums of war
roll throughout the land do they get their due. But these men
and women care less about this, because their reward is not the
accolades, but the service itself.
Senator John S. McCain III
On the commissioning of the
USS
John S. McCain (DDG-56),
named after his Father and
Grandfather
|
