It's a Small Ocean After All

USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH, UNITED STATES

06.19.2017

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Tristan Lotz 

USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77)

It's not often that two people who haven't seen each other in years meet again in a completely different part of the world, in completely different life circumstances, but that is exactly what happened aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), June 11.

Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) 1st Edward Borges first met Jeff Newton, a documentary filmmaker, during a salvage operation in 2011 on the civilian research ship, Sea Hunter.

"We were trying to salvage 71 tons of platinum that was on board this ship that sank during World War II," said Borges. "Jeff came out on the ship with us. We got to know each other and built up a strong friendship."

Newton recalled meeting and befriending Borges during that salvage operation, and noted his friend's strong work ethic and mechanical ability.

"I remember when he told me about his time in the military, and he was really soft spoken, but also the guy who was getting everything done," said Newton. "It was an old ship we were on, so something was always breaking down, and he was always fixing things. He was keeping that thing afloat and making sure we could make it in to and from port."

After that journey on Sea Hunter in 2011, Newton and Borges went their separate ways. Borges says his life took a long and winding path that ultimately led to him serving aboard GHWB.

"I worked at Bath Ironworks up in Maine for a while, I worked as an engineer and a cook and a whole bunch of other things on the Sea Hunter, I had a custody battle over my daughters, was homeless for some time, was finally able to rejoin the Navy and made rank," said Borges. "Now I'm departmental career counselor for the biggest department on the ship."

Newton and others from National Geographic are embarked aboard the carrier to film a documentary.

"I have reported on war and conflict since the first Gulf War back in 1990," said Newton. "Me and my guys are out here now covering what the Sailors on George H.W. Bush are doing for a National Geographic series due to air in early 2018. In terms of being here, it's truly such an honor to be here out on the ship and mingle with everyone from the admiral down to the lowest enlisted ranks on the ship and everybody treats us the same way. They're all happy we're here, telling their story for National Geographic."

It was one night when Newton and his compatriots were on the mess decks talking with Sailors that he and Borges had their chance encounter.

"I was actually on my way to track down some information for someone who was reenlisting," said Borges. "Their reenlistment package was missing some data and I wanted to fix that and I walked by and saw Jeff sitting there, I just couldn't believe it! Someone that I had not seen in years, not even in the military, off the coast of Cape Cod. I couldn't believe my eyes. That made my night!"

Newton said how amazing it was to see an old friend, and noted how unlikely such an encounter truly was.

"It's pretty slim odds that you're going to run into someone you know out in the middle of the ocean-especially when you met him in the middle of the ocean to begin with," said Newton. "So I think that's one of the great joys of being a journalist and a storyteller. You get to travel around and see all these places and every now and then you run into people you've met in those places."

Despite working in completely different career field and his life following a completely different path, Borges' and Newton's lives, by pure chance, intersected once again, on yet another ship, in a different place and time.

It's a small ocean after all.

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For more news from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn77/.

• Date Taken: 06.19.2017
• Date Posted: 12.11.2017 18:58
• Story ID: 258327
• Location: USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH, US