Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Tristan Lotz | 190117-N-ME396-032 GROTON, Conn. (Jan. 17, 2019) Tom Evans, who served 22 years in the...... read more read more
GROTON, Conn. – Sailors attached to Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) New London had lunch with veterans at Groton Regency Center and enjoyed comradery and stories from days of warfighting past, Jan. 17.
The event was organized to bring some company to the veterans at the center, who can sometimes feel lonely in their golden years. The event also gave Sailors a chance to talk with the heroes of yesterday and gain some perspective on their place in history.
“The veterans love visits,” said Kassie Startz, Groton Regency staff member. “Mr. Evans doesn’t leave his room unless there are military visitors. A lot of these men feel alone, but when active duty people come around they have someone they can relate to, they have someone they can talk to who understands their lingo.”
Tom Evans served as an Engineman for 22 years during the Navy’s gradual transition from a conventionally-powered Navy to a nuclear-powered one.
“I served on a lot of boats,” said Evans. “USS Diablo [SS 479], USS Sea Robin [SS 407] and later the USS John Marshall [SSBN 611]. The nuclear boats were a whole new experience.”
Evans recounted a collection of stories about some of the oddities of the Navy’s pre-nuclear age. Some of the anecdotes he shared shocked Sailors acquainted with modern comforts.
“On the old diesel boats you showered the night before you set sail, and you showered once you were back in port,” said Evans. “You could not shower while at sea! But that did not mean you had to be dirty. The only people who were dirty chose to be! We would collect water from the air conditioning systems and put it in a bucket. We used that to wash our clothes. That was how you stayed clean at sea.”
Veterans from all branches came to the luncheon. David King, an Army veteran who served from 1968 to 1973, told Sailors about his time stationed in Germany and his adventures on the country’s famous speed limitless highway, the Autobahn.
“I got sent to Germany, but it was actually by accident,” said King. “I wanted to go to flight school, but they had no openings so the Army sent me to Germany to work with the motor pool. I ended up staying in Germany and became the general’s driver. On the Autobahn the general would only allow us to go 80 miles an hour. On my off time I took my own car, which I had with me, and got it up to 120—the fastest it would go. The German Police had Porsches and they would do about 220, zipping up and down the freeways.”
Despite also serving in the Army, retired Staff Sgt. Marvin Curland worked for many years with the father of America’s nuclear Navy, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover.
“We built the 41 for Freedom,” Curland said to a group of Naval Submarine School students listening with fascination. “Those were the first nuclear missile submarines ever built. Admiral Rickover went on every single one for its first trip. People who served when Rickover came aboard were always in for a ride. Rickover would walk into the nuclear control room, for instance, and point at the officer in charge and say, ‘you’re dead.’ Then he would find the senior petty officer and tell him, ‘you’re in charge now. What do you do?’ That was how he trained his crews.”
As the luncheon drew to a close, veterans said their goodbyes and thanked the Navy’s current generation of Sailors for their service. The Groton Regency staff also thanked everyone for visiting.
“We can’t thank them enough!” said Paula Smith, Groton Regency staff member. “Sailors don’t know what an impact such a simple gesture makes. They make a difference for these veterans. They have really come alive thanks to the Sailors coming out.”
| Date Taken: | 01.17.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2019 13:48 |
| Story ID: | 308092 |
| Location: | GROTON, CONNECTICUT, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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