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The salty morning breeze whispers to a sea gently stirring, almost as if in reverence, during the burial-at-sea being held aboard USS Harry S.Truman (CVN 75). Rows of uniformed officers and enlisted stand regally like statues while a hauntingly beautiful “Amazing Grace” duet resonates through the funeral’s somber ceremonial beauty.
Beyond the formalities of a Navy burial while underway, there’s still a timeless simplicity to the event; a man bids farewell to his late father. Lt. Cmdr. Christopher McHenry, Truman’s training officer, had to release his father’s cremains into the warm, calm fathoms of the Mediterranean Sea – a final nod to a paternal life that exemplified service and sacrifice.
“My dad, Robert H. McHenry Jr., was a 20 year career Army officer,” said McHenry. “He joined the military in 1969. Right after he married my mom he went off to Vietnam for a year as a logistics officer. He never really talked about it except for a few funny stores, but it was a small slither of his life. The rest of the time he was raising five children and showing them how to treat your spouse.”
While McHenry said he never desired to join the military while growing up, his father’s overseas military lifestyle influenced him and gave him many memories that he eventually wanted to re-create with his own children.
“I was blessed to grow up for 6 years in Germany when dad was stationed over there,” said McHenry. “One thing I wanted to do when I joined the Navy was take my children overseas. I got to take my family to Sicily, Italy for three and half years and then Bahrain for two years.”
As McHenry progressed in his Navy career, he was grateful to share some important moments in his military journey with his father, who he said later grew proud of him as he advanced.
“My Dad reenlisted me when I made chief, he commissioned me when I became an officer and then he did my last promotion to O4 the weekend the Eagles won the Super Bowl,” said McHenry. “That was a pretty awesome moment with my dad. We’re big Philadelphia Eagles fans so it was a pretty good weekend.”
Sometimes taking a tour down memory lane can lead to a whole new highway of meaning and understanding. Looking back at childhood as an adult can reveal deeper, more developed perspectives of the past. For McHenry, his father’s dedication to his family couldn’t be more apparent as he grew older and started his own household with his wife.
“My dad laid a foundation of discipline, hard work and respect,” said McHenry. “I didn’t always do that as a kid, but I think once I had children I realized how much my dad loved me and how much he really sacrificed for me. He loved my mom for 51 years before he passed away. He never really thought about himself, he was always thinking about others and what he could do to help them out.”
This commitment to service extended into old age when his father retired in Florida, but still made sure to reach out and plan family reunions, despite his declining health.
“He suffered a stroke 5 years before he died,” said McHenry. “He was in a wheelchair most of the time, and he’d start to walk and fall down and break something. Sometimes it’s ok to let go. Sure I miss talking with him and being able to call him, but the biggest thing that gives me peace is that he’s in heaven and not suffering anymore.”
Deciding what special way to honor him became easy when McHenry witnessed the age-old Navy tradition of a burial-at-sea for the father of Cmdr. Matthew Enos, commanding officer, Strike Fighter Squadron 11, and described the experience as intense and personal.
“When I saw the burial-at-sea in December and saw the Skipper got to bury his Dad as sea, it just kind of got me thinking of how much of an honor it would be to be able to do that for my dad,” said McHenry. “It was pretty awesome they were able to do this during a deployment because it normally doesn’t happen that way.”
The ceremony was also a timely and fitting one, as McHenry is nearing the end of his duties as training officer aboard Truman and is soon to start a new chapter of his life on shore duty as a human resources officer.
“This is my last deployment and last time I’ll serve at sea for the rest of my career, so to be able to do this is an honor” said McHenry. “I’m so humbled by it. His funeral was conducted by an Air Force chaplain. Chaplain Smith, who was a Marine before he became a Navy chaplain, did the service on the ship. Basically all four services have honored my dad, which is pretty awesome.”
This wasn’t his father’s first time aboard the Truman, as McHenry fondly reminisces his father’s earlier visit to the ship on a tiger cruise.
“My dad came to the USS Harry S. Truman when I was here in 2008,” said McHenry. “It was a great opportunity to spend time with Dad and he could finally see what I did on the ship. My mom mentioned that until the day he died he would talk about how incredible the experience was aboard Truman. He got to sit in one of the F-18s, eat with his son on the ship and hang out in his stateroom.”
Like a full circle, his father conclusively returned for a final tour of the ship before being released into the calm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. His memory is blazoned in the minds of all those who were present to witness the timeless occasion, from the captain to the color guard to the scores of Sailors gathered in the hangar bay.
“I think if my dad knew we were doing this burial-at-sea he would be humbled by it, but he’d ask why we’re doing this or making such a big deal about him, but he was a big deal.” Said McHenry. “My dad was a big deal.”
Fleetwide ceremonies like burials-at-sea, remain a beloved Navy tradition that help celebrate the lives of past service members so that families can honor them in true Navy fashion: over the deep blue sea to the resounding thunder of prayers, rifles and bugle melodies. McHenry might have finally said farewell to his father in this lifetime but he solemnly looks toward the future with faith filled eyes and a faint smile.
“Make no mistake, I’ll see him again in heaven,” said McHenry. “He taught me how to treat my wife the way he treated my mom, and he taught me how to be responsible for your family, committed and driven. He demonstrated a lot of sacrifice for us. This was just one more thing I could do to honor him.”
| Date Taken: | 06.30.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2022 17:10 |
| Story ID: | 436131 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Into the Calm Waters, by PO2 Charles Blaine, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
