Underway For Patrol

Just north of Submarine Base Bangor, a draw bridge spans the Hood Canal. Ships headed for the Pacific Ocean must pass through the bridge’s narrow opening, providing families one last opportunity to waive goodbye to their sailors before they head out to sea. One of the hardest facets of military life is the family separation. Ballistic missile submarines like the one I commanded typically deploy on patrols lasting just over two months. Six month deployments are not uncommon for fast attack submarines, and aircraft carrier battle groups sometimes deploy even longer. 

Subase Bangor is at the lower end of Hood Canal and the Hood Canal Bridge is at the upper right.

On the day of a patrol underway, our families gather on the pier to see us off. But once we're clear of our berth, wives and children dash for their cars and head north to meet us at the Hood Canal Bridge. Unless there's a traffic problem, our families usually have no problem making the 12 mile run and beating us to the bridge. When we arrive, the draw span opens and we waive to our loved ones one last time.

I'm on top of the sail, waiving.

I made five patrols out of Bangor and Kellie took a ton of pictures, but my favorite is the photo below. During one underway, after we cleared the Hood Canal Bridge, Kellie corralled the kids and managed to get them all facing the camera just in time to capture their smiling faces before the ship slipped away. 

From left to right: Jordin, Russell, Kyra, and Danielle.

The picture hangs on the wall behind desk and I look at it often.  I love the picture, but it also saddens me. It's a reminder of how much of their lives I missed by being away so often. Despite my absence, they all turned out okay. Danielle is an apparel designer. She lives in Kansas where she designs sports apparel for Under Armor. Russell, a Navy Aviation Electronics Technician, is married and living in Florida. Jordin lives at home where she works and attends college. Kyra, the youngest, is 15 and a sophomore in high school. Now that I'm retired, it's comforting to know that there's nothing I have to do that's so important that I can't drop it to help with math homework. 

This winter we're taking the kids on a Caribbean cruise, but Russell won't be joining us. He will be deployed while his pregnant wife waits at home. When he returns, he will finally get to hold his three month old daughter for the first time.