2009 Navy Ball

I'll be uploading more pictures as a friend sends me more that he took, but I have started an album.

We helped celebrate the 234th birthday of the Navy with our son and many other fine sailors. The evening began with a social hour and commemoration pub glasses if you chose to purchase them. A photographer with a son in the Navy was there to take portrait pictures. I can't wait to see them!

When everyone was seated at the ships (each table was named), the colors were presented, national anthem, posting of the colors, invocation, and opening remarks. The Two Bell ceremony was held in memory of those sailors not present--either absent, lost, or missing. A table was in the middle of the room set of the sailor with symbolic items--a red rose in memory of the blood lost, salt for tears, white table cloth for bandages, etc.

Next was the toasts to the commander in chief, the Navy's birthday, the Marines, the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, sailors and soldiers, fallen comrades, Quad-Cities, families, and ladies. When each toast was presented, there was a response and you'd raise your glass. No comment here--just a report of what happened: when the commander in chief was toasted, the reponse was To the President. The room became very quiet. The 80 year old chief at our table put his glass on the table as many did around the room. The rest of the toasts were lively and loud.

The meal was excellent though the beautiful venue did not plan for hungry sailors. They ran out of food! I think they only planned for one piece of pork or chicken per person, but it was served buffet style. Prime rib was sent for, but the dozen or so people who got it said it was cold. You don't do that to retired Navy chiefs, let me tell you!

As Navy tradition, the youngest sailor attending cut the birthday cake and served the oldest attending.

The speaker was an agent of the FBI who spoke with humor about the similarities between the Navy and FBI. Too long to describe, but he did it with humor until the end when he talked about the oath that sailors and agents take. Almost the same and at the end the words "So help me God." He talked a bit about how if that goes away, we've lost our foundation.

The end of the evening was dancing. My husband said when the band sets up speakers the size of refrigerators, we're in trouble! It was a nice mixture of young and old, and people did stay to dance but we left. They even had a shuttle arranged to a hotel so quite a few were prepared to party.

Probably the worst part of the evening was my son being stood up. He offered to take a young woman he's known since high school. They've been friends now for 8 or 9 years now. He visited her on Friday night and she was excited, but he couldn't find her last night when he went to pick her up. Her mom didn't have any idea where she was, and she wasn't answering her cell. She was on facebook last night, too, so we don't know the story, but I am really irritated with her. He made me promise not to say anything to her, but he said he'd have choice words. At least his heart isn't broken--but the friendship is probably gone.