Dustin Deploys!

Deployment is one thing that happens regularly to the young men and women who become part of our family. It's never fun to see them leave for months at a time, but it goes with the territory. But just as there are deployments, there are times of returning from deployment. Both are surrounded with tradition and celebration.

This week we had to say good by to Dustin as he deployed on the USS Helena. We thought we would just go to the pier and see the boat off, knowing that Dustin would be down below and we wouldn't be able to see him. But suddenly, in the middle of our Tuesday morning staff meeting at church I got a text from Dustin inviting us to a "burger burn" on the pier. It was a hamburger cookout for the crew, the family and friends of the sailors prior to their getting underway. I excused myself from the meeting and Yvonne and I went to the pier to have lunch with Dustin!

 

If you look closely at the bottom right side of the picture you'll see four Canadian geese standing on the boat. One of the officers, I think it may have been the skipper or executive officer judging from the scrambled eggs on his cover, came toward the geese to shoo them away. They were reluctant, but finally got off the boat...but then came back two or three times. Finally, the four swam off.

The crew went about preparing to get underway...

When what to my wandering eyes should appear? But twelve Canadian geese swimming toward the boat! I couldn't resist...I called out, "Look! They went and got reinforcements!" All of the families on the pier laughed!! The geese were bound and determined to clean the algae off the hull of the boat before it went underway!

Then it was time for the tugboats to do their job and pull the submarine away from the pier and into deep water...

Fair winds and following seas Dustin!