211005 Sentinel, Walmart and more

Two old sailors

I was in Wal-Mart two mornings ago picking up some new winter shirts. I got the ones I needed and headed over to get some new blackout curtains for the bedroom when I reached a cross aisle there were several people passing by. One was an old man who when he saw my Kitty Hawk cap stopped to talk.

He was an old navy sailor on the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in 1969. On June 3 of that year at 3 am the ship was ordered to change its position relative to the Australian aircraft carrier Melbourne for an anti-submarine drill in the South China Sea. During the process the USS Evans crossed the bow of the aircraft carrier and the destroyed was cut in two and half of the ship sunk within 2 minutes.

72 sailors lost their lives in the blink of an eye. The old sailor I met was dumped into the water and survived. He was a little shaky but still alive today. He had some pictures of the collision on his phone and showed them to me. It’s nice to meet old sailors and have a few minutes to reminisce.

Later when I went home and decided to prepare my main meal for the day, potato salad, beans and corn. It turned out well with only one hitch. I picked a bowl off the cabinet shelf and it promptly squirted out of my wet hand and hit the deck. The bowl shattered and when I reached down to pick up the first piece, I cut my thumb. It’s difficult to prepare potato salad after cutting one’s thumb. I cannot remember dropping a dish for decades now, but now I have to start my record all over again.