Ernest Thompson; the Navy comes to him
OC sends us a link from Fox News about 98-year-old Ernest Thompson, a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On that dark day in our history, Thompson was among the crew of the battleship USS Tennessee (BB-43) which was damaged during the attack but rebuilt and modernized and took part in the War in the Pacific. Thompson made it a habit to visit USS Iowa which is a museum near his home in Southern California to revisit his youth.
Health issues have interfered in his almost daily visits to the museum, so this happened according to KTLA;
With the help of volunteer coordinators, the chief selects from the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center visited Thompson’s home and sang the Navy’s march song, “Anchors Aweigh” in the middle of his residential street.
While the singing went on, Thompson stood and saluted, “inspiring those around him,” the release stated.
The remarkable thing, according to a spokesman for the museum, is that Thompson had a fall earlier this year and had not been able to walk or stand since then.
After the singing concluded, the chief selects walked one-by-one up to Thompson on the veteran’s porch to shake his hand.
“My grandfather told me that it was one of the best days of his life,” Williams wrote on Facebook.
Here’s the video;
Category: Navy
Damn this dust.
Yeah, me too….damn it
Farking miniature invisible onion cutting ninjas
God Bless them Everyone……Tiny Tim!
Bravo Zulu, Navy!
VERY cool.
Good buncha Chiefs right there!
Not Yet. They are E6.5’s right now.
They’re being raised right
And Bernath will never be one of them, honorary or otherwise.
They get an “A” for effort,(BZ) but sadly, they lack the ability to carry a tune in a bucket. ?
When I joined the Navy, I assumed they would send me to Great Lakes for Boot Camp, so I took the time to learn to sing “Anchors Aweigh” thinking I would audition for the Blue Jacket Choir. Typically, the Navy had other ideas, and they sent me to San Diego instead. There, I found myself in Company 203, doing mucho pushuppos instead of singing my way through Boot… Whoops
One day, towards the end of Boot Camp, a few of us were sitting outside the barracks, shining our boondockers and enjoying some rare downtime. I was singing a little funny song I knew, when one of the Company Commanders front a neighboring Company walked up to us. I stopped, and we all popped tall, and the Chief leaned in and growled “If you’re goin’ ta sing anythin’ it better be Anchors Aweigh”
I took,a deep breath and belted out “Anchos Aweigh” like Pavorotti on steroids. My friends, who were,moments ago, looking worried, stared at me with slack jaws and the Chief rocked back on his heels. When I finished he shook his head and said, “Shit… Sing anything you want” turned, and left us standing there.
It’s my fondest memory of Boot Camp.
I’d sing it for Ernie anytime.
That Chief is sitting in his local American Legion Hall right now:
“No shit, there I was, braced this little boot and told him to sing…”
Sorry, there must be something wrong with my wireless router, kept cutting out the video feed (like there was a lot of water in the way, or something), but the audio came through 5 X 5. Very proud to be a retired Chief Petty Officer, there is hope for the future (try not to screw it up, jackasses!).
“While the singing went on, Thompson stood and saluted, “inspiring those around him,” the release stated.
The remarkable thing, according to a spokesman for the museum, is that Thompson had a fall earlier this year and had not been able to walk or stand since then”
Why? For all you POSer’s, fakes, phoney’s, Bull shit artist, and General Fuck Sticks. It is because this Man knows that that song echoes back to the beginning of “Our” time that links John Paul Jones to Mr. Earnest Thompson and will continue to echo for all our Navy Brethren.
Love that Fucking Song.
“Stand Navy out to sea, fight our battle cry!
We’ll never change our course so vicious foes steer shy-y-y-y!
Nice lyrics. And, now, a dose of reality:
“As the Iranian ships continued their approach, the destroyer sounded five short blasts on its whistle, an international danger signal.The official said the Nitze was ultimately forced to change its course to avoid the Iranian ships, despite coming close to offshore oil rigs.”
*cough*
“A U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots toward an Iranian fast-attack craft that approached two U.S. ships, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday, in the most serious of a number of incidents in the Gulf area this week.”
Should have been like in the play/movie “Chicago.”
“So I fired two warning shots.
Into his head!”
😀
Well, yeah, but let’s not start a war just yet, ookay? Let’s wait until the Fool on the Hill is on his private greens in Hawaii, and a lava flow reroutes itself from Kilauea to keep him there.
The skipper should never have changed course. It’s just what those d-bags wanted. He should have made them change course by putting .50 cal ammo just forward of their bows. If some of the rounds hit them, well, damn the bad luck!
Does bring a tear to my eye. Bless those Sailors and Mr. Thompson.
May God Bless You Sir!!!
Great story.
One minor peeve: I’ve never liked that term “survivor of the Pearl Harbor attacks.” Makes them sound like victims. You “survive” cancer, or a natural disaster, or a car accident, etc.
These men are veterans of Pearl Harbor. They didn’t just survive, they served and they fought in a battle.
Okay, rant mode OFF.
HOOOOAH ! ! ! !
Well done, shipmates. You might become Chiefs yet.
This story reminds me of EM2 Bud Cloud, another PH survivor and how his modern day shipmates showed respect and took great care of him.
http://www.businessinsider.com/dying-navy-sailor-visits-uss-dewey-2013-11
Still makes me tear up just thinking about it.
I’ve always wondered if Bud was on Dewey in the 1944 typhoon in the Philippine Sea. The skipper wrote a book about the storm and claimed that the ship came damn close to taking a NINETY DEGREE ROLL!!!!!
Ok…shit…thats one of the best things ive ever seen.
Not many of “The Greatest Generation” left. Thank them when you see them
I sang several songs during initiation, but, uh, Anchors Aweigh, uh, wasn’t one of them.
This just made Special Report on FNS with a video of some guys that can’t sing half as good as some karaoke singers with a half a load on.
BZ to the Navy for doing this for this Veteran.
It is guys like these that make all those Stolen Valor look even smaller than they are in real life.
As much as even I tend to pile on the, “new Navy,” these future Chiefs reassure me that pride and professionalism are still alive and well.
Damn those onion cutting Ninjas.