A Year of Blogging: October 27, 2011

There is some dispute as to what October 27 is. My source said it is Navy Day, but the same source said Navy Day could be on October 13. The Navy League created the first Navy Day in 1922. October 27 was chosen because it was the birthday of Teddy Roosevelt, who was an avid supporter of the US Navy. In the 1970's, researchers found that the birthdate of the Continental US Navy was October 13, 1775. Apparently, Navy Day is still mostly celebrated on October 27. This was just too important of a day to skip for me. The Navy is important to our family. We are a Navy family. At least on my Dad's side. My Grandpa Primeau was so eager to go fight the Germans (which I find hilarious, given that he married a woman of German descent), that he lied about his age (as so many boys have at wartime) and joined the Canadian Army. Canada joined WWII before the US did. Since my great-grandfather was Canadian born, and the family was living in Canada, Grandpa was able to join the Canadian Army. Some 25 years before, his own father immigrated to the US and fought in WWI in the US Army. The family moved back and forth across the US/Canadian border frequently as my grandfather grew up. To this day, my Grandfather is still bilingual and can switch from English to French at the bat of an eye (his sister and her family still live in Quebec). Once the US joined the War, Grandpa was able to get a discharge from the Canadian Army. He then joined the US Navy and served on the USS Pigeon. This is a picture of Grandpa in his Navy uniform standing next to his mother. A couple decades later, it was my dad's older brother Ray who entered the Navy. I remember Uncle Ray serving in the Reserves when I was growing up. Many people do not realize that I actually considered joining the Navy. That's right. I looked at going into the Navy immediately out of high school instead of going right to college. I talked to the recruiters when they came to our school. I was seriously considering it. Then I remembered that I tend to get seasick on boats, and I don't like small spaces. So I chose college in the middle of the Indiana corn fields. My cousin Keith continued the Navy tradition, entering right out of high school in the late 1990's. His father is Uncle Ray, so Keith is the third generation to go into the Navy. He was sent to the Persian Gulf right after 9/11. I mean right after. He was home on leave, planning to go to my sister's wedding on 9/15. He was called shortly after the planes hit the Pentagon and World Trade Center and told to get to Norfolk, ASAP. He also did a tour in Afghanistan a few years ago. When he came home from that, he met his wife, Marci. Marci is in the Navy. I have a great appreciation for all service people. But there's a special place in my heart for the United States Navy. Happy Navy Day, and thank you to all those who serve, especially my family members, for all you do.