Thanks to a very generous donation of one thousand dollars from Mr. Hilaire E. Beck, III, in memory of his father, LCDR Hilaire E. Beck, Jr. USN, who served during World War II, the Council has added the destroyer USS WINSTON S. CHURCHILL (DDG 81) to its growing number of ships to Council’s Deployment Dollar Program. Upon receipt of Mr. Beck’s donation, Liaison Rich Goff found that the WINSTON S. CHURCHILL was about to deploy as one of the ships in the Harry S. Truman Strike Group. As the WINSTON S. CHURCHILL is well known to the Council (a bus full of Council members attended the commis-sioning in March 2001), the Executive Committee readily agreed that the crew should be the recipients of the Deployment Dollars.

Early Friday morning, November 2nd, a group of four directors led by Liaison Rich Goff and including Senior VP Tom Hassell, Denny Gilchrist and Alan Palmer, left Richmond for Norfolk armed with the check and deployment chits. Having weaved their way along the pier past numerous semi’s and trucks unloading last minute supplies for the long deployment, they arrived on the quarter deck of the WINSTON S. CHURCHILLand were greeted by the XO LCDR Kevin Borden who escorted the group to the Wardroom. There, the Commanding Officer, CDR Mark Oberley and CMDCM Jay Powers took time out from their busy schedule to welcome our group. In conversation with the CO, we learned that he had only taken over command of the ship two days earlier, giving him five days to become familiar with the ship and the crew before deploying. The group was also introduced to the navigator, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. As a courtesy to the ship’s name-sake’s country a member of the Royal Navy is assigned to the ship’s crew at all times.

Because the weather was blustery and chilly (the remnants of a recent storm), the ship’s company was mustered in the helo hangar for an awards ceremony by the CO to a number of crew members and the deployment dollar presentation to the Captain by Senior VP Tom Hassell. On behalf of the crew, CDR Oberley expressed his appreciation to the Council for the thousand dollar deployment check and said that it will go a long way in helping boost the crew’s morale during the upcoming long deployment. In appreciation, CDR Oberley presented the Council with a Ships Plaque which is now displayed at the Council’s office. Since deploying, the Council received the following e-mail message from the XO on Thanksgiving Day.

“To manage your generous donation more easily, we have chosen to recognize a hard-working Sailor each week we’re deployed and have presented two so far with $30 added to their Navy Cash cards to be used any way they choose onboard the ship! They can use it in the gedunk machines, the ship’s store or even the post office, their choice! Basically, we’ll collect simple inputs from the CPO Mess, call the Sailor to the Pilothouse to meet with the CO and CMC, let him sit in the CO’s chair, and recognize them publicly over the 1MC before giving them their $30 MWR bucks.

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Signed LCDR Kevin Borden