By Joe Berk
San Diego, Calilfornia. I love that town. One of its best attractions is the USS Midway Museum. I’ve been there three times. The first was a few years ago with Susie, and that visit resulted in a Destinations piece in Motorcycle Classics magazine and a CSC Motorcycles blog article. Another time was when I attended the International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in San Diego with good buddy Mike. The IACP had their big evening party on the Midway’s flight deck, and the keynote speaker was James Comey (the FBI Director; we heard his speech literally days before President Trump fired him).
Most recently, I returned to the Midway for a visit with Susie and my sister Eileen. You could say I’m a big fan of the Midway and all she represents, and you’d be 100% correct. If you ever find yourself in San Diego, the USS Midway is a “must see” visit.
The Battle of Midway was a turning point in World War II in our fight against the Japanese. Movies have been made about it; one of the best is currently streaming on Netflix. Woody Harrelson portrayed Admiral Nimitz and he did a wonderful job. The two men even resemble each other.
Construction started on the USS Midway during World War II, but the war ended before the ship was commissioned. The Midway went on to serve in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf wars. You may remember new stories about our departure from Vietnam and the helicopters being shoved off the flight deck and into the sea to make room for more refugees. Those film clips were on the Midway. I was in the Army and I didn’t have really anything to do with the Navy (other than later working in companies that designed and manufactured products for the Navy), but if I had been in the Navy, I think I would have liked to have served on a carrier. There’s just something magnificent about these ships. You may recall my piece on Admiral Gordon Smith, one of my best bosses ever. Gordon was a carrier pilot. I admire and miss him greatly.
The docents at the USS Midway Museum are all prior service people. They are friendly and gave great talks. When Susie and I were on the flight deck, one of the docents told the two of us about a jet and described it as “my airplane.” Susie said, “Oh, you flew one like this?”
“No,” he answered. “I flew this aircraft.” It just doesn’t get any better than that. Well, maybe it does. When we bought our tickets on our most recent visit, the lady behind the counter asked if any us were former service members. As usual, my mind was in neutral. I kind of just stood there and Susie quickly explained that I had served in the Army. That provided a steep discount and a sticker to put on my pocket designating me as a prior service guy. Every one of the docents asked me about my service as we made our way through the museum. It’s been so long ago (almost 50 years) that I had to stop and think with every question. It was fun. The folks on the Midway made me feel special. You can’t put a price on that.
There’s just so much to see and enjoy in San Diego. If you are lucky enough to visit this wonderful town, you might want to stop for dinner or a late lunch after seeing the Midway. One of the best restaurants in town is The Brigantine, just up the road from the Midway along the Embarcadero. The Brigantine’s fish and chips dish is one of the best I’ve ever had. If you like family-run Italian restaurants (they’re at the top of the list for me), try Volare’s (at 3528 Barnett Avenue in San Diego).
On our first visit to the USS Midway, Susie and I drove across to Coronado Island after visiting the Museum. After a fine dinner in Coronado, we took in the San Deigo skyline across the bay at night. It’s one of my favorite photos.
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Mike Rowe has a series called “Sombody’s Gotta Do It”. In one episode, he and the crew visit the USS Stennis aircraft carrier while it is at sea conducting training. It’s an entertaining watch and maybe the only time I’ve see Mike Rowe humble and maybe even a bit lost.
Great pix!
As to serving on a carrier
My USN daughter spent 3 years on the Reagan and Nimitz (which is long in the tooth and scheduled to decommissioned )
She was working in the planes hydraulics.
She now does drones stationed on Okinawa .
The Reagan was at the Afghanistan debacle but mainly was part of the 7th fleet patrolling the pacific .
She would say Be careful what you wish for.
Not enuff bandwidth here for me to say what I think of James Comey. He should be locked up and the key thrown into the Pacific .
Agreed. Thanks for commenting.