Family Day

I was recently introduced to a new Navy tradition. Before a ship goes out on a long deployment a day is set aside for sailors to bring their families on-board. This gives the family a chance to see the ship and meet with the Captain and officials from the base. These people are there to assist the families should there be any problems while their significant others are deployed.

The day started with lunch and then an awards ceremony for some of the crew. Having grilled hotdogs and hamburgers on a base in Japan was somehow a bit comforting. There are not all that many families attached to the members of my crew though. The majority of the sailors on my ship had their billets to Japan chosen because they were unattached. These does not really apply to Officers and Chiefs but for the junior enlisted, single is preferred.

The officials set up shop on the mess decks after the award ceremony ended. I picked up a few interesting brochures on tours around Tokyo. I also learned that I am probably going to have to wait until next year to climb Mount Fuji.

I was kept busy providing sodas and opening up the ship's store for the families. Various members of the crew had suddenly lost their Navycash cards, the only means of paying for items out of the ship's store. So I replaced those for them and then monitored the store for a little while. It was nice to be able to take the day off and meet a few new people, some of whom I had helped evacuate during the crisis.