Several events marked the end of Operations Tailisman Saber. First an Admiral from the carrier stopped by and ate lunch in the wardroom. He toured the ship and talked with all the divisions. It was a big moral boost for the crew when he passed out command coins. He outlined the successes of the operation and what his future plans for the seventh fleet were. It was the first time I had meet an Admiral since graduating from Supply Corps School.
Plans were set in stone for the upcoming port visit in Manila and command instructions were distributed to the crew. The Supply Department started to get busy again preparing for the upcoming visit. Supplies needed to be ordered for both the galley and store and parts delivered. Port services were negotiated based on the needs of the ship and crew. Mail needed to be routed or rerouted depending on where it was. Ship's laundry and barbershop started to work longer hours.
The culminating event for the crew had to be beer day though. It had been eagerly anticipated for much of the operation. At the forty-five day mark of an underway period, a ship is allowed a day of celebration with beer being provided. It is a much needed stress relief while still at sea. Every member of the crew not on watch is allowed two beers. No one was allowed to give their beer to any other person and a command instruction was sent out so no one could claim they did not know the regulations. The concern was that after two months at sea, the alcoholic tolerance of the crew would be low. The celebration went well without any problems and a steel beach picnic was set up for dinner topside. The crew was in high spirits and looking forward to the upcoming port visit.
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