Wreaths Across America

Across the nation, thousands of people placed wreaths on the graves of veterans Dec. 17.

Capt. Edward A. Schrader, commanding officer of Naval Base Kitsap, served as keynote speaker for the local event at Ivy Green Cemetery, Bremerton. Kitsap No. 46 of he Navy Wives Club of America was instrumental in raising necessary funds and organizing this annual project.

Fun and games on the USS Turner Joy

From 4-7 p.m. Jan. 14, gamers (21 and older) are invited to play the popular board game “The Settlers of Catan” aboard the Vietnam-era destroyer USS Turner Joy (DD 951). The cost is $30 per person and includes wine and appetizers provided by Ralph’s Red Apple Market in Bremerton. The game is being hosted by Game Wizards & Blue Sky Hobbies, 603 Fourth St., Bremerton.

Tradition wins

Navy leaders are reversing their controversial decision to eliminate sailors’ ratings and will restore job titles across the fleet, the Navy Times reported Dec. 21. Enlisted sailors immediately regain their ratings, the traditional job titles that have defined enlisted career tracks for generations, Navy officials said. Some ratings, such as boatswain’s mate, date back “to the founding of the service,” the Navy Times reported.

“The extraordinarily rare move comes after a fierce backlash from the fleet that became a distraction from the Navy’s broader effort to reform the antiquated personnel system,” Navy Times reported.

“Adm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, called it a ‘course correction’ and acknowledged the overwhelmingly negative reaction from the fleet was a key factor in the decision.”

Largest donation of the year

On Dec. 22, the Navy Reserve Chief Petty Officer Association presented the USS Turner Joy with a check for $2,500. The Navy and Navy Reserve use the retired destroyer for their Legacy Programs for CPOs.

“This is our largest donation of the year,” said John Hanson, president of the Historic Ships Association that oversees Turner Joy.

Seventy-five years ago

The Dec. 19, 1941 Kitsap County Herald reported that “although the wires have been busy since the attack on Pearl Harbor, carrying messages to relatives of the safety of Honolulu residents, news has come of the death of one former Kitsap County resident, Robert N. Brooks, 21.”

— Terryl Asla reports on military and veterans affairs for Kitsap News Group. Contact him at tasla@soundpublishing.com.