To the members of the USS SARATOGA ASSOCIATION CVA60, friends of mine and yours: THE LAST HOURS OF THE USS SARATOGA, CVA 60THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE A PART OF IT. Today is a sad day but yet one of rejoicing in the fact that she once again peeked over the horizon and with the the mighty waters that she sits in, came forth a mighty site to behold..Today marks the an end of another era. As the older bodies of the sailors standing on the levy of San Padre, I see the men who have gone as far as they can. Their silhouette, standing there with a look of awe and greatness, as another wonder rises to meet another day, the Sun. Age has crept up among us, age has taken our once strong back bone and tho some of you are torn with disease from arthritic spines and other crippling diseases, I still see the sailor that you once were. Standing at attention means something else today as you watch this same old girl, the one you left behind. Her body is not as well as the day you walked off of her. The rust has taken over which means the endless days and nights that she set sail to other countries of this great world that we live in today, the salty sea bares resemblance now of itself as rust on this warship from a different era. I consider the rust as an adornment of things gone on by... the tears and fears of news from home. She engulfed you, took care of you, fed you, and kept you sheltered like your home away from home. It indeed did have the ability to do great wonders of ownership of you while serving onboard this great and admired ship. She was the topic of conversation here in the last three weeks of our lives. She took the slow and steady route, encountered the winds of two hurricaines but blessed that she did not have to sail into them. IF nail biting and if wishes could have made it any better, we would still have sat and watched, with baited breath, the end of her last journey as she went thru the rough waters, she was not alone. As we have posted here the memories we had aboard her and myself who served in another capacity, will keep them stored in and about the souvenirs of our lifetime. She is now home to someone else, who does not deserve to be in her midst. I hope that she slaps the crap out of the guys by causing a big ruckus on board.. someway and somehow. WE will be watching.. we will be waiting.. and as all ships that have sailed the ocean with her and since and before.. the Captain is the last to leave.. and I hope you, Sir..and sirs.. made love to her in all the right places.. and that she has become that brave and notorious ship that I saw long ago in Mayport, Florida among the crowd of people..we all became one and one became all.. as we stood in awe of this enormous floating city.. A fond farwell I send you, sailors.. and may the rest of your life be filled with memories of the old sailors with you now, white hair with their caps on tight, saying USS Saratoga CVA 60, standing watch this early morning, maybe their bodies are wrecked with pain and their body frames are not standing up because of the illnesses that brings a soul to weep, standing up as it once did.. I almost know without asking that those of you who were there were able to stand up one more time to this old girl. Watching and waiting for her to get closer.. Im sure they reached in their back pockets to find that handkerchief waiting for salty tears to fall down from the beauty of it all.. the homecoming to so many there with her among the crew of the SIGNET WARHORSE III. I hope that when the captain steps on dry land again, that one of the men who served their United States of America, so fine and so proud, that they grab your hand and shake it.. like your hand has never been shook before with respect, honor, and gratitude for what you and the men have done of the SIGNET WARHORSE lll. Since setting sail into the sunsets and sunrises of GODs little part of your world, WE will always remember her with the memories of our loved ones and what the Saratoga has meant to us all. I did not serve on board her but I served the one I loved by keeping true to him, my sailor. Not once did I falter, not once did I cross him, not once did I lose the faith, not once did I not cry for him.. tears somehow found a reason to fall, while missing him each day that we were apart. The hardest thing I ever did was telling the love of my life goodbye that long ago October 1, 1972. His chart was made and his life put on hold to serve the mighty Sara. Two other ships he set sail upon these great war ready air craft carriers of the USS America and the USS John F. Kennedy. and waiting upon the longest days and nights of our lives , we waited with great anticipation of the return of our loved ones. I have written and put down my fondest memories of this great ship. Ive shared it with all of you.. I found myself astounded by what came out of my thoughts and into words on this computer to be shared with you all. It gives me the greatest pleasure to find someone and anyone who liked what I wrote. Facebook was not around and the technology we have today in the short but long time since 41 years ago. I met the sailor in my life and this mighty warship, USS SARATGOA, standing on the dock of another bay in Mayport, Florida.. overcome and speechless I met the man in my life.. with love and admiration.. All of these modern conveniences has brought our world together more and snail mail was the only thing that kept us together.. Then sometimes the gales and windy times aboard would not let anything land to receive mail and send out because the wind was too strong.. We would get six or more letters all at once.. these are the things that you sailors will remember about those that were left behind. I longed to hear the mail truck. I had heard the sound of his brakes as he entered the apartment complexes and homes that I called a just a place to hang my hat.. Id hear it and run to the mail box and then sometimes I would cry. Knowing that he had written and knowing that I had written.. we just had to wait one more day.. and then sometimes.. nothing.. Id understand but Id read them over and over and over. I would pick them up and smell them of what I knew was air that he breathed while sending it. These are the life and times of the sailor and their wives and others left at home. I have grown old and such things as listening to the mail truck run is left up to my dog now. Ive said way too much and written more than I ever should have.. but I just had to say these words.. and the longing that I have with those there.. may you take so many pictures that your camera yells, HELP.. and hopefully it will smoke from the life and times of your life today, living and breathing yet another five star day in the life and times of each of you standing there..I can only say and I can only wish I was there.. I also wish that I had the money it would take to start a museum and that I could buy it off the scoundrels that have been paid to take her apart. She has the mighty ability when scrapped to become among us the steel that becomes something else awesome. We will just not know when we approach whatever it is that she became a part of, not known that it once was the USS SARATOGA. You can bet your boots that whatever she becomes a part of that it will be great and enormous in our lives and your lives. GOD bless you all and GODSPEED. I am so thankful that someone and all of you take the time to read these moments of my life.. with GODSPEED and the endurement of Christ our Lord, may you walk in peaceful times with memories of this day and those memories you served aboard this great and once powerful lady, the one and only, USS SARATOGA CVA 60, may she sleep now in peaceful stillness. Nancy Milam-Still, penned this day of our Lord, September 12, 2014, at approximately 15:25 or in another term, 3:25 p.m. 09/12/2014.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 19:26:35 +0000