Men of Courage
Don Roberdeau
Those of you who have been aboard the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy aircraft
carrier know that among many key areas where you walk there are
pictures, plaques, and words honoring and celebrating the life of
President KENNEDY.
There is a large concentration of such memorabilia located among the
two main crew galley areas. Within the galleys' perimeters the
memorabilia have been mounted on many mobile, free-standing, 6' high,
wall partitions that are the same blue color of his jet, "Air Force
One," SS-codenamed "Angel.'
With my job responsibilities and duties, I daily interacted with the
Commanding Officer of "Big John." The Captain's "in-port cabin" is
something that everyone who has a chance to see, should see, now that
the ship is home ported in Mayport, FL. Used primarily for
meetings/meals with the Captain's chain-of-command, and domestic and
foreign dignitaries and honored guests, his in-port cabin contains four
areas, one of which is a main living room area.
There were four items in the C.O.'s cabin that have always, vividly,
stood out in my memory.... Hanging on each of three adjoining living
room walls was a very large painting. Each of these colorful, realistic
paintings showed the daylight shoreline, buildings skyline, and
shipping docks of a coastal city (Boston?) circa 1700's, complete with
harbor anchored and embarking sailing ships. The paintings gave the
magnificent effect of your being on a similar ship, in that ocean
harbor, and you are looking out the back windows from the Captain's
cabin of such an American Revolutionary-era sailing ship.
The fourth item, the one that had a huge effect on me, and, I am sure,
many others through the decades, is an exact replica of President
KENNEDY's, White House oval-office, padded rocking chair that was given
by the KENNEDY family in 1967 when the ship was first commissioned by
CAROLINE. I cannot even begin to describe the thoughts and feelings
when sitting in that rocker.
Nestled among the many pictures, plaques, etc., for the men of the
U.S.S. Kennedy is a plaque of one of the President's speeches.... we
all call it the "Men of Courage" speech ....it simply reads:
"Of those whom much is given, much is required. And when at some future
date the high court of history sits in judgment on each of us,
recording whether in our brief span of service, we fulfilled our
responsibilities to the state, our success or failure, in whatever
office we hold, will be measured by the answers to four questions:
First, were we truly men of courage, with the courage to stand up to
one's enemies, and the courage to stand up, when necessary, to one's
associates, the courage to resist public pressure as well as private
greed?
Second, were we truly men of judgment, with perceptive judgment of the
future as well as the past, of our own mistakes as well as the mistakes
of others, with enough wisdom to know what we did not know, and enough
candor to admit it?
Third, were we truly men of integrity, men who never ran out on either
the principles in which we believed or the people who believed in us,
men whom neither financial gain nor political ambition could ever
divert from the fulfillment of our sacred trust?
Finally, were we truly men of dedication, with an honor mortgaged not
to a single individual or group, and compromised by no private
obligation or aim, but devoted solely to serving the public good and
the national interest?
Courage, judgment, integrity, dedication . . . these are the qualities
which, with God's help, this son of Massachusetts hopes will
characterize our government's conduct in the four stormy years that lie
ahead. Humbly I ask His help in this undertaking; but aware that on
earth His will is worked by men, I ask for your help and your prayers
as I embark on this new and solemn journey."
-President-elect JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY, 09JAN61, Massachusetts
....I swear, there are ultra-busy days on the ship where you will be
completely-motivated, and dashing somewhere to accomplish an important
job, and out of the corner of your eye, for a fleeting moment, you
swear you saw a young Lt., KENNEDY-esque thin in silhouette,
confidently climbing into a jet-fighter, submarine-hunter "Viking,"
sub/rescue/special ops helicopter, light-bomber jet, or
electronics-warfare jet.... or....sometimes, half way through a slow,
quiet, midnight-to-4 watch-duty, as you walk down a straight corridor
containing a "mirror" of a hundred-plus, lined-up, open bulkheads
hatches, you gaze well ahead, and can see, for a not-long-enough,
deja-vu instant, a suit-coated man, slightly hunched over, making his
way towards the same coffee machine as yourself.
It is a remarkable ship, that everyone should, and can, be proud of
right along with the men and women who keep us, and much of the world,
free and safe.
Here is a scan of the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy ship's seal from my flight
suit:
http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/CV67.jpg
Best Regards in Research. Honored to be yours in the pursuit of The
Truth,
Don
Don Roberdeau
U.S.S. John F. Kennedy, CV-67, "Big John," plank walker
Sooner, or later, The Truth emerges Clearly
http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/DP.jpg
http://members.aol.com/DRoberdeau/JFK/ROSEwillisANNOUNCEMENT.html
http://hometown.aol.com/DRoberdeau
T ogether
E veryone
A chieves
M ore
"We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first
revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend
and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of
Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard
and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to
witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this
nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today
at home and around the world.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall
pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend,
oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge--and more."
----President JOHN F. KENNEDY, during his Presidential inaugural
speech, 20JAN61