In 2019, Myles and I attended the 42nd Anniversary of the commissioning of the Navy ship the USS Peterson DD-969 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
In 1975, The USS Peterson was named in honor of the late Lieutenant Commander Carl Jerrold Peterson who had a remarkable Naval career from 1958 – 1969. She was commissioned on July 9, 1977.
The USS Peterson was the seventh Spruance class destroyer and the third to join the Atlantic fleet. The Peterson was homeported in Norfolk, Virginia and assigned to Destroyer Squadron Two Eight.
My husband, Myles joined the crew of the USS Peterson in October 1979 while she was on a seven-month tour in the Mediterranean. The Commanding Officer was Captain Stephen Chadwick, now Rear Admiral Chadwick. That tour ended in December the same year after sailing to Sardinia, Sigonella, Cicali, Naples, Tulane, France, Mallorca, and Rhoda, Spain.
In September 1980, “Proud Pete”, the ship’s nickname, was underway again. This time she was heading to the Persian Gulf for the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Another seven-month tour of which 166 days straight was spent patrolling the Persian Gulf without seeing land. The USS Peterson returned home in March 1981.
Captain Grunwald stepped in as Commanding Officer of the USS Peterson during the summer of 1981 when Captain Chadwick moved on to command The Fleet & Mine Warfare Training Center in Charleston.
The USS Peterson set sail again for her third, seven-month tour in December 1981. Returning to the Middle East and preparing for the Persian Gulf Theater (a theater is the area of a military operation), the crew waited for the release of the 52 hostages that had been seized from the US Embassy in Tehran during the Iranian Crisis.
From 1982 until 2002, “Proud Pete” deployed on twelve additional tours throughout the world earning several awards and commendations.
This anniversary celebration was the second celebration Myles and I attended; the first was in 2017 for the 40th Anniversary. This year, more of the sailor’s that Myles served with attended the reunion. I always get nervous when meeting new people, but Myles’ shipmates accepted me as if we’ve known each other for years.
I love listening to their stories, about the places they’ve been, the things they’ve done, and the people they’ve met over the years. They talked about who they’ve kept in touch with and who have passed on. Talking about what they’ve accomplished in life since leaving the USS Peterson.
I never considered myself to be a Navy wife because Myles and I were married only three years when he decided to leave Navy life. He was never deployed during those three years. I never had to watch him leave on a ship and not return for months. I never had to go days or weeks without talking to him because there were no cell phones back then. I never had to explain to our children that their Dad would be away from home for a long time, or in some family’s situation, that he wouldn’t be coming home at all.
Even though Myles traveled for work a lot after he got out of the Navy, we could talk every day. He wasn’t on a ship in the middle of some ocean without any type of communication device.
This reunion made me realize how lucky I was. That I didn’t have to live that life, wondering what he was doing, how he was doing, or where he was. Was he safe? Every night I knew because he would call from wherever in the world he was. The kids were kept at ease also because they would talk to him now and then also.
One of the activities during this reunion was a tour of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, The USS Harry S. Truman (post of this tour coming soon). The Truman had just returned from six months at sea and was only home for the next two weeks. I had never been on a Navy ship before, so I was super excited about this tour.
Back to the reunion. Group photos were taken of each crew that served on the USS Peterson. The ’70’s, ’80, ’90’s, and 2000’s. These men stood next to their shipmates with pride. Happy to be together again.
During our time talking with others at the reunion, I found myself very interested as a woman told me about how her husband, Chief Raymond Snow, was with LCDR Carl Peterson during the attack that took Peterson’s life. Chief Snow was scheduled to speak at the reunion dinner that night. I was very excited to hear his story.
Rear Admiral Chadwick spoke of his time while serving on the USS Peterson as the Commanding Officer and how his family became a big part of her career. He mentioned how close every member of each crew was. How each of the Petersons crews was like no other he had commanded.
RADM Chadwick’s son Robb, who has followed in his father’s footsteps for the past 32 years, and is now Admiral Select of the US Navy, spoke of his life and career as it involved the “Proud Pete”. Thinking to myself, I thought, “how proud RADM Chadwick must be of his son, and how proud Admiral Select Robb Chadwick must be of his Father.” This was a true Military Family.
Listening to another guest speaker, Vicki Smith, a woman who lived this life. Whose husband, Dr. Ed Smith, who served on the Pete from 1985 – 1990, was on the ship more than at home with his family. It hit me square in the face how different our life would have been if Myles continued his Navy career. Don’t get me wrong, I would have been proud to be a Navy wife, a Navy family, and I would have supported Myles. But listening to this woman tell her story, share her experiences and memories was fascinating. I felt every emotion she prevailed. This must have been both difficult and rewarding for her.
The next speaker was Chief Raymond Snow. I found myself mesmerized as Chief Snow spoke. His story started with a description of his duties in the Navy and continued with the occurrences of one particular day. He volunteered on his day off to help Lieutenant Commander Peterson on the Patrol River Boat Squadron 57 as they patrolled the Vàm Cỏ Đông River in Vietnam. En route to Peterson’s command center in USS Harnett County, they found themselves under attack. Chief Snow was standing next to LCDR Peterson when Peterson was thrown overboard by an RPG rocket. He was found three days later downriver.
The sacrifices our military members make and the unimaginable things they see while serving our country is beyond anything I can imagine. I truly appreciate all those that have served and are serving in the United States Military.
A third guest speaker spoke of his memories of serving on the USS Peterson, of his shipmates that are no longer with us, of the camaraderie amongst his shipmates. It was a very moving speech, and at the end of the speech, you could have heard a pin drop when we heard the sound of fighter jets flying overhead in memory of everything he spoke of. There were tears in the eyes of other shipmates and their wives as they heard the jets. Even though this was a recording, and it took a moment for some to realize this, it gave me chills and for a moment, I was a little jealous that I did not have these experiences with them. I did not get a chance to form lifelong friendships with any of the wives.
I did, however, meet a few new people, and immediately felt that I was part of the “group”. These people, the wives, and shipmates accept newcomers without a second thought. I am very excited to stay in touch and build my own special bond with all of them.
The USS Peterson was decommissioned on October 4, 2002, and spent two years at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, PA. On February 16, 2004, the Peterson was sunk as a target as part of the DD 21 Program Weapons Effects Test and sits 7000 feet under the ocean.
This video shows the discovery of the USS Peterson.
The 42nd Anniversary of the Commissioning of the USS Peterson was coordinated by Ensign Tuan Anh Nguyen, who served on “Proud Pete” from 1988 – 1990. He did an amazing job bringing us all together and I look forward to the next reunion.
As I grow older in age, I find myself getting more emotional during times like this. Especially time spent with my family. I think sometimes Myles, my kids, and their spouses try to get me to cry with special gifts during the holidays and special occasions. Little do they know it is getting harder to fight back the tears!
Do you get emotional during special moments? Comment below to let me know.