This is the second in a series of posts by EOT co-founder Scott Gulbransen about his recent trip aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) underway off the coast of Southern California. Gulbransen spent time with the ship as it prepares to deploy to the Persian Gulf later this year.
Master Command Chief Hayden Jones
As a father, one of the hardest things to do is leave your kids when you take off on a business trip. Sure, you keep busy with work and appointments but your wife and kids are always on your mind. The distance seems to make you feel a longing to be by their side. That link between an father and child is strong and when you have to leave, it’s never easy.
For the men of the USS Abraham Lincoln, a business trip away from their kids lasts at least six months. Add in a multitude of other trips as the ship prepares to deploy, and you can understand just how deep the sacrifice the father’s of the USS Lincoln must make. It’s their job and their job is protecting the time the rest of us get to spend with our kids at home.
Once I was on board the ship, one of the first items of business was to understand how it is these brave and hard-working men deal with the separation from their families. It’s a way of life, yes, but not easy. No matter how salty the sailor, time away from the ones you love the most is never easy.
“It never gets easier but you keep yourself very busy and that really helps,” said Hayden Jones, Command Master Chief.
Jones, who is assigned to the VFA-151 air wing, talked to me about his family in Alabama and how he deals with the separation. Jones, an a 18-year veteran, says the Navy does an amazing job of making it easier for those on board to keep in touch at home. That includes the organized Navy Fleet and Support Center.
“They’re never that far away now with email and even the phone,” Jones said. “They have these trunk lines now and if we can, we can call more regularly if we’re not in a blackout. That’s much different than it used to be. It used to be you’d only be able to communicate by physical letter.”
Jones and other sailors can call home around once a week if they like. Not all do because of busy schedules and too much attachment to home can also make the separation more difficult. But for Jones, a proud father, being able to reach out is comforting.
The Navy has come a long way in trying to bridge the distance for parents forward deployed. It’s a point that Rear Admiral Mark D. Guadagnini says makes a big difference today vs. when he joined the Navy back in the early 1980s.
“The Navy has really made it a priority to put families first,” Guadagnini said. “It’s a major departure from how things used to be. The Navy recognizes what ever it can do to support the men and women deployed and their family, will help them do their jobs to the best of their ability. Helping aleviate any worries about what’s happening at home is a priority.”
Guadagnini went on to talk about the services for families at home and sailors aboard the Lincoln. That support leads to a much better working environment for sailors like Jones.
“Yeah, it’s nice to know we can keep in touch and that my family has what it needs,” Command Master Chief Jones said. “Then again, I try to stay out of the way. After this long, my wife has it dialed in.”
In talking to other fathers aboard the Lincoln, they all were quick to mention the lengths the Navy goes to help manage deployments. Still, being away from your kids is never easy.
“Yes, the men here are fathers and they’re sacrificing time with their families to serve this great nation,” Guadagnini said. “But they’re setting an amazing example for their children and one day that child will grow up and be proud of how well their father served this great nation.”
Indeed.
The fathers aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln make great sacrifices to serve in the United States Navy. It’s a sacrifice most of us have never undertaken nor will. It’s something that, frankly, is staggering when you put yourselves in their shoes.
I know now when I take a business trip and am away from my family for a few days, I don’t complain. I think back to Command Master Chief Hayden Jones and his sacrifice. I think back to our breakfast together each time I sit down with my kids and enjoy the start of each day with them. I am in awe of that sacrifice and my thoughts are always offshore thinking of all the fathers aboard CVN-72.
Not only do those fathers on the USS Lincoln make me proud to be an American. Those men also make me proud to be a Dad.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sdgully or email him at scott@everyotherthursday.com. His personal blog, where he writes about public relations and social media, is www.scottgulbransen.com. Scott also contributes the the Shamable Blog and is the Sr. Director of Global Public Relations for Sony Online Entertainment.
I completely agree, we parents that have gone on deployments have had to sacrifice precious moments that we can not get back. But we know what we were doing and getting into when we signed up. It is just one of our many sacrifices we make for our children.
it's true.. it's hard on the sailor no matter how 'salty' they are… this year..father's day is the only day my husband is scheduled to be home and he's got a 1 in 3 chance of having duty that day. for military families which ever day the loved one is home..that's a holiday.
i'm so blessed for the support of the chaplins to the sailors and for all the families who are strong enough to reach out during their seperations. it's so important to be plugged in to family and faith while apart.
Thank you for recognizing the hard work our husbands and fathers do onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and all across the military world. It's never easy, you're right about that. All we can is wait the time out and hope they come home safe and sound.
Whoa Dad! your famous! miss ya pops! thanks for everything!
hello Husband so proud of you,take care out there we miss you so much come home soon. love you