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Chamber President Mike Stevens
Armed Forces Presence My presence last Friday on Delta Pier for the return of the carrier John C. Stennis after its experience with two wars and 7 months worth of deployment was an occasion I won't soon forget. It was an incredibly happy occasion, and I likened it to Mardi Gras without the beads and booze.
I was there representing the Kitsap Sun in its capacity as publisher of the Northwest Navigator. So, as neither an active duty fellow nor a family member thereof, I was more or less an observer, albeit a proud and emotionally moved one. Occurring to me as the ship edged ever closer to docking were the strength of its sailors and the sacrifices of respective families. Grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads, wives, children and other family members were at the end of 7 months of worry and separation. Reunions were underway. It also occurred to me that the aforementioned sacrifice had been made for me and my family, regardless of whether we knew or ever showed appreciation. In any case, my joy for those reunions was matched by a profound respect for the sailors who manned the rail for the benefit of all of us.
From the standpoint of economic impact, and as we approach May's Armed Forces Festival--a Bremerton-area Chamber of Commerce productio--I'll cite just a few numbers worth recalling. The number of local jobs that may be attributed to Navy spending totals over 17,000, mostly in education, health, recreation and professional services. Dollars obligated to the Navy's top ten contractors, such as Raytheon, Kiewit, EJB Facilities Services and Northrup Grumman, totals roughly $430 million. Total active duty personnel number over 10,000. Annual payroll of Navy active duty, civilian, reserves and military retiree personnel totals over $2 billion, as in $2 thousand-million.
Pick your reason to think highly of our local armed forces personnel. I'll pick "all of the above." Stay "Mad About Bremerton," good people.
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