Sailors welcomed after detour

In 1999 Midshipman Morgan Roberts sailed into Eastport aboard the U.S.S. Hawes. On July 3 Captain Roberts stood at the helm, commander of the U.S.S. Jason Dunham (DDG 109), as the 510-foot Navy destroyer tied up at the breakwater for a three‑day stay. When Roberts came ashore, he detected little change in the two decades since his first visit. "The pier obviously is newer, but the town has the same general feel, the atmosphere is the same," he says.
The commander and his crew were not prepared to celebrate the 4th of July in Eastport. The ship was on a northbound course to its homeport, Naval Station Norfolk, following a one‑month mission monitoring the activities of a Russian warship moving east through the Caribbean. Friends and family were waiting at home with excitement, and the sailors were looking forward to being home for holiday festivities when, on July 2, Roberts received "a new mission set to Eastport." Referring to his crew, Roberts notes, "They were disappointed not to spend the 4th with loved ones, but they were ready. It is what they are trained do."
Four days earlier, the Navy was forced, for operational reasons, to cancel the scheduled visit of the U.S.S. Stout. Captain Bob Peacock contacted Senator Susan Collins to ask if she could get a different Navy ship to Eastport for July 4th. At the same time, Peacock reached out to the Canadian Navy, but they were unable to send a ship to Eastport on such short notice.
Collins and her staff, however, were unrelenting in their quest to help Eastport. The senator contacted Navy Secretary Richard Spencer. All day June 30, from her camp north of Bangor, Collins made calls and sent e-mails. "I have at least 100 e-mails about this. And she was on the phone with me all day [June 30]," Peacock marvels.
At 1 p.m. July 1 Peacock got a message from Collins' Chief of Staff Carol Woodcock. The U.S.S. Jason Dunham was on the way and would arrive July 3. "The senator and her staff worked so hard. They were besides themselves trying to get it done, and they did it," Peacock exclaims.
While the Dunham sailed up the coast, Collins came overland to welcome the ship and participate in town festivities. "She took time to visit the ship and also took time with Border Patrol, Customs officers and the Coast Guard. It meant a lot to everyone," Peacock says. Judging from the cheers, shouts and waves she received while marching in Eastport's Grand Independence Day Parade, Collins' presence and efforts were important to civilians as well.
The Dunham crew and officers also were applauded during the parade. "Getting cheered for being here during the parade" was the highlight of Chief Petty Officer Mattox's Eastport visit. Sailors also participated in the Codfish Relay Race, the flag raising and the pancake breakfast. On the evening of July 4, members of Eastport's 4th of July Committee and other townspeople enjoyed a reception and the fireworks on the deck of the Dunham. The public was welcomed for ship tours July 4 and 5. Crew members say they are proud of their ship, eager to show it off and delighted when people appreciate their vessel and their work. "It rejuvenates the sailors to have people interested in what we do," explains Roberts.
Roberts and a number of his sailors commented on the "heartfelt reception" they received in Eastport. "I was so impressed that everyone was aware, got the word out, that the town knew," Roberts says. Seaman Kevin Tran echoes this sentiment. "The townspeople seem like they were briefed."
Tran, who is from Hayward, Calif., spent his off-duty hours in Eastport "getting to know the locals." He even tried out a couple of Eastport's night spots. His married fellow sailors laughed when the bachelor Tran reported about the people he met during those experiences. "Some were super young and some, well... were not so young."
Petty Officer Matthew McGuire from Memphis, Tenn., also set out to meet local people and learn about the town. He found Eastporters "more welcoming" than those in other ports where he has docked. Roberts attributes the warm reception, in part, to the large number of veterans living in Washington County. "People here understand why it is hard to be in the military," he says. "They know what it is like to be away from home."
According to some Dunham sailors, their families have the harder job. Those with young children find it difficult to explain why they have to be away. The Navy organizes family cruises to help children understand a sailor's day‑to‑day life and work environment.
Ensign Ken Murawski from Philadelphia, Pa., has been in the Navy 10 years and was on board for the ship's 2018 deployment to Europe and the Middle East. Although they were in dangerous waters, Murawski never was afraid. "The Navy is good at what we do," he says confidently. But he had a moment of panic as he stood on the deck when the opening of the fireworks display exploded in the water between the pier and the breakwater. "We were not expecting that," he smiles.
Murawski, who has been on the Dunham for one year, claims, "On this ship we work and train harder than on any other ship." The Dunham crew does appear to have a unique pride. Roberts suggests that the ship's background ties the crew together in an extraordinary way. The U.S.S. Jason Dunham was built at Bath Iron Works and commissioned in 2010. The ship's namesake, Marine Corps Colonel Jason Dunham, was 22 years old and serving in Iraq when he died in 2004 after throwing himself on a grenade to save two fellow soldiers. Jason's mother and father, Deb and Dan, regularly visit the sailors. One of the mess halls is named "Jason's Dugout."
While in Eastport, however, many sailors ate their meals in local restaurants. Lobster ranked as their favorite New England food. "I had two lobster rolls at the same time," bragged Petty Officer Hernandez of San Francisco, Calif.
The U.S.S. Dunham sailed out of Eastport on July 6 once again setting sail for Naval Station Norfolk.