No JFK tours for jax
I've gotten a dozen e-mails this week that read like this one from a Times-Union reader in Nassau County:
"Hi Jeff,
"I live in Amelia Island and have three children, ages 11, 12 and 15. I would love to take them on a tour of the USS Kennedy when it docks in Mayport and is decommissioned. If this is possible, please give me a call or email me at the number below."
Unfortunately, there won't be any public tours of the ship after it returns to Mayport. Lt. Walter Matthews, the USS John F. Kennedy's public affairs officer, said Navy brass had hoped to let the public aboard this coming weekend, but the two-day delay in getting out of Boston foiled those plans. And with the ship's March 23 decommissioning rapidly approaching, Matthews said, there's no time to work in the hoped-for "Jacksonville Appreciation Day."
Another set of e-mails has come from former Kennedy sailors, asking if they are invited to the March 23 ceremony. The answer to that question is yes, Matthews said.
If you're a Kennedy alumn, e-mail Matthews at pao@kennedy.navy.mil. Make sure to include your name, your rate and the dates you served on the Big John.
Jeff
"Hi Jeff,
"I live in Amelia Island and have three children, ages 11, 12 and 15. I would love to take them on a tour of the USS Kennedy when it docks in Mayport and is decommissioned. If this is possible, please give me a call or email me at the number below."
Unfortunately, there won't be any public tours of the ship after it returns to Mayport. Lt. Walter Matthews, the USS John F. Kennedy's public affairs officer, said Navy brass had hoped to let the public aboard this coming weekend, but the two-day delay in getting out of Boston foiled those plans. And with the ship's March 23 decommissioning rapidly approaching, Matthews said, there's no time to work in the hoped-for "Jacksonville Appreciation Day."
Another set of e-mails has come from former Kennedy sailors, asking if they are invited to the March 23 ceremony. The answer to that question is yes, Matthews said.
If you're a Kennedy alumn, e-mail Matthews at pao@kennedy.navy.mil. Make sure to include your name, your rate and the dates you served on the Big John.
Jeff
posted by Jeff at
9:32 PM
4 Comments:
Great job on keeping us updated, Jeff. Do you know if the public will be allowed onto the base to welcome the Kennedy into Mayport one last time? So many would like to give the sailors a great homecoming for the job they've done for us over the years.
Thanks! The public will not be allowed onto the base for JFK's return to port. Way too many security concerns there. To see the ship come in, go to Huguenot Memorial Park over on Heckscher Drive. It costs something like 50 cents per person to get in. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I didn't work on the JFK but I did feed the guys and gals who worked on it during the most recent rehab at Mayport. I ran the Corky's sandwich shop right beside the JFK. We were there for 9 months and almost 24 hours a day. This was one of the best Jobs I have ever had and the people I got to meet and feed were some of the best. I will be out at Heckscher drive on Saturday with my family.
What's the latest estimate of its arrival time/time coming by Hugenot? We want to make sure we are there with the children to wave the ship in. Thanks. Leigh
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