A Tribute to Boots on the Ground, Part I

It’s high time that I profile one of our more insightful commentors here at ComingAnarchy.com, Eddie Beaver. Eddie discovered this blog back in March and quickly became a regular commenter. In his early twenties, Eddie is currently serving on the USS Kitty Hawk and was based in Japan until recently.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Eddie when I arrived in Japan in March and we spent an all-nighter on colorful streets of Tokyo with several other friends. Here he is with his “get out of jail free card,” which exempts him from the curfew imposed on those less responsible.

One of the first things you realize when talking to Eddie is that this guy knows his stuff. US policy towards the Sudan? He can give you the policy positions of certain senators. At the same age most Junior College kids start thinking about taking a semester abroad, Eddie had already traveled to cities across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Some people are studying foreign affairs in classrooms, paying premium price for the experience of listening to professors preach how awful America foreign policy is. Eddie is living US foreign policy. And we share a special kinship as we’re both recovering liberals—“recovering” in the sense that while our liberal beliefs haven’t changed, but our disillusionment with liberal methods has turned us to the Right.

Currently somewhere in the South Pacific, Eddie’s internet access is limited and he cannot comment as regularly. His limited internet access has also caused him to (tentatively?) close his blog To New Frontiers. But it is great to hear from him in the comments section or via email when he does have internet access, and he sent some great pictures of life on the high seas a few weeks ago. I include some of them here, with his comments.

The aft galley, where the majority of the crew eats meals, often for the price of waiting in line for up to an hour or more.

A vertrep (vertical replenishment), one of the major methods ships this large are replenished with items like food, arms and equipment.

Night ops on the flight deck with some cool camera tricks.

Definitely too close for comfort for most of us. These guys help monitor the take-offs and landings of aircraft.

The ongoing good relations between Japan and the US are a mission necessity for our ship’s continued presence in Japan , so there’s always various Japanese VIPs onboard observing operations.

(Just to clarify, I fully respect individual privacy and only post the pictures of Eddie and the Kitty Hawk pictures with his permission.)

According to the Wikipedia entry on the carrier: “On July 3rd, 2005, Kitty Hawk docked at Sydney, Australia for shore leave.” Eddie’s recent comment suggest they have now departed. I hope all is well Eddie—we miss your comments and wish you all the best, wherever you currently are. Safe travels.