WASHINGTON -- A one of-a-kind ceremony honoring Naval officers who served in World War II and the largest gathering of U.S. Secretaries of the Navy served as a fitting tribute to Naval officer and former President George H.W. Bush.
The event was held in this National Museum of the United States Navy Tuesday evening.
History was taken off the shelves and celebrated: From the President to the passionate sailors who also served, like 93-year-old Joseph Konyndyk.
“He was a hero,” he said, referencing Bush. "But I’m not really. I did what my duties were and nothing really special.”
91-year-old Gilbert Nadeau, who at 5-feet-tall, almost didn’t serve because he didn’t make the Navy’s height requirement at the time.
“In the Navy, they called me 'shorty.' I don’t know why,” he said. “I told them this is World War. I want to be in like everybody else.”
The Navy made 130 specialized small, but mighty war ships. They were raising money to preserve that piece of history. “The Landing Craft Support Ships were an integral part, especially in the Pacific, of our history,” said U.S. Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer.
“After 3 weeks aboard ship, I was 17 then but I was no longer 17,” explained Nadeau. “I was a man because to learn quickly what you had to learn to save our buddies and ourselves. We became men.”
Whether on sea or in air, like President Bush, it’s that determination, that sacrifice that turned teenagers into men and men into leaders.
"I think it actually set the arrow for his service in the way he [Bush] was an amazing leader in business but most importantly the dedication he had to public service was stunning,” said Secretary Spencer. "An unbroken chain of service.”
