Guest Post

I'm happy to present to you yet another post from my ex-shipmate and author, Jay Yurth (Amazon.com).

 

 

The Navy...not just a job, it's where you meet famous people and can play the 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon game.

 

It was around 1987 and I was standing a four hour watch on the Officers brow while attached to the U.S.S. Ranger, an Aircraft Carrier ported at North Island in San Diego California.

The Officers brow watch was a decent watch if you were given a choice of watches (which you weren't), the time passed faster because you had to remember a few things and actually pay attention vice just standing somewhere for 4 hours bored to tears. For example, when a "dignitary" from another ship or command wanted to board your ship via the Officers brow, you had to identify him or her by sight or a name tag. You were given a folder of all the other ships Captains with a nice 8 x 10 photo, if they were in port or not, as well as the top dogs of all the commands on the base. You better know your own Captain by sight of suffer instant humiliation. The first time you stand this watch you are sweating bullets though when they tell you your responsibilities. Then you find out that the Captains travel with a "Yeoman" or assistant that walks in front of them and tells you, " This is the Captain of the USS Kitty Hawk", or whatever. No need to try to figure it out. Now with this knowledge of who they are, you must get on the walkie-talkie and call the Officer of the deck to seek authorization for this dignitary to board your ship. This puts the onus on his watch and transfers the responsibilities to him. Now he must decide if this person is to be "honored" by any number of "Bells" as he is boarding (Ok look, there were NO females in charge of ships when I was in, way back then)  once granted permission. So let's say a Captain of another ship warranted honors of 2 bells as he was walking up the gang plank, it was then announced over the 1MC (PA system) as, " Kitty Hawk arriving" followed by 2 sets of dings, (ding ding, ding ding is 2 bells- go figure) then he was meet with a "tour guide" which is another 4 hour watch dude. Now those watches were kinda cool. I knew a guy that walked around Leonard Nimoy (Spock) while he was scoping out the Ranger to film & direct the Star Trek movie where they went back to get the whales. (the real Enterprise Ship was out to sea so, they actually filmed those scenes on the USS Ranger, check the credits at the end). But I digress.

 One time, while standing there on watch, I noticed a long white limo drive up into the parking lot adjacent to my position. I saw an enlisted E-6 get out with as yellow folder in hand and he was followed by 5 long haired hippy looking dudes and they were walking right up to me. Now my first thought was that this enlisted guy had just reenlisted and was bringing a hoard of his buddies to the ship for a tour before they went out to drink and party. My second thought was that this enlisted guy had to go down to the other after brow because this was the Officers brow and he was prohibited from using it. I tried to muster my most authoritative voice as this guy reached into the yellow folder and started to remove a nice 8 x 10 photo. THEN I thought this must be a Yeoman for a dignitary, so I scanned the hairy guys. I quickly noticed that one of them look vaguely familiar, just couldn't put a name on him. The enlisted guy gets to me and hands me the photo and I look at it and he says, " This is Joe Walsh, from the Eagles". Yeah, that's where I saw him from, MTV!! (when they used to play videos of rock bands) So the guys asks if he can board the ship and take a tour. I get on the walkie-talkie and get permission from a very enthusiastic Officer. Then a funny thing happened. Joe (I call him that now) came right up to my face and shook my hand and asked if he had to salute me. I said no, but he stepped back and gave me a nice proper salute anyway. We all chuckled. I noticed right then and there that these guys were all pretty wasted and might actually be poking fun of me and my required upstanding-ness. Who cares, I thought, I just shook Joe's hand and I got a nice pre-signed black and white photo of him. Up the gang plank they went. Well, knowing that they would eventually come down again, I took the only piece of paper I had on me, which was a small McDonald's receipt from a meal I had there before the watch. When the entourage came back down, I ask my "buddy" Joe if he would sign the back of it. He gladly did and so and I taped it to the photo and framed it. It hangs with all my other musicians paraphernalia (very sparse) on a wall. Ok, it is in storage in Kansas City while I live in Hawaii, but it used to be on my wall. (see photo)

 The 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon thing. Here it is:

My first wife's older sisters' husband made cabinetry and was Joe Walsh's  and Jeff Lynn's (ELO & Traveling Wilburys) promoter, manager or buddy (he told me, but I forget which) around 1971-1972, when Joe was between the James Gang & the Eagles and Jeff was between The Move (only notable song: Do ya, do ya want my love. Redone by ELO) & ELO. My now ex brother-in-law, had made some floor standing speakers that were so big and powerful at the time, that Joe Walsh and Jeff Lynn used them to play through while doing concerts in and around the greater Philadelphia area. I got to buy them from my brother-in-law at the time, around 1981. He had found God, started a church and was selling all his rock stuff. I still have the speakers. They shall never leave my possession since I know that Joe played through them.

Joe shook my ex brother-in-laws hand as did I.

Joe Walsh is from Wichita, Kansas. Just 2 hours south of St. Joseph, Missouri, where I grew up, so we are both Midwesterners.

Joe knew Jeff Lynn who helped out and produced/collaborated on a number of George Harrison's albums and played with George in the Traveling Wilbury's.

Joe just jammed on stage in Feb. 2013 with Paul McCartney, who was in the Beatles, along with Bruce Springsteen & a guy from Virvana.

George Harrison was in the Beatles (my favorite band).

Ringo Starr played the drums for the Beatles and is married to Barbara Bach.

Joe Walsh married Barbara Bach's sister, Marjorie, which makes him Ringo Starr's brother-in-law.

I shook my EX brother-in-law's hand that shook Joe's hand, which has surely shaken Ringo's hand, which has shaken George and Paul's hand and so....

 

I am almost a Beatles groupie !!!!

Small world huh??