USS Midway, San Diego

John in front of the USS Midway in San Diego

As I huffed out a large breath, wondering if my lungs would recuperate, I asked Laureen how many steps we had taken during our visit to the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.

“I think,” she replied in a gasp, “my watch says around sixty-five thousand, but that could be wrong since my eyes are tearing up and I can’t see clearly.”

That’s a lot of steps. I’m used to maybe two hundred per day unless I have to use the restroom more often, depending on the day of the week.

But here we were, visiting the USS Midway and traversing all around this wonderful aircraft carrier launched out of Newport News, Virginia, on March 3, 1945. It never served in WWII, but has seen plenty of action since it was officially commissioned in September of that same year.

Laureen and I love San Diego. Try to get there as often as we can, but one historical place we’ve never set foot on until a recent weekend was the USS Midway aircraft carrier, permanently docked at the Embarcadero waterfront at Navy Pier.

Why we hadn’t, in the past, taken a tour aboard this gorgeous water war machine, since it has been docked there for over twenty years, is a question we asked ourselves. Thus, the reason we had our walking shoes on and eyes watching the steps taken.

The ship is huge. Over one thousand feet long, 258 feet wide at its widest point, and as tall as a 20-story building. Wandering everywhere the tour allows is not for the weak of heart but is a must-see to truly marvel at the ingenuity and magnitude of what the United States Navy has to offer.

We walked the flight deck, studying the 30 aircraft meticulously taken care of over the vast four-acre area on the USS Midway. 

Just some of the helicopters for tourists to visit

There was the F-4 Phantom III, the A-9 Corsair II, the TBM Avenger, the UH-1 Huey helicopter, and so many more aircraft the visitor can wander and gaze at, including the one made terrifically famous in the Tom Cruise film, Top Gun, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.

A plane for any aircraft enthusiast

Just one of many planes on display

It was a somewhat warm but overcast day as we wandered about the USS Midway anchored in the San Diego Bay, but nothing could deter us from the excitement of visiting such a naval marvel as this ship is.

When active, the ship boasted a complement of nearly 4,700 personnel, broken up into the regular ship's company, the aircraft wing, and the smaller but lethal group of Marines assigned to the ship.

It was a floating city. And with a city comes extracurricular activities to make sure no one ever got bored while circumventing the Earth.

One of the best events was the steel beach picnics, where bbq’s were set up on deck, and the crew played sports, sang songs, listened to music, and enjoyed other activities. Movie nights, talent shows, driving golf balls off the deck into the ocean, and skeet shooting were done regularly to make sure being away from home for long deployments didn't feel that long or lonely.

The flight deck is 4 acres, plenty of room for activities

Plenty of room for crew and guests to wander the USS Midway

Although the ship entered service not long after WWII ended, it saw plenty of action during the Vietnam War and the Gulf Wars. Sortie after sortie, planes took off and landed along the lengthy runway on the ship, making sure that American interests were well handled no matter where on the globe the floating fighting ship was.

As a floating museum, the USS Midway is a must for any history enthusiast or just any person wanting to climb aboard a historic piece of American pride and truly respect the men and women who once sailed her.

Looking southwest toward Coronado Island

There are dozens of volunteer docents, most retired military, who are glad to stand with a visitor and answer any questions that may pop up. They know the answers because they love the history and splendor of this ship and what it represents.

One docent, Terry, told us, “I love coming here and meeting people from all over the world. They ask questions, and I do the best I can in answering every one of them. Of course, if there weren’t any tourists, I would still come here; it’s an honor to those who served aboard her.”

Terry then told us of a tour to the Castle, where all the goings-on of the ship are run from. “If you hurry, you will get the first tour, which isn’t crowded; later in the day it can be an hour wait.”

I learned about waiting from Disneyland. I hate waiting in lines, so off we ran over the flight deck and within minutes were climbing steep metal stairs up four decks to where the command post sits high above the ocean.

These are really straight-up ladders comprising 12 steps per floor, and by the time I had made it to number 48, I was tired and decided to sit in the Captain’s chair overlooking all the action down below on the flight deck.

View of the flight deck from the Castle

The sense of power which overtook me was sensational while sitting in the commander’s chair. I ordered Laureen to launch 4 Tomcats to ensure we had the proper dinner reservations at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, or else!

Laureen enjoying the power of running the ship

She only smiled as she listened to the docent explain every nuance of the command bridge. The view was outstanding as we all looked out the wide glass windows facing Coronado Island, perhaps wondering what it would have been like gazing across open ocean waters, wondering if an enemy was also peering your way.

After leaving the Castle, we headed into the belly of the aircraft carrier to the crew's quarters, the many dining halls, the kitchen, the laundry, the engine room, the infirmary, the arms lockers, and so much more that I forgot all I saw except the number of stairways and ladders that each of the nearly 20 floors required to manoeuvre up and around.

One of the officers' quarters aboard the USS Midway

In the dining hall, in honor of those who did not return

The hallways were narrow, the ladders steep, the bunks tiny, which shows that to be aboard the USS Midway was a guaranteed way to keep in shape.

No one was knocking back a dozen Crispy Cremes and then racing up and down between decks. Nope, instant heart attack, though maybe with a smile on a glazed face.

We spent four hours on the ship, and that was probably not enough. But with nearly a hundred thousand steps on my made-up watch, I was tired and thirsty.

Luckily, there was the Cafe 41, which served adult libations on the aft deck, which helped with my parched throat and tired feet.

John R Beyer enjoying Cafe 41

Why we had not visited the USS Midway in the past, we don’t know. But we will be back again to enjoy all the Navy has to offer aboard this wonderful fighting ship.

John can be contacted at: beyersbyways@gmail.com

For more information: 

https://www.midway.org/

Medal of Honor

His citation reads, in part, "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Major Bruce P. Crandall distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism as a Flight Commander in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)." 

The full text of citation tells the dispassionate details of a commander who completed 22 flights under relentless enemy fire to evacuate 70  wounded soldiers.

There is a distinction between the celebrations of Veterans Day and Memorial Day in this country. Veterans Day honors all military veterans and celebrates their service. Veterans day coincides with Armistice Day as we noted in a previous blog post (see Armistice Day by J and L). Memorial Day honors those who died while in military service. Those who payed the ultimate price. Because of men like Major Crandall, (later promoted to Colonel) we have fewer men and women to honor on Memorial Day -- and for that fact, we, their families and fellow countrymen, are eternally grateful.

Memorial Day began as Decoration Day after the Civil War when soldiers, Union and Confederate (albeit on different days), decorated the graves of their fallen comrades. During this same era, the Medal of Honor was established by an act of law by President Abraham Lincoln, calling for the awarding, in the name of Congress, of  a US Army Medal of Honor and US Navy Medal of Valor to soldiers who "most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action." Since its inception, the Medal has been conferred upon more than 3,400 men and one woman (Mary Edwards Walker), including the youngest recipient, Willie Johnston, who was 11 when he earned this distinction, and one president (Theodore Roosevelt for his service with the Rough Riders).


Though Memorial is just around the corner and we all owe a great deal to those brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice we can not help to mention those who have received the highest medal in the land.

As we spoke with Colonel Crandall,  what struck us was his great sense of humor and his humility. This man who saved dozens of fellow soldiers while taking an unbelievable amount of enemy fire thought little of it.

"It was my job," was all he stated simply. "Anyone in my position would have done the same."

We're not sure of that but we're glad, just as those families who received their loved ones back after the battle were glad that men like Colonel Crandall was there looking out for them.

These recipients - we made the mistake of saying they had won the MOH and were instantly corrected by Colonel Crandall who stated that he received it, not won it.

"No one in their right mind goes into battle to win a medal. We go into battle to protect our brothers and sisters in arms - I received this medal and cherish it in the memory of those who never made it home. It's not mine - I'm just the caretaker."

With the day over, we returned home in almost silence with thoughts of this man who shared a horrific time in his life with them and were humbled to have met such a hero. Of course, they wouldn't tell Colonel Crandall that - he would have laughed and said he wasn't a hero.

This we could argue.

On that day in November 1965, a young man flew into harm's way without a thought about his own safety. It was such a privotal and brutal battle, that his story was later made into a film starring Mel Gibson, entitled 'We Were Soldiers.'

The battle was so desperate a film was made

So, in this latest blog J and L swept up both Memorial Day and Veteran's Day - that's okay, In out pages all these self-sacrificing individuals don't get the attention they deserve by keeping the United States free.

Each branch has its own medal