Lee Montgomery: Earnhardt Jr., action hero, appreciates real-life role of sailors
By Lee Montgomery - Associate Editor
Saturday, May 03, 2008
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COMMENTARY
ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT – Dale Earnhardt Jr. has seen too many war movies.
What else could explain his remark about our COD possibly crashing into the Atlantic Ocean?
OK, so a little explanation is necessary. The U.S. Navy uses abbreviations for everything, and a COD is better known as an airplane to the rest of humanity. COD stands for Carrier Onboard Delivery. Yeah, like Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski are packages.
Anyway, before the flight out to CVN-71, as the carrier is designated, Navy personnel give us a safety briefing before we pile into the propeller plane. Mostly, it’s to prepare us for the arrested landing on the carrier, and when I say arrested, think of being shot out of a cannon.
The seats on the plane are backwards, so you are pinned back into your seat when the plane abruptly stops on the flight deck of the carrier. It’s a terrifying two or three seconds, especially for those without the benefit of a window. Heck, it was terrifying for those who had a window to see the flight deck, as I did.
As part of the safety briefing, the Navy guys told us what to do in case of an emergency. It was much like the safety briefing on a commercial airline, for I don’t think anyone was really paying attention.
Well, Earnhardt Jr. was. See, the plane missed one of the five arresting cables – we “boltered,” as the Navy calls it – and had to make another landing attempt.
But Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t worried.
“I figured it was something they had up their sleeve,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I wasn’t too worried about it. I was ready to go in the drink if we had to. I thought that’d be more exciting than the typical landing.”
Uh, huh.
“I wanted to be the one to pop the hatch and save us all,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “That would’ve been awesome.”
Dale Jr. the hero.
“Yeah. I was looking forward to that.”
Alas, we didn’t fly off the end of the deck and end up in the ocean. Still, Earnhardt Jr. did get to play hero, if on a smaller scale. As he and Keselowski were taken on a tour of various parts of the ship, sailors got a chance to shake his hand, get an autograph or take a picture.
For some, it was the thrill of a lifetime. Aviation Ordinanceman Third Class Tim Tuttle Jr. of Hampton, N.J., usually works a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift on the boat before getting his daily sleep. But on this day, Tuttle was standing in line outside the mess hall for a chance to get an autograph.
“I should’ve really been in bed awhile ago,” Tuttle said. “But Dale Jr. came, so I had to stay up, had to stay up.”
The long line wound down a corridor, and sailors started lining up around 11 a.m. for the 12:30 p.m. autograph session.
“I’ve never seen a line like this fill up this fast,” Tuttle said.
Tuttle then added that the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders made a visit to the ship recently, but even Earnhardt Jr.’s appearance was bigger.
For Earnhardt Jr., the trip was an honor – and humbling, he said.
“It’s such a good feeling, all these sailors to come up to you and shake your hand and tell you they appreciate what you do,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “You underestimate how much people support you and how many people watch what you do.”
Earnhardt Jr. clearly has a lot of support from a lot of people, but he doesn’t discount the support of many of the sailors in the Navy. He understands the sponsorship of the Navy – which backs his Nationwide Series car driven by Keselowski – is different than any other sponsor.
“This visit isn’t trivial,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I have a huge amount of respect for the commitment they’ve made to their job and what they’re going to be asked to do for the country and all the citizens. That doesn’t go without saying, even though everybody is perfectly aware of it.
“It is a lot clearer when you’re standing on the ship with them and you see how young they are. It’s impressive to see someone at 19 years of age who is so confident, so well-schooled and tutored. It makes you want to hire them all.”
Earnhardt Jr. laughs, though one wonders if he’s snagged e-mail addresses of some of the more impressive sailors.
Nah, he couldn’t have, could he?
Well, he was about to save us all from a sinking airplane, wasn’t he?
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Comments
2 responses to "Lee Montgomery: Earnhardt Jr., action hero, appreciates real-life role of sailors"
Larry Honeycutt said:
May 3, 2008 at 3:06 PMGood to see appreciation to those at "The Tip of the Spear". Bless our Brave Warriors that protect our rights to enjoy Nascar and the many things we all take for granted. We are truly The Land of the Free because of The Brave. FLY NAVY!
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» Confirm Abuse Reportemily bagwell said:
Jul 1, 2008 at 8:04 PMDITTO, LARRY. I LOVE THE GUYS IN UNIFORM AND I LOVE JUNIOR
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