After an absence of three years because of the pandemic, the U.S. Navy returned in full force to celebrate the Fourth of July in Eastport, a long tradition that dates back to at least 1860. The crew of the USS Oscar Austin spent six days in the island city, participating in many of the Fourth events.
      The ship's captain, Commander Bryan Wolfe, comments, "The town was super welcoming to us. They really enjoyed having us here. The Fourth parade was pretty incredible, with townsfolk clapping and very energetic and appreciative of our service." He notes that in the past 20 years in the Navy he has never felt that level of appreciation. "It was a special moment."
      Approximately 205 sailors marched in the parade, just shy of the record of 218. However, Commander Scott Burrill, the ship's executive officer, notes that during the parade they left some sailors to serve as tour guides on the ship so that the tours could continue. Otherwise, they might have beaten the parade record. They did, though, beat the tour record, with about 2,770 people going aboard while the ship was at the breakwater. The previous record was 2,500.
      The sailors eagerly took part in a number of the Fourth events. Cmdr. Wolfe, his son Corbyn, Cmdr. Burrill and Command Master Chief Angela Quackenbush -- who they note "is not a fan of slimy fish" -- competed in the codfish relay. Cmdr. Burrill, Damage Control Chief Muller and DC2 Nieto won the firemen's muster, competing against the Eastport firefighters. However, the ship's team was defeated by the Shead alumni team in the basketball game, losing by seven points. "It was a lot of fun, but it wasn't a blow-out," notes Cmdr. Burrill. Also, a midshipman who is a cross-country runner at the U.S. Naval Academy won the 7-mile road race. And Wolfe, his son, Burrill and Quackenbush competed in the capture the flag contest, with Corbyn being the first to get the flag.
      During the city's reception for the ship's crew at the Eastport Welcome Center, 94-year-old WWII veteran Henry Lapa, who had served on the USS Helena, was honored with a piping ceremony using a bosun's whistle, which is carried out when a sailor departs a ship, retiring from active duty. They note there was a good turnout for the reception, where they met the city manager and the co-chairs of the Fourth of July Committee, Whitney Vinson and Sonya Sullivan.
      The captain and executive officer also met with U.S. Senator Susan Collins, with Cmdr. Wolfe noting, "She was gracious to let my son walk her dog. He loves dogs."
      The ship's captain comments that the weather was better than they expected. The fog was dense when the ship came into port, but he notes that the pilot, Captain Bob Peacock, and the tugboats "made sure we got in safely and professionally."

A courageous Marine
      The ship is named after Medal of Honor recipient Oscar Austin, a U.S. Marine who was killed during the Vietnam War, and Jon McNerney of Eastport had served with Austin during the war. McNerney was platoon commander of the 2nd Platoon, Echo Company, which was with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, and Austin, who was in the Weapons Platoon, was attached to the Echo Company 2nd Platoon machine gun team, just after McNerney arrived in Vietnam in late December 1968. The platoon was manning an observation post on a hilltop west of Da Nang, and McNerney remembers, "He was a good Marine. He did everything he was supposed to do." In February, McNerney's platoon was replaced on the hilltop, and less than two weeks later the observation post was hit by a fierce ground attack by a large North Vietnamese Army force. According the citation for the Medal of Honor, Austin observed one of his wounded companions had fallen unconscious, and he left the security of his fighting hole to assist the Marine. He then saw a grenade land nearby and leaped between the injured man and the grenade, absorbing its blast. Ignoring his injuries, Austin then saw an NVA soldier aiming his weapon at the unconscious Marine. "With full knowledge of the probable consequences and thinking only to protect the Marine, Pfc. Austin resolutely threw himself between the casualty and the hostile soldier, and in so doing, was mortally wounded." McNerney notes, "He was a brave guy."
      After the ship's officers heard about McNerney's story, he was given a private tour of the ship, being piped aboard, having his photo taken and being presented with an admiral's hat with the ship's name. McNerney says he was very impressed with the sailors on the ship, noting they were all friendly and professional. "The quality of the people was A #1," he says. "I departed the USS Oscar Austin humbled, privileged and honored to have had the opportunity to visit with a super command and sailors, with a deep respect as to why they are evaluated as the #1 destroyer in the fleet. They are rightfully proud of their ship. My thanks to the USS Austin -- you honor PFC Austin well."

Tiger cruise for families
Before the ship left on July 6, about 33 guests arrived the day before to take part in a Tiger cruise for the three-day trip back to Norfolk, Va. The guests are either friends or non-spousal family members of the sailors. Cmdr. Wolfe notes that the Tiger cruises are usually offered about once during a captain's command tour. He comments, "There's a lot of excitement. We spend a lot of time away from home, and this gives them a chance to see what we do on a daily basis. It's an awesome opportunity." Both Wolfe's son Corbyn and Burrill's son Sean took part in the cruise.
      Cmdr. Burrill extends the thanks of the ship's crew to everybody who helped in getting the ship to Eastport, including Captain Peacock, the Fourth committee co-chairs, Chris Gardner of the Eastport Port Authority, the security details and the U.S. Coast Guard. Cmdr. Wolfe notes, "There was a lot of effort and planning into getting us up here, and it went seamlessly." Burrill adds that the security setup with metal detectors worked well, too.
      Of the celebration in Eastport, Cmdr. Wolfe comments, "It's amazing how many people you can fit in for the Fourth for a quiet fishing town. The town does the Fourth the best of any town I've seen. That's really impressive. It's a well-run family event." He adds, "The sailors enjoyed being here as much as hopefully the town enjoyed having us."
      Two weeks before the ship headed up to Eastport from Norfolk she had just sailed back from being off Norway, Scotland and Spain. After returning to Norfolk from Eastport, she will spend a month there for maintenance work, before taking part in anti-submarine operations in the Atlantic and the Arctic oceans.
      Of their time spent in port in the easternmost city in the U.S., Cmdr. Wolfe concludes, "Thank you to everyone who was so supportive and so welcoming and made our time here feel special."