Acknowledgements and Thank You

On Saturday, under predicted clear skies in Bremerton, WA, the Navy Band started at 1330. Navy League President Dave Thomas initiated the formal program at about 1358-9, requesting the guests to rise and directed the sounding of the bell ringing by Carol Meteney at precisely, 1400, which was followed by the bosun’s call, and presentation of the colors by Bremerton High School's Navy Jr. ROTC Unit and instructor Cdr. Douglas Cook. The Navy Band played the National Anthem once the colors were presented. The Helo flyover abreast of the Lone Sailor statue presented at about 1407, which corresponded thereabouts to the ending of the National Anthem.

We were excited to be a part of this incredible tribute ceremony. All those who came together at this moment in time created an indelible memory on the hearts of all who enjoyed your efforts. Thanks for participating, and for freely sharing your time and your talents. Together WE ROCKED!!!

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You couldn't miss the Lone Sailor ceremony, with its 250 spectators and Navy helicopter. But the statue's dedication was just one of many happenings on the Bremerton and Port Orchard waterfronts Saturday.

Tall ships in town for the Kitsap Harbor Festival provided a backdrop for the ceremony and boaters coasted past to watch the proceedings on the Bremerton marina breakwater. Activities spilled ashore, with car shows, food and craft vendors, a farmer's market, entertainment and glorious sunshine.

The festival, conceived by the Port of Bremerton to extend last year's successful Bremerton marina grand-opening event, continues through Monday.

The Navy League's Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council worked two years to raise money and plan for the 7-foot-tall Lone Sailor statue, which was installed in October. It is the 11th in the country, and honors the dedication and sacrifice of military personnel and veterans in the sea services.

There is no more appropriate place for it than Bremerton with its 100-year-long tie to the Navy, speakers said.

"It wasn't necessary to put the Lone Star statue on the pier," said Rear Adm. James Symonds, commander of Navy Region Northwest. "Nobody would've missed it. And it wasn't necessary for the people of Bremerton and the donors to make it happen. That shows they type of visionaries they are," he said.

"From all of the sailors whose feet came down from the brow and hit the pier looking just like that (statue), thank you," Symonds said.

The effort took two years compared to an average of five years at other sites.

"I've never seen the community more aroused on a project than this particular project," said U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, a Bremerton native. "It shows what the people of Bremerton and Kitsap County are all about, and I want to congratulate them for a job well done."

An H-60 search-and-rescue helicopter from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island neared the crowd, hovering just above Sinclair Inlet. It gave a tail waggle in salute to the statue, and swooped away.

People came by land and by sea to enjoy the festival. Burr and Francie Hope of Tacoma arrived aboard their 28-foot power boat Kokomo. They savored a bratwurst and shaved ice, sat in on the Lone Statue ceremony and wandered around the classic car show on Pacific Avenue.

"It was a nice event. The weather was certainly perfect for it," said Francie. "I'm glad we came over."

Fraiche Cup coffee shop owner Sindy Collins set up shop in a boardwalk booth.

"I love it. The boardwalk is great, and people being down here is a wonderful sight, she said. "It's great to see Bremerton has come back to life."

Jonathan Thomas, captain of the tall ship Lavengro, had been too busy giving tours to capture much of the festival, but was thrilled that the city was filled up.

"I think it's the best thing Bremerton could've done to get people over here to see what it has to offer and put it on the map again," he said.

In Port Orchard, activity centered on the farmer's market and classic yachts, including the Virginia V. Both will continue Sunday. And the Taste of Port Orchard will run from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Marc Mollan brought a pleasant vocal sound to walkers as they passed while looking at vendor booths Saturday at the Kitsap Harbor Festival. (JESSE BEALS | FOR THE KITSAP SUN)
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OUR VIEW | Good Things Are Happening in Kitsap

Question: Which of the things listed below doesn't fit with the others?

-- The Lone Sailor statue.

-- The Chipmunk Grill.

-- 2,000 worms at Gordon Elementary.

-- Silverdale's top-tasting tapwater.

-- Port Orchard's identity crisis.

Answer: Alone, none of them fits with each other. But together, all of them do.

Collectively, they represent a mosaic of positive energy and efforts that are making Kitsap County a better place.

Over the weekend, Bremerton's first-ever Harborfest drew hundreds (thousands?) of people to the downtown waterfront. The keynote was Saturday's dedication of the Lone Sailor statue, honoring the commitment and sacrifice of military personnel and veterans in our nation's sea services. In a sense, the statue also honors the dedication of local Navy League members and others who spent two years planning and raising money for the statue. Overall, Harborfest itself was a success — and a rousing welcome for the Lone Sailor to his new home.

Across Sinclair Inlet, Port Orchard has energetically launched into another identity crisis. Should the downtown area get a fresh-paint makeover for the expected hundreds of visitors coming to Cedar Cove Days this August. Or should it simply remain unchanged with "warts and all" in the words of Debbie Macomber, who changed Port Orchard into Cedar Cove for her best-selling series of novels? And if it is repainted, in what colors? All this is reminiscent of the years-long controversy about the "marquee" over downtown businesses. But this time, the mood is more enthusiastic; the default seems to be together-we'll-find-a-way-to-get-'er-done. And fresh paint or not, that attitude is a positive achievement in itself.

Tucked into Harrison Medical Center's Silverdale branch is the Chipmunk Grill. That sounds a lot better than "hospital cafeteria", and the food tastes a lot better, too. This is thanks to some inspired leadership, a competent staff and a French-trained food director who's a former executive chef. We commend them all.

Correspondingly, Silverdale not only has the best hospital food, but the best drinking water. In recent competitions, a sample from Silverdale Water District was judged the best-tasting water in the Washington-Oregon region. Now it's going to the nationals — the American Water Works Association's "Best of the Best" competition in San Diego next month. We drink (water, of course) to their success.

Finally, Gordon Elementary School in Kingston is well-started on what you might call a great circle of organic recycling. In a multi-faceted program, vegetable food waste from the cafeteria is recycled into rich compost (with some help from 2,000 worms) and then used in classrooms' raised-bed gardens, along with other soil, where vegetables are raised for kids' snacks. It's an ambitious undertaking, and a commendable one, thanks to donations from local businesses and numerous volunteer hours. The school will mark the garden's recent grand opening with a well-deserved celebration on Thursday.

Diverse as they are, each of these stories is strikingly exemplary of the fact that a lot of good, positive, interesting things are going on in Kitsap County. And even better, each is made possible by good, positive, interesting people who live here.

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From: Paul Haley @navymemorial.org Tuesday, May 26, 2009 10:57 AM
To: Ron Testa
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS

Good Morning, Ron:
Admiral Walker and I wish to extend our congratulations to you and all the Bremerton Lone Sailor Statue Committee and loyal Navy League members for their support of one of the most remarkable Lone Sailor Dedications in the history of our Satatue Outreach Program. Please forward this to all the players.
Ted and I will continue to stay in touch with many of your committee members regarding the variety of topics discussed over the weekend festivities.
All the best.
Paul T. Haley
Director of Planned Giving U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #123
Washington, D.C. 20004-2608

202-380-0760; Fax: 202-737-2308
1-800-821-8892, Ext. 760
E-mail: PaulHaley@navymemorial.org
www.navymemorial.org
OPEN EVERY DAY

Thank you, Paul, for the high words of praise. It was certainly a community effort. Many folks in the Puget Sound area joined together with our outstanding and hard-working Sailors to produce this wonderful event. I am elated. The hard work by all who were involved culminated in a stunning ceremony, which was previewed by a delightful reception. What more could we have asked for. We enjoyed “Chamber of Commerce” weather in an incredibly beautiful Northwest setting on the water – all to celebrate a fantastic edition of an inspiring piece of art. It was a most wonderful time!!
For those of you in receipt of this, please forward to all concerned, and offer my most sincere appreciation for their efforts.
Sincerely,
Ron Testa, National Director Emeritus
Navy League of the United States - Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council
Co-Chair, Lone Sailor Statue Memorial Project Committee

From: Char Burnette Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 11:57 AM
Subject: Lone Sailor Dedication

Copies of the finished program (on dvd) may be purchased for $33. Congratulations, I heard it was a great event.

FYI – ya done good! Pat Du Mont is a Navy League National VP and head of PR. She spearheaded Fort Lauderdale’s Lone Sailor project.

From: pfdumont [mailto:pfdumont@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 9:27 AM
Subject: from du mont/ mail arrived ----WOW!!!

Mail just arrived... your program is a WOW (as I knew it would be) !!! I am honored and flattered if my effort assisted you all in any way.

This outstanding effort needs to be highlighted at our upcoming INNOVATIONS EXPO at June Board of Directors Meeting, will you or some of your committee be attending upcoming June meeting?

In separate email I will sent you details on Innovations Expo, hope you all will want to encourage and enlighten other Navy League Councils. Let me know after you review... look for other email in a few minutes.

From: Paul Haley [mailto:PHaley@navymemorial.org] Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 6:21 PM
To: LoneSailor; PRESS RELEASE - Bremerton Lone Sailor Statue Memorial Dedication - May 23, 2009

The enthusiasm in Bremerton, WA for the upcoming Saturday, May 23, 2009 dedication of their Lone Sailor Memorial is contagious. I picked it up from the crew on the Ferry Service from Seattle that point it out as you pull into the harbor, the veterans aboard sporting their ship association hats down to the merchants around town from Starbucks to Virginia McBride at the Kitsap County Historical Society Museum.

Ron and Linda Testa transported me by boat from Seattle to Bremerton Harbor on Monday, May 11 so that I might experience the hospitality extended by the Lone Sailor to all those folks arriving at the Port of Bremerton Breakwater; the impact is outstanding. Ron and Linda were my hosts for a lunch at Anthony's overlooking the Bremerton Marina Breakwater where I met other members of the Bremerton-Olympic Navy League Council and Bremerton Lone Sailor Statue Project. I returned the next evening to participate in one of the final planning meetings of the LS Dedication Committee. The Committee has organized a fantastic Dedication Ceremony as you will see from the attached press release. Ron extended his appreciation for all the Navy Memorial board members and staff that have been involved in this project since the inception in 2007 particularly, our former Statue Outreach Coordinator Farrand O'Donoghue. They are proud to have Admiral Ted Walker represent the Navy Memorial at the Dedication Ceremony on May 23, 2009. As our Statue Outreach Coordinator I will join Ted with a few of our donors from the greater Seattle area as well as our former President and CEO Pierce Johnson. This dedication ceremony and the scheduled media coverage will certainly plant a few seeds for future statue placements across America, raise the level of awareness for the Navy Memorial and provide an excellent donor cultivation opportunity for Admiral Walker and I.

From: Lea Cook Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 10:47 AM
Subject: RE: PRESS RELEASE - Bremerton Lone Sailor Statue Memorial Dedication - May 23, 2009

I would like to send my sincere appreciation for using my photo of the Lone Sailor Statue in the Press Release and brochure for the dedication. The use of the video during the promotion process was very much appreciated as well, I am truly honored and humbled.

A great deal of work and dedication has gone into this project by all involved, and the culmination of events will be a moment to remember for the entire community.

Lea; Your contribution to our project was a unique skill that we deeply needed. It is hard for me to measure the significant positive impact you made in this effort. Each and every time I gave the LSS pitch, and I did it often, I could not help but to marvel and what you were able to provide us. Thank you very much!

From: Ron Testa Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 6:44 AM
Subject: Proposed cover page for program, Awesome job, Lea!!!