Tonight was dinner with the Commodore. His wife, Deidre, used to work for a kosher firm in Norfolk, Virginia. We spent a lot of time on the phone talking about what we could or could not eat. Dinner was fabulous! Grilled tuna, pasta salad, homemade rolls with butter, and grilled pineapple. Commander Kreuger and his wife, Susan, were there. It was a great time. Over dessert Commordore Dohse and Commander Kreuger told wonderful stories about Admiral Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy. The stories reminded me of all the wonderful apocrypha I've heard about Rabbi Lieberman. We laughed for over an hour. The love and respect from which they spoke was clear and an inspiration. (I think we broke some boundaries. When Deedee got up to get dessert, Susan and Sean joined her in the kitchen while I sat at the table talking sports with the guys.)
Sean's assignment to SUBRON was an accident. The chapel spot was supposed to be kept open, but the detailer filled it with a priest when no rabbi was available. The SUBRON spot was a way to get a rabbi here to cover. Now it seems all eyes are upon us watching to see if we become a true part on the squadron with Sean's chapel duties, and watching how the chapel handles a rabbi in a job like subron. It's never been done before. Begun as an accident; continued as an experiment.
