Match 05A TO @ Sea 'N Air Loss 2-16

Team Blue was gungho to sink the Navy team on Monday. All the pre-match omens were positive and in our favor. Our 6:00 departure from San Marcos allowed us to beat all the traffic going south and there were no lines to get on base, Jim Knight’s retired Navy credentials facilitated an easy entry to the high security Navy base. Lots of time on the range and putting greens. A beautiful sunny day at this fun course right on the sands of the Coronado Beach. Everything was going our way until we played golf and then it was Team Blue that got sent to Davey Jones locker. Thoroughly out gunned, The Navy team sunk the good ship SS Twin Oaks 16-2.

Enough about the golf. The 19th hole conversation began with the usual golf banter (all of Team Blue thinking "wait til we get you on our more difficult home course, we’ll show you!!!) and lunch afterwards. Then it turned into a book fair and sale! It turns out that Team B’s opponent Neal Kusumoto (a retired Navy captain) just released a book, Navy Dog, his true story of adopting/rescuing a dog and bringing in on board the frigate war ship which he captained. The dog, Seaman Jenna, “served” 5 years about the  USS Vandegrift. This was the first dog aboard a Navy Ship since WWll and the book recounts all the problems encountered but also all the joys and adventures Seaman Jenna shared with her crew. During lunch Neal just so happened to have a some copies of the book, which he sold  and signed for a few of us. I bought one and stared reading it last night. It should be a fun read.

Three members of team Blue(Pangle, Knight and Mulgrew) served in the US Navy and naturally having lunch on the Navy base with the opposing team all being retired Navy much of the talk turned out to be old sea stories. Unfortunately, for Jeff Boyer (who carpooled with Pangle, Knight and Mulgrew) the sea stories continued the entire drive back to San Marcos and poor Jeff had to listen to all of them. I know he wished he was someplace else or at least to have been able to take a nap in the back seat but the three of us old salts were too loud and boisterous telling tall tales that he had no choice but to suffer through them. I know next time he will definitely check the names on the car pool list before he signs up.

PS. We thought for a few moments that retired Master Chief James Knight who was having a blast being our escort and guide while on base was going to re-enlist for another tour! We were hoping he would and he would play for the Sea’N Air team and then it might be possible for us to win a couple points!!!

The golf results weren’t what we anticipated but it turned out to be a fun day. Can’t wait for the rematch…still have more tall tales to share!