Who I Would Nominate for a Navy Embark
I can’t believe it’s been nearly two years since I participated on an embark of the USS Nimitz during RIMPAC 2012. The sights, the sounds, the surprises, and the memories.
If I could, who would I nominate for an embark?
The Ambassador of VH07V
In the footsteps of the original Ambassadors of Aloha, Ed Sugimoto has to be a natural pick. So what if he wasn’t named Top40Under40 by the Pacific Business News, Ed’s an entrepreneur, cultivating and spreading his VH07V brand. I’m not saying Ed should be giving away free VH07V shirts during the embark (well, maybe stickers), just embody aloha while on this amazing tour. And no Ed, Oceanic Cable’s Oahu Wifi ain’t gonna work.
The Digital Artist
From past embarks, there have been countless pictures, movies, and words recounting experiences. But how about original artwork inspired by the magnitude of a Navy vessel? In short, I want to see what Valentino Valdez comes up with – illustrations, posters, shirts, sketches, or even toy mashups.
In Reel Life
Matt Spencer knows his movies. It’s that simple. He watches, critiques, and promotes films all the time and then some. When Matt’s not watching movies, I think he’s reading about them or planning his upcoming viewing schedule. What does movies have to do with a Navy embark? The U.S. Navy in the movies? Surely, you’ve seen a flick or two. From Matt’s point of view, I want to know how realistic the scenes are, which movie has the most accurate portrayal of Naval operations, what actor or character does the ship’s captain remind Matt of? How can Matt relate his experience in terms of films – that’s his reel challenge.
The Inspired
On the surface, Gary Nacapuy looks like a casual Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter denizen. Now go beneath the surface, and you’ll see a growing world of software development. Coding, developing, engineering is where Gary thrives. Combine his passion with the inspiration instilled from a Navy embark, and I’m excited to see what follows.
The Entertainer
Now why would a local celebrity, entertainer, and radio celebrity like Gregg Hammer go on a Navy embark? To broadcast his firsthand experiences with his audience. No, this isn’t a public relations ploy, as a car fix-it guy, Gregg will love visiting the engineering deck, listening to the crew talk in detail about hydraulic fluid, valves, radiators, and arresting cables that catch landing aircraft. Don’t you want to hear Gregg’s tales and adventures during your morning drive in traffic?
My Brother-in-Law
He asked to go after hearing my stories. 🙂
Bonus: The Rainbow Warriors
As far as Navy exercises go, the Rim of the Pacific aka RIMPAC is as international as it gets. Similar is the international makeup of the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team. Of course, this will never happen since I’m sure there’s some NCAA infraction or regulation standing in the way, but it’s fun to dream. Imagine seven-footer Davis Rozitis cramped for a COD launch. Can Isaac Fotu get his hair into a safety helmet? Heck, imagine any of the Rainbow Warriors walking the onboard passageways ducking through every hatch. Although it would be cool if the team had a shoot around with service members inside the hangar. Just make sure the ball stays inbounds, the Pacific Ocean is very unforgiving to errant passes.
And there’s my list of fictional nominees. Of course, this list has no significance, but as I’m grateful that my embark was the result of others’ nominations, I have a duty to pay it forward.
