Today is Homefront Heroes Day
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Today is Homefront Heroes Day and The Herald staff want to thank the members of the armed forces and their families for the sacrifices they have made, particularly those at Naval Station Everett. To honor the occasion and the partnership between the city and the Navy, we’re taking a trip down memory lane to the night of the commemoration of the base on April 7th, 1994.
CITY CELEBRATION GREETS NAVY
Originally published for The Herald on April 8th, 1994
By Jim Haley and Linda Bryant
Pure and simple, with some good food, music and laughter thrown in, that was the message the city of Everett sent to the U.S. Navy Thursday evening.
The event was billed as a civic celebration on the eve of the dedication of Naval Station Everett.
“We welcome the Navy with open arms,” Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel said.
That was the sentiment that flowed among the 1,000 or more guests who showed up for the invitation-only reception in a 60- by 80-foot tent pitched in the Marina Village parking lot, just north of the new base on the Everett waterfront.
It was a time for admirals from around the country and junior officers from the visiting frigate USS George Philip to mix with men and women who have supported the Navy’s quest for a home port in Everett for more than a decade.
Anthony’s Homeport restaurant brought in 1,200 fresh oysters and prepared 2,000 halibut baguette hors d’oeuvres for this reception. Pat Donohue, regional kitchen manager, estimated they would have to serve 60 hors d’oeuvres every four minutes to accommodate the guests during the two-hour reception.
There was a Navy band, a string quartet, Dixieland music, cruises around the naval station and more.
The U.S. Marine Corps silent drill team from the submarine base at Bangor was not scheduled to begin performing this year until June. Jeanie Kitchens, Naval Station Everett spokeswoman, did some fast and persuasive talking to get them to Everett for the civic celebration.
Murray Moen of Lake Stevens, of the Carrier Nimitz Division of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, had 15 young men and women cadets working in parking areas and down at the docks.
Drewel told the crowd to yell and clap to let out the “excitement” he said he felt throughout the tent, and to show “what a wonderful evening this has been. Get it out of your system.”
Everett Mayor Ed Hansen said the celebration was a historic event and the city and Navy now were “joining hands and forging a joint partnership.”
He predicted the marriage would be good for both the city and the military, and the future challenges of providing housing, education and other necessities to the incoming sailors would be met.
The Everett Area Chamber of Commerce and the Everett chapter of the U.S. Navy League also sent their welcomes.
