EVERETT – For Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Dwight Scorza, a one-day stopover in Everett meant more than the double cheeseburger, hot dog and three pieces of barbecued chicken he’d carefully balanced on a paper plate.
It meant more than slipping on a pair of oversized, inflated boxing gloves and smacking around a shipmate inside an inflatable boxing ring.
And more than the hearty guffaws from watching a friend be tossed face-first from a mechanical bull.
Scorza was one of several thousand sailors who got to go ashore from one of the six ships that pulled into Everett on Wednesday. The vessels – which included an amphibious assault ship, two guided-missile cruisers and an amphibious transport dock – leave Everett today for the parade of ships at Seattle’s Seafair celebration.
Scorza scored when his ship, the USS Duluth, pulled into Everett. A six-year Navy veteran, the sailor has a goal of visiting all 50 states. Coming here on the Duluth, an amphibious transport dock, means he’s now been to 22 states.
“I’m almost halfway there,” Scorza said.
Officials at Naval Station Everett made Scorza and his shipmates feel welcome.
They hosted a picnic for the sailors on a grassy field at the Navy base and brought in not only the mechanical bull and the “bouncy boxing” ring, but also a rock-climbing wall and other carnival-style sports games. A local band cranked out Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin standards as some sailors made a beeline to a beer tent while others headed for the chow line.
Like hundreds of other sailors who’d gotten “Cinderella liberty” – the chance to leave their ships and visit town, but with a midnight curfew – Scorza, a native of Compton, Calif., said he was glad Naval Station Everett was a such a good host.
“You can’t pass up free food and a place to kick it,” he said.
Petty Officer 1st Class David Rhoades, a culinary specialist stationed at Naval Station Everett, said his crew prepared enough food for about 600 people. That included 450 portions of chicken, 400 burgers, 400 hot dogs, 60 pounds of pasta salad and 120 pounds of potato salad.
“It’s no big deal. Being in the military, we’re used to feeding a lot of people,” Rhoades said.
Big plates of food didn’t seem to slow down any sailors.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Aaron Diaz from the Duluth pulled on a padded “sumo suit” so he could bump bogus bellies with a shipmate. After three takedowns – including one tackle that knocked his opponent off the wrestling mat – Diaz huffed under the weight of the suit and celebrated his sumo skills. Grass clippings clung to his helmet, modeled to look like a sumo wrestler’s mop of black hair.
“I showed him who was the boss!” Diaz said.
Likewise, Washington knocked him out.
“I’ve never seen that many trees before,” he said.
Not every sailor was making a first visit here.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Al Ancheta, a sailor from the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, recalled his first trip to Seattle three years ago.
“It was great. The first impression I got was the fish, at the (Pike Place) market,” he said.
This time, Ancheta had shore patrol duty. His visit was spent looking after his fellow sailors on liberty and getting them back to their ships safely.
As the picnic continued, visiting sailors set their sights on Everett after they’d packed away ample portions of picnic fixin’s. Some talked about hitting nearby casinos, others the mall.
An intermittent stream of sailors flowed along W. Marine View Drive from the Navy base, some shuffling to music on headphones while others chatted on cellphones. Many walked at a brisk, “I’ve-got-places-to-go” speed.
Though brief, sailors said they were enjoying their short stay in Everett.
“I think it’s a great interlude before you go to Seattle,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Howard Chase, a boatswain’s mate on the Duluth who hails from Columbus, Ohio.
Chase said he was enjoying the “rural” flavor of Everett, but added he was hoping for something else when his ship pulls into Seattle.
“We’ll be more into the city life, the clubs,” he said.
Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.
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