Good neighbors should never be taken for granted. So it’s appropriate that on today’s 10th anniversary of the dedication of Naval Station Everett, the city and Snohomish County are officially saluting the U.S. Navy and the many benefits it has brought.
When the idea of locating a base here started getting serious more than 20 years ago, some residents worried the Navy would bring with it tattoo parlors, seedy massage parlors and bar fights. Instead, the more than 6,000 military and civilian personnel and their families have instilled a greater sense of prestige in an area that seemed to turn a corner in the pride department when the Navy arrived.
Many of them have put down roots, blending smoothly and beneficially into our communities. They’re serving as social-service volunteers and youth sports coaches, as active members of school organizations and churches. They’re an integral part of who we are, and it’s hard now to imagine life without them.
It’s clear that Snohomish County and all its communities are as committed to the Navy now as they’ve ever been.
For proof, just think back to May, when tens of thousands turned out to welcome the USS Abraham Lincoln home from the war in Iraq. Family members packed the pier and grateful citizens lined the streets to express thanks for the crew’s courage and gratitude for their safe return.
As the Pentagon prepares for another round of military base closures next year, city and county efforts to keep Naval Station Everett off the closure list are well underway. It might seem to some that Everett has little to worry about, given the base’s strategic location, modern facilities, deep-water port and sailors’ own preference to be here. But officials are taking nothing for granted, and already have met with Pentagon officials to make the case that Snohomish County values the Navy’s presence here.
The idea that Everett could be a Navy homeport, cultivated two decades ago by Sen. Henry M. Jackson and Everett Mayor Bill Moore (recounted below by longtime Navy booster Pat McClain), has bloomed into a relationship of mutual admiration and respect.
That’s the stuff that makes for terrific neighbors.
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