Hi everyone, it’s Kevin. Today is Thursday, May 27.
It’s been about a week since we’ve begun the transition back to what life was like before COVID – vaccinated people can now remove masks in most outdoor and indoor settings. Personally, seeing many of you without a mask for the first time in a long time, feels a little strange – in a good way – and has done a lot to lift my spirit. I sense the same from most of the people I have had the opportunity to interact with. As a reminder to those of you who have not been vaccinated, our clinics have supplies of vaccines for you and your family members. Simply call and make an appointment and please remember to report your vaccine.
We are heading into Memorial Day weekend, and I hope you will all be able to take some time to relax and enjoy the unofficial start of summer with family and friends. We’re in a much better position than we were at this time last year. I also hope you will take a moment to reflect on the debt we owe to our fellow Americans who lost their lives in the defense of the freedoms we all enjoy.
Memorial Day honors those who’ve given the last full measure of devotion to their fellow brothers and sisters and to our nation. Like hundreds of us at EB, I consider myself fortunate to have worn our nation’s cloth. I’m proud of my service in our Navy and I am just as proud to contribute my time, energy and talent today as a shipbuilder. In my view, along with anyone who wears an EB badge, we are all serving our nation in a role whose importance cannot be understated. We provide our sailors an advantage in the undersea domain, by designing, building and maintaining the most sophisticated machine ever built.
Shipbuilding is an important vocation, and one that only a tiny fraction of our society has the privilege of pursuing. There are 17,500 of us here at EB – and what we build ensures the safety and security of more than 350,000,000 Americans as well as countless millions of others around the world who our Navy helps to defend.
Over the past several weeks, we have hosted some of the Navy’s most senior officers – Vice Admiral Daryl Caudle, who just transitioned from the role of Commander Submarine Forces and Admiral William Houston, who succeeds him. The message from these leaders is clear – we face consistent threats from our adversaries. Both view EB-built submarines as critically important, and we owe them our very best.
As Memorial Day approaches, please take a moment to remember and appreciate those who were lost, helping to secure a stronger, safer country. And we should never forget, every time we walk through the gates here at EB, there are precious few of us entrusted with delivering the advantage that helps protect our sailors, our families and our freedom.
Enjoy the long weekend and we’ll talk again soon.
