Straits of Gibraltar

The Marine Corps takes you to some wonderful places. One experience that will always stay in my mind is the many times I crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a Naval Ship. I crossed once in the USS Guadalcanal, once in the USS Saipan and several times by air. Being on the ocean on a ship especially when you are crossing from one continent to another is unbelievable. I can remember many days and nights standing on the flight deck and looking in all directions. As far as the eye could see was nothing but water. At night the stars light up the sky and it is a surreal feeling when you seen the moon across the water and hear the waves as they pound against the ship. The only sound other than the waves and the wind would be the sound of a Naval Vessel. The whistle blowing over the loud speaker, or the closing of a huge hatch. I loved staring over the ocean and remembering how powerful my God is. It was usually about two weeks to cross from the US to the Straits of Gibraltar. You know Gibraltar, it is the symbol for the insurance company with the slogan "Get a piece of the rock". After two week of being on the ocean you finally see Gibraltar as the ship passes through. It is a huge monumental rock that stands high above the ship as you pass through what seems like a right of passage into the Mediterranean. Many Marines have climbed Gibraltar, I never had the opportunity. There were times when we were crossing the ocean that a supply ship would pull up next to our vessel and using lines between the ships they would move supplies from the supply ship to us. The whole time supplies were being moved the ship steady on its course never slowing down. A few times I remember watching dolphins put their tail fins on the cutting edge of the ship next to us and allow it to push the dolphin through the water. After a bit of a push it would jump high in the air and let out a squeal. Those memories are great memories. Memories of stepping into a new world. Waters that people in Jesus time use to use to cross from Italy to Egypt. What an experience.