A group of representatives from Oyster Bay flew out to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Saturday, May 10 and returned Monday, May 12. They were there to meet with the officers and crew to begin the process of discussing possible exhibition ideas that might be used to showcase the mission of the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier battle group, known as the Navy's "Big Stick," in the proposed Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Museum and Research Center.

The Theodore Roosevelt Association organized and sponsored their visit. They were "tail-hooked" aboard the carrier while it was operating in the Atlantic Ocean on May 11. Alex Gallego, president of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, was one of those who flew to Jacksonville, Florida and then boarded a military transport plane that took them to the ship.

Mr. Gallego said, "You enter from the rear of the plane and when you sit, you're not sitting in the direction you are flying - as you do on a commercial flight - you are sitting with your back to the captain, sitting in the direction to get out fast. Landing is a 'controlled crash,'" he said. "You are going about 180 knots or better still, traveling between 150 and 180 mph and there is a very small runway and you have to come to a complete stop. [The alternative is to keep on going and dropping off the edge of the deck into the drink.] There were only two windows on the plane and I was sitting by one of them. The ship was 125 miles off shore. They were certifying the ship - getting it combat ready. All you could see in all this water below was the itty bitty thing you are going to land on... [It's been described as landing on a postage stamp floating and bouncing in the middle of the sea.]

"We were greeted by the officials and escorted to a briefing room for refreshments and baked goods. It was all very official. The Commanding Officer and the Master Chief greeted us and gave us a history of the ship. It was a very cordial-state-type welcome. Then the Admiral came in. They weren't wearing their dress uniforms. It wasn't a Presidential visit. Each rank has its own color. On the back of their shirt is their title: Admiral, Commanding Officer, etc. The Admiral gave us a few words of welcome and told us how important the TRA is to the USS TR. These are professional soldiers - Navy men.

"We saw the TR Museum on board the ship. It was small. Here's an interesting snapshot memory: walking into the museum and standing next to Tweed Roosevelt and him pointing and saying 'There's my father' in a photograph."

Mr. Gallego said, "The average age on the ship is 19 years old. The young men and women are from every race and every ethnic background. Their faces are so purposeful. Their desire is to protect our nation. They are steadfast in their duties. They are bright young people. They show a genuine respect for each other. This nation is in very good hands. Seeing them you know our future is very bright. It is amazing to see them operate a city on the water - with two nuclear reactors on board.

"The Black Lions were there - the planes attached to the ship. They were being certified for the vessel. We saw the planes land. They do it in sequence while flying 200 and 300 mph.

"We saw them landing at night. You see the red lights as they land. We had a tour of the ship and saw all those gallons of water they use being filtered and measured.

"We were in the squadron room where they make plans like in the movie Top Gun.

"Most interesting was sitting down with all of the sailors in the mess and at the breakout sessions. Our group weren't supposed to sit together, but to meet the crew."

While there, they were to consider what would make a good exhibit for the proposed TR Museum. Mr. Gallego said, "We thought it would be nice to show them what Navy life was like. There could be a room where children get wands, like the traffic controllers use to guide the planes in at night. They could move the wands to the left and right and see the planes react.

"Another idea was to create an area with cabins and rooms where they could take a turn at the wheel and go up and down the stairs. Kids love to go through mazes. And then go into the squadron room or the radar room and see if vessels and planes are approaching."

He said, "If the museum ever came about, it would be very interactive."

Mr.Gallego added, "It definitely was a once-in-a-lifetime trip." He said, "Leaving was another take off but this time it was the reverse of a controlled crash. You go up to 200 mph and are doing three-Gs in two seconds. If you're not into roller coasters you probably are not going to want to do it."

When asked about going on the trip - which was not without its dangers, he thought and said, "It's not going to happen to me again in my life. You try to take it all in."

Mr. Gallego had said it was an international crew and that proved to be true. As he was leaving, one of the Navy men escorting him to the plane was wearing a shirt that said "Gallego." "My shirt said, 'The Gallego Group,' I took a picture of the two of us," said Alex.

Being on the deck of the aircraft carrier can be dangerous, especially when there is a heavy wind. Mr. Gallego said, "The week before we were there, the weather was very rough and two people were blown off the deck - but were rescued."

How was the food? Gallego said, "It was cafeteria food but good. It was high in carbohydrates - rice, potatoes and vegetable - but they are very active. On board the ship you never stop moving. A lot of them would rather work than go stir crazy. To stand around doing nothing isn't for them. They are at sea for three months at a time, so they might as well work and do something, is their attitude."

The group was there to tour the ship and to observe fleet air operations as a way of gaining a prospective on possible exhibition opportunities for the proposed TR Museum, which has been proposed for Oyster Bay, TR's hometown during his married years and while bringing up his family.

The local group met formally and informally with members of the ship's 5,500-member crew throughout its visit, talking with officers and common sailors alike to gain different ideas and point of view for exhibits that might highlight the role of the USS TR as a symbol of what Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman noted when the ship's name was announced on November 3, 1981, in that it "Personified the vigor and vision of America." Theodore Roosevelt, after whom the ship was named, he said, "was one of the architects of our modern Navy, with complete faith in the necessity for the value of a strong Navy."

The TRA group spent the night aboard ship before being catapulted off the carrrier's deck in a C-2A Greyhound on Monday, May 12, for the flight back to the Jacksonville Naval Air Station.

John Specce, the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce member and a board member of the Main Street Association (as well as the president of the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum), said about the trip, "I was very honored to be invited. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be aboard the carrier and see how these young people actually run the ship. The captain told us the average age is 19 and it made me feel very proud. You always hear the worst about young people and they are all dedicated, educated and have a great spirit about them on the ship. It was very, very impressive. It's a floating city - literally.

"We were quartered in the air wing - officer country. Their berthing quarters, are a room about 10-by-12-feet. For the officers, there are three horizontal bunks one on top of the other. On the opposite side of the room there are three lockers and a sink. We were two to a room.

"I didn't sleep at all. First of all we were below the deck where the flight operations were taking place, or at least the machinery that runs it. It was going until 1:30 a.m. and the noise was pretty constant. I'm sure the crew is used to it and would sleep. This was my first night and I'm used to sleeping on my Tempur-pedic mattress. This was a 6-foot bunk with 2 or 3 inches clearance on the sides. But I didn't expect to get a good night's sleep. But the accommodations were very comfortable. We didn't get to see the enlisted personal quarters. I'm sure their quarters are not as private as the officers are," he said.

Mr. Specce said, "It was memorable. Everything took place in such a condensed time period. We landed at 3 in the afternoon and took off the next day at 1:30 p.m. Everything is blended together.

"They did allow me to steer the ship for about five minutes. No one else did it. I just happened to be on the bridge and the person operating there asked if I wanted to. I'm an ex-Navy guy so I could do it!

"When we had breakfast with the first class petty officers in their mess, Jim Bruns, TRA president, had everyone introduce themselves. I had been speaking to the petty officers and I was sitting among them, so when it was my turn, I said, 'John Specce, Radioman third class, active duty 1963, honorably discharged in 1971.' I said to myself, nobody here was born in 1971 - at least, not too many.

"Another really neat thing was watching the planes taking off and landing at night. All you see are people with lighted batons, wearing reflective vests. It looks like chaos when you look at it from way up high. It's pretty fascinating, but I'm sure everything is very controlled," he said. "And, I'm never going to do it again - unless I re-enlist," said Mr. Specce.

The local group included Alex Gallego, president of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce; John Specce, an officer of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association; Christopher DeFilippes; Captain Gene Palland, who works for Billy Joel; and Joseph Reilly, the principal of Reilly + Associates, the firm that has been hired by the TRA to prepare conceptual designs for the proposed 70,000 sq. ft. museum and parking garage with 234 spaces - suggested to be located at Firemen's Field.

Other participants included Primo Angeli, an award-winning graphic designer who has agreed to create the logo and brand identity for the proposed TR museum and research center; Tweed Roosevelt, TR's great-great-grandson; George Lenher from Maryland; John Santoro and Phil Saladino from Florida; and James H. Bruns, president of the Theodore Roosevelt Association

The winner of over 400 design awards, Primo Angeli and his design group have creatively represented clients such as the Asian Art Museum, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Visa, Hunt-Wesson, Kraft General Foods, General Mills, Hyatt Hotels, Miller Brewing, DHL. Worldwide Express, Bank of America, Banana Republic, Levi Strauss and Xerox Corporation.

The TRA is headquartered at 20 Audrey Avenue, a building in which they originally had a second floor office located.

The TRA was founded in 1919 and chartered by a special Act of Congress in 1920 to perpetuate the memory and legacy of the nation's 26th president of the United States. Two former commanders of the USS TR are on the TRA executive board.

The members of the TRA executive committee include alphabetically:

Adm. Charles S. Abbot, USN (Ret.) was the third commander of the USS TR. He was the pre-commissioning executive officer. He was the ship's third commander and served in Operation Dessert Shield and Operation Dessert Storm.

Mark A. Ames, a great-grandson of TR. Barbara Kraft Comstock, whose mother was the first curator of Sagamore Hill, said, "His grandmother was Ms. Ethel Derby's daughter Judith Ames."

Barbara Berryman Brandt, is the TRA board chair. After Dr. John Gable died, the board amended the bylaws to change the position from executive director to president, the title James Bruns now holds. Prior to the amendment, Ms. Brandt would have been the TRA president.

Robert D. Dalziel, a former TRA president.

David A. Folz of Texas.

Anna Carlson Gannett, (said Ms. Comstock) is married to Bill Gannett the great-grandson of TR and the grandson of Ethel Derby, TR's youngest daughter. Bill Gannett's father was a legislator from Vermont and lives in New York City, added Ms. Comstock.

Rogina L. Jeffries is the wife of Stephen B. Jeffries.

Stephen B. Jeffries' grandfather was a cousin of TR. The couple live in Boston.

Dr. Gary P. Kearney, of Boston, heads up the New England chapter of the TRA.

Harry N. Lembeck of Atlanta heads up the Atlanta chapter of the TRA.

Rear Admiral P.W. ("Wick") Parcells, USN (Ret.) was the first commander of the USS TR USN CVN-71.

Norman Parsons, a former mayor of Sea Cliff and a past president of the TRA.

Elizabeth E. Roosevelt, a cousin of TR via her grandfather Emelen Roosevelt, TR's cousin, who donated the land the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary is located on.

Tweed Roosevelt, a great-great-grandson of TR.

Simon Roosevelt, a great-great-grandchild of TR.

William D. Schaub of Oregon.

Dr. William N. Tilchin, editor of the TRA Journal.

Major Gregory A. Wynn, USMC.

The Hon. Lee Yeakel, of Texas, a Federal Judge appointed by President George W. Bush.

Ms. Comstock has a book of Roosevelt genealogy. "My mother knew them much better than I," she said. Her mother is Jessica Kraft who was the first curator of Sagamore Hill National Historic Park.

USS TR Commissioning Committee

Oyster Bay itself has a connection to the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). Oyster Bay was asked to stock the USS TR with items for the crew and a Commissioning Committee was formed to raise funds for the job. At the time, the late Bill Johnston was the president of the TRA and the Commissioning Committee; Robert Quinn of Locust Valley was the chairman of the Commissioning Committee. They held a Sunset Reception at the U.S. merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point as a fundraiser for the Commissioning Committee in 1986 At the end of the successful fundraising there was a reception held at the then-headquarters of the TRA in what was originally the East Norwich Library, which had been moved to the grounds of the Vernon School. Today it is called the Teddy Bear Cottage and holds the Universal Pre-K program.