Jeff Edwards is a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, and an Anti-Submarine Warfare Specialist. He is currently working as a civilian expert consultant to the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Command, the Navy's think tank for high-tech undersea warfare. His naval career spanned more than two decades and half the globe -- from chasing Soviet nuclear attack submarines during the Cold War, to launching cruise missiles in the Persian Gulf.
He puts his extensive experience as a Surface
Warfare specialist to work in his new novel,
TORPEDO.
In a plot that could easily be ripped from
today's headlines, TORPEDO combines an accident
at a nuclear power plant, an illegal arms
deal, and a biological warfare attack, to
ignite a crisis that could draw Western Europe,
the Middle East, and the United States into
all-out war. TORPEDO mixes the elements of
a classic sea chase novel with state-of-the-art
technology to create a cutting-edge Surface
Warfare Thriller.
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May 5, 2005
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In December of 2003, as I looked over the plans for my impending retirement ceremony, I realized that something was missing. I wanted to include a tribute to my wife, Maria, in recognition of her hard work and sacrifice in supporting my military career. My command had already made some arrangements along those lines: flowers, a Letter of Appreciation for Maria, a formal military escort for her, and a short speech in her honor to be delivered by my Executive Officer. I was pleased and impressed with everything my command had in mind, but I wanted to add something that would be uniquely mine: a personal tribute from me to her.
I'd seen several nice poems dedicated to Navy wives, but none of them were quite right for the occasion. Besides, I didn't want to read someone else's words. I wanted the words and the thoughts behind them to be mine. So I wrote my own tribute, and I called my wife to the podium and read it to her during my retirement ceremony. I don't know if it qualifies as poetry, and I frankly don't care. It meant a great deal to me, and I think it meant something to her as well.
I've decided to reprint it here, in honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, which occurs on May 6th this year. Of course Military Spouse Appreciation Day applies to husbands as well as wives, and to all branches of the armed services, not just the Navy. But my military spouse happens to be a Navy wife, so my tribute is written and titled appropriately.
So, without further fanfare, here is ...
The Navy Wife
A Navy Wife is no ordinary woman. Operating for months at a time without the companionship or assistance of her husband, she routinely overcomes challenges that would give the average person a nervous breakdown.
Part Doctor, part Teacher and part Handyman, she can lavish loving care on a sick toddler, help a teenager with his Algebra homework, and track down a faulty circuit breaker -- all while holding down a full time job.
With thirty minutes notice, she can serve breakfast, lunch, or dinner to fourteen hungry Sailors, and still somehow balance her family's meager grocery budget.
She can press a set of dress whites to inspection standards, tie a perfect square knot in a military neckerchief, and pack a seabag in the cold hours before dawn.
For months at a time, she must settle for letters instead of kisses, emails in place of hugs, and long-distance phone calls in lieu of her husband's touch.
She manages a smile when her Sailor is at sea for the second Anniversary in a row, and accepts the fact that there's a one-in-three chance that he will have to stand Duty on her Birthday. She has learned to stand on a pier and wave goodbye without tears, even when her heart is breaking.
To her children, she is Chauffeur, Umpire, Psychologist, Spiritual Advisor, Financial Consultant, part-time Father, Tooth Fairy, Santa Clause, and the Easter Bunny. To her husband, she is Friend, Lover, Partner, Confidant, and Soul-Mate.
She is a patriot. She is the sort of citizen that all of us should be, but so few of us are. She lives with sacrifice, because she believes in the rights and ideals that her husband defends. Although she wears no uniform, she is a part of that defense -- a vital link in the chain of Freedom. Although she wears no medals and will reap no glory on the field of battle, she is a hero in the truest sense of the word.
