When the USS Somerset departed San Diego for San Francisco to participate in Fleet Week, it struck a personal tone for several servicemembers on board who are from the Bay Area.
Born in San Francisco and raised in Alameda, Sean Reily joined the Navy in his early 30s. His previous work experience offered him the opportunity to become an assistant officer. He oversees the auxiliary equipment on the warship, including cranes, hydraulic doors, AC units and elevators. He also assists in piloting the USS Somerset.
“It’s pretty surreal. My grandfathers were both in the Navy, my uncle was in the Navy. So to be able to bring this ship in under the Golden Gate Bridge, it’s a surreal feeling,” Reily said during the USS Somerset’s embarkation to San Francisco. “My whole family still lives in the Bay Area. I still have some friends there in Alameda and Oakland, so I’m really excited to see them.”
For Lorenzo Jordan, a Navy petty officer from Redwood City, attending Fleet Week is one of the final moments of his military career.
Jordan, who spent nearly 17 years in the Navy, plans to retire after completing his duties on the USS Somerset.
“To say I can do Fleet Week in a city I know, with family and friends who can see me, it’s a win-win. It’s come full circle,” Jordan said. “Just to be able to say I’ve been all over the world and I’m coming back to retire where I came from? It’s fun.’
Jordan said he was only able to return home once or twice a year during his Navy career. He looks forward to marrying his fiancée Desiree when he can return home.
“[I miss] the comfort of being at home with family and friends. It’s nice to be at sea and all that, but especially when you have a fiancé at home, you’d rather be there, you know?’ Jordan said. ‘I am pleased to see that I can contribute. To be able to not only help my family, but also protect my family and my country.”
Thomas Tran is a Navy petty officer from East San Jose. He has been aboard the USS Somerset for two and a half years. He enlisted in the Navy after graduating from William C. Overfelt High School.
Although he rarely ventured north from the South Bay growing up, he looks forward to returning to the Bay Area for Fleet Week.
“SF is a great place. Lots of good stuff [and] very nice people. I’m excited,” Tran said.
When asked what he missed most about San Jose, Tran said he longed for a home-cooked meal.
‘Sure, mom is cooking. Pho. Beef pho,” he said.
Tyler Modesto, a Navy chief petty officer from Modesto, often visited San Francisco because of her family’s roots. Her father is from Castro Valley and her mother is from Walnut Creek. The two married in the Bay Area.
“It’s sentimental because me and my family would go there all the time [to San Francisco]. Each time we walked up and down Pier 39, bought some Ben and Jerry’s and enjoyed watching the seals,” Modesto said. “I want everyone to enjoy San Francisco. It’s very beautiful. It may look a bit dirty [and there are] Rumors are swirling, but San Francisco isn’t all bad. There are really good places to enjoy good food and see some of the diversity that is out there. I think that’s the most important thing about San Francisco. I just want everyone to feel the same way I do about the Bay Area.”
CBS News Bay Area will report San Francisco Fleet Week featuring more stories about the men and women serving the country, along with live coverage Friday of the Parade of Ships and the Blue Angels air show.
