When I heard the news of former President Jimmy Carter’s death on Dec. 29, 2024, I walked downstairs and looked at a picture on the wall. It showed a young naval officer (me) shaking hands with then-President Carter on board the USS Nimitz in May 1980. At the time, the aircraft carrier and accompanying ships were en route to their homeport, Norfolk, Virginia, following an 8 1/2-month deployment.
During the last part of the deployment, the ship had participated in a failed attempt to rescue 53 Americans held in Iran. President Carter and first lady Rosalynn had flown aboard to greet the carrier before it reached port. He did this despite the failed rescue attempt because, as a former naval officer himself, he understood the sacrifices made by everyone on board.
As Carter was giving his remarks, I was thinking about my family and getting home. At the same time, I was blown away by the number of boats assembling to welcome us. (I later learned that it was the largest homecoming given to any ship since World War II.)
Following his remarks, President Carter and Rosalynn were escorted to the admiral’s spaces, where I was waiting with a small group of people that had been selected to personally meet the president. Why I was included remains a mystery to me. As he walked in, his famous grin was on full display. When he reached me in the reception line, he extended his hand and, with a firm grip, said, “Thank you for your service.”
While politics and a desire to shore up his sagging popularity played a role in his visit, his sincerity and humility were obvious to me.
It’s a moment I’ll never forget. I only wish more of our current leaders possessed some of the same qualities.
Al LeGrow, Orr’s Island
