When Dr. Francis Evans had a chance to retire from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in March after working for 44 years as an emergency physician, he chose not to.
Why? The coronavirus was quickly spreading; our nation was in need.
In a story shared across the Navy, Evans told his children “there is no honor in leaving the battle.”
Evans answered the call just like so many others in our Navy family in Hampton Roads have the past few months.
As the admiral in charge of local Navy installations, I’m fortunate to see first-hand how selfless, resilient and innovative our force is during this trying time. And I assure you, your Navy hasn’t wavered a bit when it comes to our mission to maintain, train and equip combat-ready forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.
We are able to do so because of the commitment of people such as Evans, the quality and character of the average sailor and the great support we receive here in Hampton Roads, America’s Navy Town.
Keeping our Navy ready is a team sport, and we depend on the local community to help maintain our ships, keep our supply chain intact and to provide support for our military families during stressful times. I’m happy to report the coronavirus hasn’t stopped that from happening.
I’d like to share a little about how we’re meeting this new challenge to keep each other healthy, our forces ready to deploy, and the backbone of our region’s economy strong.
Everyone on our installations maintains physical distancing or wears masks if they are unable to do so. Those masks are now as common as camouflage from Virginia Beach to Yorktown.
An unprecedented number of sailors and DOD civilians are now routinely working from their homes.
We rely on local schools to keep teaching our children, grocery stores to keep our pantries filled and our local utilities to keep the lights and Internet on just like everyone else. And, I speak for our entire Navy team when I express a sincere “Thank You” for the unprecedented support we receive, as we continue to serve you and our nation.
For those who must come on base, we conduct coronavirus screening each day. Anyone who might be sick is ordered home.
We ensure our workspaces are regularly cleaned, and we have set up outdoor handwashing stations by our piers and flight lines to provide an additional measure of safety.
There are no more group runs, our ball fields are empty and our gyms are closed.
We will return to normal — whatever that looks like — when it is appropriate, but not a moment sooner.
While our galleys and fast-food restaurants are now takeout only, I’ve made sure local restaurants are still able to deliver on base and we are even able to allow some local food trucks to provide additional variety.
The Navy is a service bound by tradition, and change of command ceremonies are still occurring, although often in different forms and online so family and friends can partake.
I was heartened recently when I saw a line of cars at Naval Station Norfolk dropping off care packages to sailors in masks who sanitized them so they could be flown aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.
Care packages like those mean the world to our men and women in uniform who sacrifice so you and I can sleep safely at night.
Because despite all the changes COVID-19 has brought, our ships are still sailing, aircraft are still flying and submarines are still keeping our enemies guessing.
We will never waver and we will never fail. Not even against an invisible enemy.
Together, we will do as we’ve always done.
We will adapt. We will fight. We will win.
Rear Adm. Charles W. “Chip” Rock is the commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, headquartered in Norfolk. Rock commands 14 major Navy installations across 20 states, including five major Navy installations in Hampton Roads.
