Workshop: November 3, 2010
Capt. Bill Shepherd
Naval Officer
Captain Bill Shepherd is a man with a young heart and a mind full of knowledge. Among many other worthy accomplishments during his lifetime, Capt. Bill came to Time Well Spent to share his experience of being in the U.S. Navy during the 1950's and beyond. Capt. Bill enlisted in the Navy right at the tail end of World War II and he served during the Korean and Cold Wars. He told the kids that he was excited about seeing the world and serving his country at same time. He entered the Navy as a college graduate after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Illinois. This gave Capt. Bill an advantage. He explained to our kids that education opens doors and in his experience provided wonderful opportunities for him in the Navy. Right away he was given leadership positions and when he lived up to these higher expectations, he was given even more responsibility such as being put in charge of his company as Company Commander both in Boot Camp and Officer Candidate School.
He spent a good deal of time on the battleship U.S.S. New Jersey and also on his favorite ship the U.S.S. Salem. He taught our children all about what the ships were like during this time and how they might be different from today's vessels. Our children had many specific questions for Capt. Bill. They wanted to know what sort of weapons were used, what it was like living in such close quarters for such a long time, what it was like to live and serve during war time and what sort of secret missions he was involved in. The Captain did not disappoint! In addition to their questions, our children learned all about ships and were provided with detailed diagrams to learn from. Some of the new vocabulary our children learned included the bowsprit, foremast, bilge, keel, orlop, capstan, mizzenmast and tiller. Captain Bill brought with him many wonderful items of memorabilia to share such as miniature ships. He also had pictures of when he first enlisted as a seaman and photographs of his time as a captain to show his advancement in the Navy. He talked about his awards, badges and manual books which he also brought from home. It was very interesting.
Then, the Captain called our kids to "ATTENTION" and got them marching, teaching them the correct footwork and saluting as though they were actually enlisted! It was a great time. Captain Bill told them about his special assignment as a code breaker and gave the kids a little taste of doing something similar by teaching them the Semaphore alphabet. The kids got into groups, practiced signing a word and then tested our knowledge by actually signing the letters. It was a fun and educational game that we all enjoyed. There were many other hands-on activities that Captain Bill provided but all-in-all the best time was listening to his stories and being able to share in his memories.
The Captain remained in the Navy Reserves until mandatory retirement at the age of 60. He served for 40 years! He has a heart for Christ, which he was eager to share. He wanted to let our children know that while military service carries with it the potential for great rewards, both in terms of the skills that can be acquired and the potential for advancement. U.S. News and World Report recently stated that military service is the country's oldest and most dangerous form of public service. There are many humanitarian missions to be had and it offers a wonderful way to help others, help our country and change one's own life as well. Thank you, Captain Bill!!