Orioles missed the boat on ship commissioning
Allow me to add my support to Admiral Victor See’s recent letter to the editor thanking The Baltimore Sun and the good people in Baltimore who pitched in to welcome the Navy’s new destroyer, the USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), for its historic commissioning ceremony on June 24 (“Thanks, Baltimore, for supporting the commissioning of the USS Carl M. Levin,” July 26).
The Navy League of the United States, Baltimore Council is privileged to sponsor U.S Navy ships commissioned in Baltimore.
As Admiral See mentions, we don’t have the money and resources to undertake such a task, so our success relies on donations from the community.
Donations are used to provide the crew with the best in Baltimore hospitality prior to the ceremony. These young men and women will soon be far from home, doing an important job in service to our nation.
In the past, the Orioles have provided tickets for the crew of Navy ships being commissioned in Baltimore.
Unfortunately, the Orioles decided not to accommodate the crew of the USS Carl M. Levin even though there were hundreds of unsold seats in the stadium for the dates when the ship was in Baltimore.
I am personally saddened by the Orioles decision in this matter, and it should be difficult for anyone to understand this decision in view of the generous hospitality of other contributors.
My grandparents owned Reads Drugstores and Esskay Inc. They were among the investors who enabled the relocation of the St. Louis Browns to become the Baltimore Orioles baseball team in 1954. Our family has held season tickets ever since.
In those 69 years, I don’t believe there were any other examples where the Orioles ignored the military.
Going forward, I hope the organization will be more considerate of the men and women in uniform, like the sailors on the USS Carl M. Levin, who may soon be patrolling off the coast of China.
— Arthur J. Nattans, Catonsville
The writer, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general, is president of the Navy League of the U.S., Baltimore Council and co-chair of the commissioning committee for the USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120).