Next Avenue Logo
Advertisement

Profiles in Volunteering: A Navy Vet Gives Submarine Tours

Ron Bell loves showing visitors the USS Blueback, a sub that reminds him of his days at sea

By Alex Zielinski

Ron Bell is one of 10 U.S. Navy submarine veterans who volunteer to lead weekly visitor tours on the USS Blueback, a sub docked outside the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, Ore. Retired from a career in scrap metal construction, Bell spoke with Alex Zielinski of Idealist.org about why he loves volunteering:

I had been following the USS Blueback submarine since it was retired in 1990, because that’s what we submarine vets do. I was in the Navy for four years during two wars, and worked on a few submarines similar to this one, doing everything from maintenance to communications. When I heard the Blueback was coming to Portland, I had to see it and I had to be a part of it.

So in 1995, soon after it docked, I got involved in volunteering there. From giving tours of the sub to performing maintenance — whatever needs to be done, I do it.

I'm also here because submarines are the most beautiful pieces of machinery. Once you get bit by these things, you want to know all there is about them. You can't quit.

(MORE: Can We Get Some Volunteers, Please?)

Checking Up on the Sub

The Navy still owns the Blueback, but they've made it non-operational. For good reason, maybe. To be honest, I don't think they trust us old sub vets not to take it for a spin. Every year or so, they visit to make sure it's still up to par. Which, of course, it always is, since they've got us on deck.

I enjoy everything about what I do down here. I love telling our tours how we lived on a sub back then and sharing old stories. People like hearing them and I like telling 'em, so it works out nicely.

In the Navy, I was in Hawaii, Australia, the Philippines — during the Vietnam War — and then the coast of Europe, especially Russia, during the Cold War when I was in a nuclear sub. We got hit by Communist missiles a couple times.

(MORE: Volunteering in Retirement: How to Get Great Freebies)

You have to go through sub school, which is a rigorous, intensive type of training. Everyone on deck needs to know how to do everything, in case something goes wrong.

 

Advertisement

The Joy of Volunteering With Fellow Vets

The point is, sub vets worked hard to get to where they are. We are all very proud of what we've done and deeply respect each other. That’s what makes it so rewarding to work together here. Being on a sub in the Navy is something that connects us all at a very deep level.

I'll tell ya, if you get a bunch of sub vets together for a cup of coffee after our shift, you end up sharing a lot of laughs and old sea stories, which is just the Navy term for lies.

I’ve visited amazing places around the world while on patrol, but now all I want to do is stay in the states and see this beautiful country where my wife and I live. We make time for RV trips every year to do just that.

An Opportunity for Time Traveling

And of course, I travel back in time when I’m on the sub. As soon as I first walked on board the USS Blueback, it was just like "Boom!" I was back. And I loved it.

And I think the rest of the vets here feel the same. Being here brings back so many fond memories; it's good for the heart.

I have to say my favorite part of volunteering is when young sub sailors come down to look at the old machinery — it's a piece of history. They respect us more than anyone, since they know they wouldn't be where they are if it wasn't for us guys. That's why doing this matters.

Alex Zielinski is a writer for Idealist.org and a freelance reporter in Portland, Oreg. Follow her on twitter at @alex_zee or read her articles at alexzielinski.wordpress.com. Read More
Advertisement
Next Avenue LogoMeeting the needs and unleashing the potential of older Americans through media
©2024 Next AvenuePrivacy PolicyTerms of Use
A nonprofit journalism website produced by:
TPT Logo