Navy pen pal thrills pupils with class visit

Officer tells tales of life aboard USS Milius while stationed in Persian Gulf

By jennifer dome
Staff Writer

By jennifer dome
Staff Writer


U.S. Navy officer Michael AschettinoU.S. Navy officer Michael Aschettino

Seated in the front of Rosemary Cline’s third-grade class, U.S. Navy officer Michael Aschettino looked resplendent in his white uniform and shiny shoes.

The shoes were a favorite topic of the South River Elementary School students who took turns asking the 21-year-old Navy man questions on Monday. Cline’s third-graders wrote letters to Aschettino while he was onboard the USS Milius in the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"Everybody appreciated all the support we got from you and the American people," Aschettino told the enraptured third-graders.

"Thank you for defending us and taking care of us," Cline said.

Aschettino came home on a 15-day leave recently and said he felt bad leaving fellow servicemen behind. He was able to return home just in time to attend his brother’s wedding this coming weekend.

"We haven’t seen him in seven months, so it’s like Christmas all over," said his mother, Ann Aschettino, a first-grade teacher at South River Elementary School. She added that although her son Joseph, who passed away last summer following a motor vehicle accident, could not be with them this coming weekend, she is happy to have Michael home to celebrate Anthony’s wedding.

"The waiting for it to happen was worse," Aschettino said about the war. "You just wanted to get your job done and come home."

The officer told students about the living quarters where he slept with 28 other men in one room. The bunk beds were piled three people high and had only a 2-inch-thick mattress. Although he would hit his elbows while rolling over each night, he told the students it was better than sleeping on the floor.

Each morning he woke up at 6 a.m. and began the day by cleaning his work area. Usually the officers were finished with work by 5 p.m., he said. His duties onboard the ship included ordering supplies for the different needs of his fellow officers.

"Everybody’s nice to me or they don’t get what they want," Aschettino said with a smile.

However, he also spent time guarding the ship, ready with weapons that the young boys in Cline’s class were eager to hear details about.

"I used to stand watch on the ship nine, 10 hours sometimes," Aschettino said.

During his spare time, Aschettino said he tried to sleep, since there wasn’t much time to rest. Otherwise, he would exercise, but the tight quarters of the ship didn’t always provided enough space to do so.

His rigorous schedule includes keeping a perfect appearance. This was of great interest to the students, who asked several questions about just how he keeps his shoes so shiny. He confided that he cleans them with Windex.

Although he jokingly called the food on the ship "slop," Aschettino said the food was better than people think. He said the mess hall where the officers ate was about twice the size of Cline’s classroom, but fed 100 people at once.

"It’s like lunch in the cafetorium," Cline told her students.

At one point, Aschettino spent 60 days in a row on the ship during the seven months he was deployed; therefore, he said he was happy to get snacks sent from people back home. He said there was a ship store that also sold snacks, as well as shoe polish, toothpaste and other necessities.

During his travels since he joined the Navy two years ago, Aschettino has traveled to Spain, Italy, Crete, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Hawaii.

Aschettino said his next plan is to train to become a Navy SEAL in San Diego, Calif., a branch of the Navy that he said is the hardest thing to do in the military.

"I’ll probably stay in for 20 years because I like the Navy," Aschettino said.

As he pointed out the different medals that adorned his uniform, Aschettino said he has two more medals that he will receive for his work during the war on terrorism.

"We’re so glad he’s home and safe, and we wish all the boys were home and safe," Ann Aschettino said.