Admiral Herbert M. Bridge

A night to remember

Before going to see the musical 'Wicked' in Seattle a couple of weeks ago my lovely wife and I went to a restaurant called Canlis for an early dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary. While we were waiting for our dinner an older couple was seated at the table next to us. The maitre'd asked the gentleman how he would prefer to be addressed. My wife couldn't hear all of his response but she did hear him say "I worked hard to get it". A few minutes later the waitress returned with bread for their table and she addressed the gentleman as "Admiral Bridge".

Now I'm a flight sim guy and an avid member of a virtual WW II squadron modeled after the famous and historic Air Group 51, the same squad that George H.W. Bush flew with in WW II. We fly historic missions from the U.S.S. San Jacinto (CVE 30), one of the many escort class aircraft carriers that was used in the Pacific. Our squad consists of virtual pilots from all over the country and we meet regularly online. The father of one of our members flew with the squad in Korea. So when the waitress said "Admiral", I made note of his last name.

When we were leaving the restaurant I stepped to the Admiral's table and thanked him for his military service. He looked at me quizzically for a moment and then smiled broadly and snapped me a crisp salute, which I promptly returned.

When we got back to the hotel that evening I Googled Admiral Bridge and found all sorts of information about him. Most notably (to me) is that he served aboard a sister ship of the carrier our virtual squad flys from.

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=pf_output.cfm&file_id=7307

And then there's the little detail that my wife liked, the small jewelry business the Admiral's father started which he later became half owner of at his father's insistence. The business was ultimately sold to none other than Warren Buffet but the Admiral continues to serve as co-chairman of the business with his brother. Perhaps you've heard of 'Ben Bridge Jewelers'.

I emailed the owner of the restaurant, Chris Canlis, and shared my story with him and thanked him for the wonderful dinner. He replied that 'Herb' has been coming to the restaurant for over fifty years now. In fact, just last weekend the Admiral came to the restaurant to speak at a staff meeting.

Quite an experience for a small-town boy like me.

Reviews

[Jamie S.]

Oh I just love hearing about experiences like this! My husband was in the Navy during desert storm on an aircraft carrier, he will enjoy this story too. Thank you for sharing :)

[TL Boehm]

Nicely penned. I've missed your writing. i keep trying to get back into the swing but I keep getting thrown off sideways. Peace.