Hamlin's Bakery

May 20, 1991

“Thank you so much for all you’ve done for Jeff and me, LT Jacobs,” Rebecca said with a hint of sadness, “Jeff really admired you and looked up to you more than you’ll know.” The funeral ceremony and then burial had ended over two hours earlier, but there were so many attendees and well-wishers that wanted to offer condolences to the wife of their fallen shipmate that LT Don Jacobs had just gotten a quiet moment with Rebecca.

Don served as a Supply Corps Officer onboard the USS Jupiter, a supply ship in the US Navy, and was currently the Food Service Officer for its crew. Rebecca’s husband was Jeff Hamlin, the leading petty officer in the food service division. Sadly, it was Jeff’s funeral that brought Don to Rebecca’s side this dreary day, just two weeks after Don and Jeff’s ship had returned from the Persian Gulf after six and a half months.

October 8, 1990

“If you’re already committed to getting married right after the cruise, then I highly recommend you visit the courthouse or skip off to Vegas and do it privately before we sail,” LT Jacobs told MS1 Hamlin. “She can still plan the fancy June wedding while we’re gone, and you needn’t tell anyone you got married. But, while the odds are extremely low, we are heading to a potential war zone, and being married, the insurance you’re entitled to carry may help her rest easier while you’re away.“

“I get it, absolutely. I will discuss it with Rebecca tonight,” replied MS1. “I do appreciate the fact that you care about your people, LT, and not just as cooks and such, but also as people.”

October 21, 1990

“LT, could I speak with you for a sec?” asked MS1 Hamlin, as they stepped away from the rest of the division after morning muster. “I just wanted to tell you that Rebecca and I quietly tied the knot two days ago, and I just completed that insurance paperwork, so we’re all set. Rebecca wanted me to reiterate our thanks to you for looking out for us.”

“Congrats, and you’re welcome, MS1,” replied LT Jacobs, “we can always use another ‘ball and chained’ married type to keep the younger men in line during liberty calls. Give your wife my best.”

November 7, 1990

Despite having planned for a six-month cruise for over a year, and despite learning that the cruise’s mission would now likely support operations in the Persian Gulf, the crew was still unnerved by the cold reality that they were leaving home for such a long time. Nothing but phone calls home to loved ones for the near future. The crew had mixed experience; some had done several cruises while many were starting their first.

The ship slowly shoved off from the pier on time, and LT Jacobs found MS1 in the galley, tasking out the final prep work for lunch. The one good thing about sea-time was the absence of distraction. He essentially had a command audience with his entire division all-day, every-day. That never happened in port, since a third to a half of his men could be off-duty at home, or down in berthing resting for a later shift. Feeding the crew was a 24/7 obligation, and so it required food service crew to be available around the clock.

“MS1, when you’re done here, please come to the office,” said the LT as he passed through the galley. When Hamlin arrived, LT Jacobs had him close the door, and then opened the discussion. “MS1, I know you’re familiar with the Ney Award for food service excellence at sea from your prior duty stations, and I know that your past ships have sometimes been in the running. I wanted to let you know that we’re going to make a serious run at winning the Ney Award for our ship-type in 12 months. We’re going to use these six months at sea to train the division and get the cooking and baking experience in, and then once we return, we will have a short stay in the shipyard to get some updates in the galley, and get some “official” training courses in. If all goes to plan, we should be as prepared as possible. You with me so far?”

MS1 replied excitedly, “That’s great to hear, LT, and honestly, that was one reason I wanted this ship. I had heard it had also been a contender for the Ney. That’s always been one of my goals.”

“Well, excellent. Glad to hear you have a personal interest as well. Chief will handle the cooking piece, and we have the inventory and records-keeping piece, and I will own that. You will lead our baking program. You’ve clearly got a passion for baking, and from what I’ve tasted so far, you seem to have the natural gift for it. I really want to expose the younger men to this type of objective, and what it takes to achieve it. Regardless whether they stay in the Navy, it will do them well to experience a large team effort focused on a big goal like this. And I don’t have to tell you what winning the Ney would do for you, the Chief, and the other senior enlisted as far as promotions and the getting the best future assignments.”

“That’s fantastic, LT,” MS1 excitedly answered, “and yes, baking is by far my favorite part of this job. I’d be happy to lead the baking training.”

The Cruise

The six-week journey westward ended just off Oman, outside the Persian Gulf. The mission of the ship was to replenish all the other ships carrying Marines on board. By and large, the food service division was insulated from the daily logistics work of the ship, because the crew could not do their jobs if they weren’t fed well. Time passed, the actual conflict with Iraq lasted only a month. LT Jacobs pushed the senior enlisted and they in turn, led the younger men to really care about providing great food service to the crew. Some of the ships’ divisions could work 16 to 18 hour days, and the danger of underway replenishment was real. Ensuring their shipmates had a good meal after such long days was the food service division’s mission. After four long months in the Gulf, the ship got orders to head home, enjoying liberty stops in Thailand and Hawaii.

May 7, 1991

After leaving Hawaii, and just days from reaching home, MS1 Hamlin, MS3 Smith, and Seaman Jones were baking the day’s goodies when the galley crew started drifting in to begin making breakfast. While lighting the grill, sparks and smoke flew out from underneath the cooking surface, and the men in the galley shouted out “Fire!” MS1 and MS3 reached the grill first, and MS3 reached down to turn off the power to the grill, and he was suddenly shaking uncontrollably. MS1 Hamlin knew he was being brutally shocked. Hamlin grabbed some silicone baking mitts, and rushed into MS3, knocking him away. Unfortunately, after MS1 knocked his teammate off the electric current, he himself slipped backward and made contact with the grill’s handle across both hamstrings. Others had by now heard the commotion, and MS2 Juarez ran to the circuit breaker panel and killed power to the entire galley. MS1 Hamlin fell forward from the grill onto the galley’s deck.

CPR was attempted to no avail. The duty medic was summoned to the galley, where he found MS3 Smith slowly coming to, but MS1 Hamlin had no pulse and was not responsive. By now all the duty officers were on site, and the CO, XO and Supply Officer were each on their way. When LT Jacobs arrived and asked his men what had happened, it quickly became apparent that MS1 Hamlin had certainly saved MS3 Smith’s life with his quick and selfless action. Tragically, MS1 Hamlin fell victim to the same deadly fate from which he saved his shipmate.

When the ship was close enough to port, one of the helicopters assigned to the ship for replenishment operations carried MS1 Hamlin’s body to the military hospital nearest the port. Family was onsite, along with Naval counselors and others that assisted families when service members were lost. Once the ship docked and phone lines were connected, the CO, Supply Officer, and LT Jacobs each called Ms. Hamlin and offered condolences.

Back to May 20, 1991

“Hello Rebecca, how are you holding up? I’m sorry for your loss. I have something of Jeff’s that I wanted to give you something myself. We found some notebooks in Jeff’s locker and thought you should have them. I didn’t read much, but I saw recipes, and sketches of small buildings and some sign layouts. It looked like Jeff had been capturing ideas for something he planned to do in the future, and I wanted to personally ensure that these notebooks got to you.”

“Thank you, LT,” Rebecca replied, taking the four little black notebooks from him, and skimming the pages. “Yes, these look like ideas for a bakery and café that Jeff and I planned to open when he got out of the Navy. A few years ago, I worked in a small neighborhood bakery, and Jeff was a regular customer. That is how we first met. Since we began dating, we would try to visit a different bakery whenever possible, and sharing those visits planted the seed to one day open our own place. Jeff was considering not to re-enlist, but he was very interested in your plan to pursue the Ney Award this year. Winning would have influenced his decision.”

“I had no idea he was on the fence about staying for 20 years. I’m glad to hear that our plans at least made him consider staying. He was certainly a great person and was an excellent teacher and mentor in our division. He’s already sorely missed. I’m glad I was able to get his notebooks to you. His notes in those memo pads got me thinking, so I had this new Moleskin notebook personalized with his name, and I asked the men that worked with Jeff to leave you with their favorite experiences with him and how much he meant to them. Maybe you can use it now as a journal as you try to cope with your loss.”

Gently running her fingers over Jeff’s engraved name on the little black book’s cover, Rebecca replied, “Thank you so much. Our dream of opening a bakery will not die with him. I will use this new book to continue making plans for the bakery. Also, one thing I wanted to specifically thank you for………your suggestion to Jeff that he and I marry before the cruise has made a huge difference, in light of what happened. The $20,000 insurance benefit will boost our savings we had set aside to pursue our dream. So, again, thank you for looking out for Jeff and the rest of your crew.”

“I am glad you and Jeff decided to do it,” LT Jacobs replied, “and I hope you are able to make yours and Jeff’s dreams come to life. If you ever need assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to call me.”

Nov 13, 1991

When word got up the chain of command about the circumstances concerning one of this year’s Ney Award winners, the Commander of the Pacific Fleet flew in from Hawaii to personally bestow the award upon the USS Jupiter. The other guest of honor at the ceremony was Rebecca Hamlin.

Ending his comments about the annual competition, the admiral stated “So, in honor of MS1 Jeff Hamlin, and in recognition of not only his contributions to his ship’s excellence in food service to the crew, but also his heroic actions that saved a shipmate while costing him his own life, I congratulate the USS Jupiter as a recipient of the Ney Award for Food Service Excellence.”