Veteran Spotlight: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Lewis

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Michael Lewis served his country in the Navy as a petty officer, second class, from 1977 to 1994.

 

Born in North Adams, he would do his basic training at Great Lakes, Ill. His first assignment would be at submarine school (NAVSUBCOM) in Groton, Conn., then to the USS Pensacola (LSD-38) out of Little Creek, Va.

 

While serving onboard the Pensacola, his ship was anchored off the coast of Beirut in October 1980 as part of a Multinational Peacekeeping Force, when the U.S. Embassy was bombed. He was sent ashore to help revive and refurbish an orphanage outside of Beirut with a group of sailors and Marines. 

 

"We actually ran the engines in reverse to guard against terrorists putting bombs under the ship ... Navy Seals also dropped depth charges around our perimeter," he recalled.

 

Lewis would go on a variety of cruises throughout the Caribbean and North Atlantic. 

 

"I was a boiler tech in the engine room. It was very hot….we carried LCUs (Landing Craft Utility), tanks and troops. We had 250 Marines and 250 sailors onboard," he said. "For punishment, they got sent to the engine room so you can get an idea of how bad it was down there."

 

He would go to other duty stations — Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activities at Little Creek, Va., the USS Dahlgren (DDG-43), Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes again, USS Nitro (AE-23), Naval District at Washington, D.C., the SIMA at a Naval Reserve Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia and the SIMA at the maintenance facility in Newport, R.I.

 

How were the holidays? "You always missed your family and friends," Lewis said, but added, "we always ate well. They made it enjoyable. The guys played music, some guys put a small band together and would play on the flight deck, which was pretty cool." 

 

Was he ever afraid? "No, not really. You have a big sense of security so you're well protected," he said.

 

But he did recall an incident at a Seabee base at Roosevelt Roads in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

 

"Four of our sailors were walking in the streets on their way back to the ship and a car pulled up and gunned them down," Lew said. "One sailor had four bullets in him but actually ran back to the ship. One died and three were critically injured. The ship's whistle blew and everyone that was out raced back to the ship and we immediately got underway."

 

His retirement ceremony was held aboard the USS Massachusetts in Fall River.

 

Thoughts on his service? "Definitely a feeling of pride. Really big sense of pride — great lifestyle that taught me structure and responsibility," he said. "I would do it all over again." 

 

He is the vice president of American Legion Riders Post 125 and has been invaluable in helping to provide escorts for several veterans' funeral processions and burials. In addition, he was involved in escorting the Mobile Vietnam Wall from Lenox to American Legion post 155 in Dalton and the remains of Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher from Westover Air Force Base to Pittsfield after the airman was killed in a military drill last fall. 

 

Lewis was awarded two Good Conduct Medals, three Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, the Navy Expeditionary Medals and the Navy Achievement Medal.

 

Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Lewis, thank you for your service to our great country.

 

Wayne Soares is the host of the popular new veterans cooking show, "The Mess Hall" that airs Saturdays on NBC's NECN at 9:30 a.m. He also entertains our troops around the globe and is the host and producer of the Vietnam veterans documentary "Silent Dignity – The Chapter That Never Ends." He can be reached at waynesoares1@gmail.com.