My father and I shared many things together. He raised a big family of 12. I am raising a big family of 9. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1942. I graduated from the Naval Academy in 1981. He was my biggest cheerleader during my naval service when his legacy in the Navy often impacted me, even though we were miles apart.
There were several opportunities during this time when senior naval officers knew of the relationship between my father and I, and would often comment on my father’s excellent character and service.
However, one situation stands out starkly in my memory.
In 1983, I was serving in the Navy, stationed in the Philippines. The naval base was situated along the beautiful Subic Bay.
One night at the Cubi Point Officers Club, as part of my protocol responsibilities as a young ensign in my early 20s, I was accompanying a group of senior officers during dinner. I sat next to a Navy Captain, who from the conversation was clearly coming on to me. I was trying to think of anyway to calmly and quickly extract myself, not just from the conversation but from the table.
Somehow in the midst of conversation, this senior officer sat back and noticed my nametag.
He asked, “You don’t happen to know a Frank Andrews? Do you?”
I responded, “Frank Andrews? Yes, he is my father.”
His posture and position changed entirely in that moment while sitting next to me.
“Frank Andrews is your father?”
“Yes.”
“Thirty years ago, I watched your father go through the loss of his first wife. I don’t know how he did it. I have the utmost respect for how he lived out such a loss in the midst of all those children and the work he had to do.”
He then paused for a second. It was clear in that moment when he connected my father to me, his perception radically changed.
I was changed from an object to someone’s valued child. I was changed from something to pursue to someone to honor and respect.
That night my father’s name provided me an identity that gave way to dignity and safety. My dad’s legacy not only helped me in that moment, but throughout my life as I’ve come to realize that all of us are daughters of a Heavenly Father. We all have a powerful identify that we should never be ashamed to claim.