Photography continues to bring me on once in a lifetime adventures

My latest adventure partnered me up with AARP’s “Wish of a Lifetime” to document an unbelievable tour of the legendary USS Constitution for John, a U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam War Veteran, and I jumped at the opportunity. I showed up to the Naval Shipyard just after sunrise with the workers, sailors, joggers, and commuters.

John fell in love with Old Ironsides when he was 6 years old and built a model of the ship, which was evident the way he reminisced on those days fondly throughout the tour.

The incredible day began with John firing the ship’s saluting battery cannon for morning colors

John received a personal tour of the ship by U.S. Navy Sailor HTFN Boyd. We spent extensive time exploring the many levels of the ship, including the lower levels, which are not part of the general tour. Although we had an exceptional tour guide, John was able to teach everyone something new about the ship. At 72, the ship brought John back to childhood and climbed up and down the decks like he was 6 again!

John was then surprised further by spending time with the 1812 Marines. They discussed Marine Corps history and the Marine’s contributions to the USS Constitution during the War of 1812. They shared interesting details about their uniforms and gave John a lesson on one of the unit’s USMC period muskets and was even able to fire one.

After spending time with the 1812 Marines, exploring the iconic ship, and meeting Commander BJ Farrell, John visited the USS Constitution Museum where he viewed the Museum’s impressive collection of Marine-related archives and other historic artifacts.

For more information about USS Constitution visit https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org.

For more information about the AARP “Wish of a Lifetime”, visit https://wishofalifetime.org/.