Dear Editor,
With all that our Billings city council is trying to jam down the throats of Billings tax payers, (note One Big Sky), one has to wonder what the heck they are doing with the USS Billings Commissioning Committee. When a navy ship is named for a city, it is expected that the city whose name adorns the ship host a commissioning ceremony (PARTY) for the ship’s commissioning. It really is more of a party than anything. These commissioning ceremonies cost a lot of money, anywhere from $50,000 to the sun. Our USS Billings Committee is shooting for a party costing over a quarter of a million dollars. When I was involved with the committee, they wanted to take $15,000 from the Billings general fund in 2018 and the same in 2019. That’s just about enough money to send the members of the committee to the party. That is your money. Did they ask you for it? Did they ask you who you thought should be the sponsor of the ship?
The commissioning ceremony for the USS Billings will likely be held in Florida which is understandably a LONG WAY from Billings, MT. That’s okay, I guess, except that the only people from Montana who will attend that ceremony are the members of the commissioning committee and Senator Jon Tester and his wife. The commissioning committee will attend the event at private donor and tax payer expense. Jon Tester’s wife was named the sponsor of the ship which is a huge honor so it makes sense that she is there, but should we pay for her and her senator husband to attend? Should the taxpayer pay for the committee to attend? Mrs. Tester is the sponsor of the USS Billings only because she is a senator’s wife. He is not a veteran, she is not a veteran, but he is a politician and can pull the right strings. Does that give them the right? I can think of several people from Montana that would be a better sponsor of the USS Billlings than our senator’s wife. How about US Navy SEAL Bo Reichenbach’s wife? Bo lost both of his legs in service to our great nation; he gave a lot and so did his wife. How about the mother of SSGT Paul Gardner who succumbed to the injuries he sustained while serving in Iraq years after returning home. How about the wife or mother of Construction Electrician’s Mate 1st Class Charles “Chuck” V. Komppa who was a Navy Reservist from Billings who gave his life in service to our great nation?Before our mayor, city council, and USS Billings committee start throwing more than quarter million dollar parties in Florida for politicians and their friends, they ought to work on the things in Billings like crime, homelessness, and human trafficking.
Someone questioned this in response to a FaceBook post by Mayor Bill Cole, and former City Councilman Ryan Sullivan said “Get a life dude” and, “I think you should support your city and the military.” That coming from a former city council person who ditched his responsibility and commitment to the City of Billings by leaving town in the middle of his four-year term as city council representative for Ward four. You aren’t a veteran, Ryan, but you are a quitter so maybe you should keep your opinions down in Texas where you reside.
Throwing a party is not supporting the military. If the USS Billings Committee really wanted to support our military and the USS Billings, they would take that quarter million dollars and provide scholarships to the crew and the family members of the ship. They would provide the things the ship needs to be operational and effective. They could use some of that money to provide healthcare to the crew that our government consistently tries to deny them.
It doesn’t matter if you agree with me or not, do your part folks, let your voice be heard.
George Blackard
Billings, MT