Military Officer - October 2006 - (Page 80) encore Benvenuto! When a U.S. Navy carrier arrives in Genoa, Italy, an Italian-American sailor applies his linguistic skills to an elegant — but mysterious — invitation. I n 1979, our aircraft carrier made a visit to Genoa, Italy. Usually, carriers anchor outside foreign ports, requiring long boat rides to bring the crew ashore. Genoa had a large molo, or wharf, where we could tie up. The captain and the navigation team did a great job maneuvering through the busy harbor, and we tied up at the molo without incident. Soon, thousands of sailors made their way ashore to explore the historic city that lay before us. I had duty the next day. As a lieutenant assigned to the intelligence division, I was faced with reading hundreds of dull geopolitical messages. In the early afternoon, the captain’s yeoman called me and asked if I could translate something for the captain. My Italian was very rusty, but I was thrilled to have a break from reading messages. I went directly to the captain’s cabin. He was putting on his dress blue uniform and pointed to a letter on his coffee table. The envelope and letter looked impressive, with gilded edges and an embossed coat of arms. I said, “Sir, it’s from the commissioner of the port, and it’s addressed to ‘Most Esteemed Excellency Commanding U.S. Aircraft Carrier.’ ” The captain straightened his tie and gave me an approving nod. I continued. “It is a great pleasure to have your tremendous ship visit our city.” I paused and let the captain revel in the flowery praise. I was a bit full of myself. Here I was, in the homeland of my ancestors, just blocks from the house of one of the greatest mariners in history — Christopher Columbus — and I was translating beautiful diplo80 MILITARY OFFICER OCTOBER 2006 matic honors to the U.S. Navy, our ship, and my captain. “Please continue,” said the captain, obviously eager to hear more. My chest swelled as my crude linguistic talents ever so slowly revealed the purpose of the letter. “Your honored presence is requested tomorrow at noon at the court of .” The yeoman interrupted, “Oh, you were right captain, it is an invitation! Probably for a royal function.” I paused, confused. Royal function? Italy was no longer a monarchy. I re-read the line, then looked further down the page. The words trecento milione lire caught my eye. I turned to the captain, and with a sinking feeling, said, “Sir, please don’t shoot the messenger, but this is not an invitation. It’s a summons.” The captain turned red. “Best I can make out, sir, the Italians are claiming thousands of dollars in damage to fishing boats banged up by our wake as we came through the inner harbor.” The captain calmly said he’d give it to our legal officer and forward a copy to the U.S. consulate. He thanked me for my effort, but my embarrassment showed. “Ignore it, son,” he said. “But man, I’ve never seen such a beautiful summons. You Italians have flair.” MO — Thomas Terlizzi is a retired Navy commander who lives in Virginia Beach, Va. For submission information, see page 18. Tell Your Story ■ Share your servicerelated adventures (or mishaps) by e-mail to encore@moaa.org, or mail them to Encore Editor, 201 N. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314. All submissions will be considered for publication. ILLUSTRATION: ELWOOD SMITH
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