'Its a glorious day'

Good Morning Cleveland!

Senator Husted, Representative Brown, Secretary Cao, Mayor Bibb, Admiral Thomas, Distinguished Guests, Veterans and Gold Star Families, Commander Hallett and the Crew of the USS Cleveland, and most especially, citizens and friends of this great city, thank you for being here today. It is wonderful to finally celebrate commissioning day with you.

As the ship’s sponsor, I have the privilege of attending all major ceremonies for our ship. People are most familiar with the christening of a ship. In April of 2023 I broke the bottle on the bow of the ship that signaled her launch into the water for the first time.

Matt Walsh

BUT- I’d like to tell you a story about a more private ceremony that is also an honored part of naval tradition. This one is called the Mast Stepping ceremony.

It was held about a month ago at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. This event marked the occasion when a ceremonial silver box containing symbolic artifacts was welded to the mast of the ship. For our ship, the contents of the box are meant to represent the city of Cleveland, the character of its citizens, and the vision of the shipbuilders and the Navy personnel who will support the ship during her time in service. Each item is meaningful and is intended to infuse the ship with the character traits of strength, courage, perseverance, and clarity of purpose. Some items draw from Cleveland heroes of the past, like the corpsman patch worn by our local Navy legend from Westlake, OH- Hospital Corpsman Emory Crowder. I know Emory is delighting in this ceremony from heaven. Still other items give a nod to the future such as challenge coins containing powerful words to propel her journey forward. Each one is intended to infuse a spirit of strength and inspiration. This morning I would like to tell you about what I placed in this box.

Rather than choosing an item of naval significance, I decided instead to place in the box the actual gold brooch that my mother wore on even the simplest days of her life. The brooch simply states: IT’S A GLORIOUS DAY! Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to find an identical pin on a vintage website. I am wearing that pin today. The words on this pin are important to me because they reflect a posture of permanent gratitude, one that is never dependent on circumstance. I know that many days seem far from glorious. ‘Normal life’ circumstances can appear to hold nothing but challenges and difficulties. It requires a deliberate choice to notice the subtle gifts, the small wins, the few things that ‘go our way. However, I challenge you to believe there can be a sense of glory in every day. From this moment forward, every day we do something to support this ship and her sailors will be a glorious day.

Now, to the crew specifically, I offer you these words: The definition of glory is often associated with the word HONOR. You may not think of all your days onboard this ship as glorious …. but they will be because each day of your service will be defined by HONOR. Every single day that you wake up and perform your duties aboard this ship, you will be doing something HONORABLE FOR THE MISSION. Every time you choose to encourage someone with a bad attitude, you will be doing something HONORABLE FOR YOUR PEOPLE. Every time you maximize your efforts to better your team, you will be doing something HONORABLE FOR YOUR NAVY. And every time you look beyond what is lacking, and focus on what is possible, you will be doing something HONORABLE FOR OUR NATION. There is tremendous value in the HONOR of all these acts of service. Each one will deserve great praise, but even without any overt recognition, they will define FOR YOU the glorious days you will spend on this ship—and ultimately that is what matters most.

As I close, I want to remind you that the American flag is commonly referred to as “Old Glory.” It is a symbolic representation of our nation’s strength…. perseverance …. pride….and honor. When it was draped on the shoulders of our triumphant Olympic athletes, it was a glorious day. When it was planted in the soil on the moon, it was a glorious day. And when it has flown in victory above the grounds and seas of battle throughout our nation’s history, there was no mistaking its meaning: It was a glorious day.

Today, we take the final step in a time-honored tradition. We witness history by commissioning this ship in the city whose name she will carry to the sea. Getting to this day has not been easy. Many years have passed since the ship was authorized by Congress and named by the Secretary of the Navy in 2018. But we are here today -- undeterred and looking forward. Today Cleveland will become an official ship of the line in the greatest navy in the world. Today is just the first step toward the many glorious days that will follow. Like today, those days ahead will be full of inspiration and patriotic symbolism. Like today, those days will be infused with the passion of the people of Cleveland. And because of that… you should know that every day of service on this ship will vividly demonstrate these words: It’s A Glorious Day!

Thank you for being here today. May God Bless the Crew of the USS Cleveland, the United States Navy and Marine Corps, the citizens of this city, and the United States of America.

Thank you.

And now for the moment we have all been waiting for.

Officers and Crew of USS Cleveland: Man our Ship and Bring Her to Life!