Ginger & Lynn have asked me to say a few words. I am honored that I have been asked to do that.

My background as it relates to Captain John B. Mallard is simple – I served under Captain Mallard in the Navy.

I would like to open with a brief prayer and then I have a few thoughts to share.

“Our Father, we have so much to be thankful for; too many things to mention, but we do thank You for this moment and this day; we thank You for family; we thank You for friends; we thank You for fellowship, and at times like this, we thank You for Your love and the peace that only You can bring and the assurance that we have that John Mallard is in a far better place. We thank You for all of this. In Christ’s name. Amen.”

I learned a pretty long time ago that the way to be appreciated when speaking is to be as brief as possible.

And, I apologized to Ginger before we arrived here today; I said I know I should limit my comments to two or three minutes because nobody knows me, and there are so many people here that are so much closer to Captain Mallard than I was.

I apologize to each of you in advance for it is going to take me more than a few minutes because I have a story I want to tell, and I feel that, for those of you who love him and know him well, it is important that you understand that, as a result of the one year that I spent with him, Captain Mallard had a permanent effect on my life.

The scripture that I am going to read is out of Matthew; it is Chapter 25, verses 34 through 40.
If you listen to this I think that, as I go through my story, you will understand why I chose this scripture.

“And, the King will say to those on his right, Come ye who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, a kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison or go to visit you? The King will then reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

I went into the Navy out of NROTC at Vanderbilt in 1969.
I joined what I was told was the oldest ship in the Atlantic Fleet. It was named the USS Chilton.

My first captain made life very difficult for the 500 people on that ship.
He was not loving; he was not kind; he would insult and put people down in front of their peers.
He did everything that I had been raised to believe was wrong as it relates to managing and motivating people.

I could not wait to get out of the Navy; if this was what the Navy was, I wanted out.

Then, we had a change of command as our Captain was rewarded with a larger command.
To me, his promotion was somewhat discouraging.

A new Captain came on board.

At the Change of Command ceremony, we all put on our dress uniforms; it was warm weather, so we had on dress whites – this is a big event as those of you who have been through a change of command know – this is when the new captain addresses his officers for the first time and tells them exactly what life is going to be like under his command.

All the officers went to the wardroom waiting for this new captain, Captain John B. Mallard, to appear in the wardroom.

He was late.

We waited, and we waited -- ready to jump to attention when he walked in the door.

He walked in the door, and we jumped to attention.

I will never forget him walking through the door - not in his dress whites but in his casual khakis; and, if I may say so, (I hope you will smile and not be insulted by this) I realized right then that I was going to be dealing with the Columbo of the Navy.

[Pause for Laughter!!!]

Because that is what I saw walking through that door – I saw Columbo in a Naval uniform.

And, I will never forget our opening talk.
He looked at us, and he apologized.
He said, “My gosh, I meant to let everybody know to get comfortable.
I just want to visit and let you know who I am.”

And, he said something I will never forget – he said,
“I want you to understand why I am in this man’s Navy.
It isn’t so I can gain the next step in life and attain the rank of Admiral.
My guess is I’ll never achieve that rank, and I can’t tell you how okay that is with me.”

He said, “I’m in the Navy because I love it; I love being with people; I love going to sea; I love it!
I have looked around this ship during the last few weeks and you are doing just fine.
So, you just keep doing fine, and we will have a great time together.”

That was his formal, stilted, unapproachable talk to these officers who were scared to death.
I walked out of there thinking, where is the catch; where is the catch – this is not what I have lived through this past year or so under my prior Captain.

It was not long after that we went to sea.

Our ship was short of senior officers to say the least at this point in time.

As a result, I had been promoted to full Lieutenant and served as the Senior Watch Officer.

We had Sea and Anchor Detail and went out for a few days.
We came back in port, and then we were deployed to the Mediterranean for seven months.

I had Sea and Anchor Detail with Captain Mallard. He took one wing -- I took the other.

We ran back and forth a couple of times, but after we got out to open sea, he came to me and turned the Conn over to me, and, he said,
“Mr. Morgan, I’ll be in my sea cabin; if you need me, just let me know. Do you have a good officer coming on to relieve you?”

I said, “Yes Sir, I have Lt. J. G. Hobby and he is as good as we’ve got.”

He said, “Great, we’re fine, I’m going down.”

So, Lt. J. G. Hobby comes to the bridge.
If you weren’t in the Navy, you can’t fully appreciate what I’m getting ready to tell you.

As I prepare to turn over the Conn, I say, “Scott, you have to review the Standing Night Orders."
(The Standing Night Orders are the Captain’s Bible of instructions)
"Wake me up if a contact comes within five miles; wake me up if visibility gets less than two miles; etc."
-- all the rules the Officer of the Deck is supposed to obey.

So, I open up the Standing Night Orders to review them with Lt. J. G. Hobby ...

and they are blank.

[Laughter!]

There is nothing in the book.

So, I pick up the red phone – which I was very hesitant to do – I didn’t exactly know Captain Mallard very well at this point -- and said, “Captain, this is Lt. Morgan; excuse me for bothering you, but I was going to review the SNO with Mr. Hobby and there are no entries.”

He said, “Oh gosh, I knew there was something I had forgotten to do.” --

He said, “Listen, can you go ahead and turn the Conn over to Mr. Hobby and come on down to my sea cabin.”

I said, “Yes Sir.”

So, I do this, then I go down to his cabin – it was my first time approaching the Captain’s cabin and I’m nervous – very nervous! I’m just 22/23 years old.

I knock and then enter and he apologized again and here is what he said --

“Mr. Morgan, I watched you during the Sea and Anchor Details and during our brief time at sea last week.
In addition, I was on the bridge with you just now; and you need to understand that I have full faith and trust in you as our Senior Watch Officer.

So, - here are my standing orders – I am going to put in the book whatever you need to have in that book to protect you and the other officers on this ship.

But, here are my verbal orders to you – you do what you think is best!
If you are not in doubt, you make the decision and I will stand behind you no matter what.”

And then, he said, “However, if you are in doubt; if you are not at all sure; if you are worried or concerned; you call me immediately and I will come running; and I will remove the burden of that decision from you.”

It was probably years and years later – during a later stage of my walk of faith – that I understood how prophetic those thoughts were.

The truth is -- all he was doing was paraphrasing our Lord’s promise to us; it is unbelievable as I look back on it – because what Captain Mallard said is so similar to what our Lord said. -- He said to each of us -- I love you and I believe in you; and, as long as you are feeling good and know you are making the right decision, you go for it and no matter how bad that decision looks with hindsight, I am still going to love you and I’ll support you.

However, if you are worried; if you are concerned; if you have a need; you call me and I’ll coming running and I’ll take that burden from you. – What an extraordinary promise from our Lord!

Therefore, I never forgot the words that Captain Mallard spoke to me that day.

What happened from there?
This is what happened from there.

I only served with Captain Mallard for a little over a year.
And, during that time, the 500 people on that ship, most of whom were enlisted, had their lives evolve from tough, difficult, and unhappy to exciting – and fun – and dynamic – and challenging.
The whole spirit of that ship changed.

So, it wasn’t just an ordinary year, it was a period of transformation for all of us who served aboard the USS Chilton under Captain Mallard.

How did he accomplish this?

As I look back on it, I realize that he had certain attributes, which made him special.

I shared one of these attributes at an address, which I delivered at Appalachian State University.

I did a commencement speech for Appalachian State Business School a few years ago and it turned out that Ginger heard about it through a friend.

My theme was SUCCESS. -- I was worried about these young people graduating and thinking that success meant climbing a corporate ladder, getting to the top, making a lot of money, impressing their peers, impressing their parents.

And, I used CAPTAIN MALLARD as the ULTIMATE DEFINITION OF SUCCESS.

I explained that those other things are not what success is all about.

SUCCESS IS ACHIEVED WHEN AT THE END OF YOUR LIFE YOU HAVE CHANGED THE LIVES OF OTHERS FOR THE BETTER.

SO, ONE OF HIS ATTRIBUTES WAS THAT HE WAS SUCCESSFUL!

What else was he? HE WAS A LEADER.

The greatest definition I have ever heard of a leader is “someone who takes you places you could never go on your own.”

CAPTAIN JOHN B. MALLARD TOOK ME PLACES I COULD NEVER HAVE GONE ON MY OWN.

HE WAS A TEACHER!

I have been so blessed in my business and professional life.
I had a great education at Vanderbilt University; I have been around great business people, but the teacher I draw from, the person I most try to emulate in my interaction with others, in my management of other people, - is – JOHN MALLARD.
HE WAS A TEACHER!

Lastly, and possibly most important to me, HE WAS A MENTOR – and I do not use that term loosely – HE WAS A MENTOR.

A mentor is someone who truly develops and shapes your life – not someone who simply teaches you facts or stirs your thoughts.

In my life, I have only had two mentors – I was blessed that one of them is my father and the second was Captain John B. Mallard.

So, that is how he did it; he did it by being a SUCCESS, A LEADER, A TEACHER, AND A MENTOR.
It is important that you realize that John Mallard represented these traits to others than myself.

Let me tell you about one of the most wonderful letters that I ever received in my life.

A few years after I got out of the Navy, I received a letter from a Seaman Third Class Seaburg – I still remember his name – and, when I read his letter, I cannot tell you what it meant to me.

Because, he said – and he was still calling me Mr. Morgan; he said, “Mr. Morgan, you probably don’t remember me, but I served under you, served with you, in the Operations Department of the USS Chilton your last six months on board that ship.”

He said, “I just want you to know that because of you what had been an unbearable part of my life became a pleasure, and I wanted to write you and tell you the difference you made.”

And, I want all of you to know that I am not the one that made his life more bearable.

I could not have made a difference in his life under my first Captain; he would not have allowed me to treat people the way I wanted to. -- But, under Captain John B. Mallard, I was able to be real to those people; to care about them and at the same time keep them disciplined and proud of accomplishing the task at hand.

So, there is a Seaman out there named Seaburg who thinks I am supposed to be getting some credit that actually belongs to Captain Mallard.

There were 500 others on that ship and I think about Captain Mallard’s 30 years in the Navy.

I was there for one year of his Naval career and 500 of us were positively affected for that one year – that tells me that over his 30-year career about 15,000 people are out there somewhere whose lives have been changed for the better because of Captain John B. Mallard.

And, you know what, (do your own math when you get home) -- if each of us, each of those 15,000 people goes out and touches the same number of people in our lifetime that Captain Mallard did in his Naval career, then John Mallard, believe it or not, would have changed the lives and touched indirectly over 200 million people.

You are probably beginning to understand why Captain John B. Mallard represents a lot more to me than simply being someone that I served with for only one year of my life.

One of the great things that the Lord has ever done for me was He gave me the wisdom to follow Seaman Seaburg’s lead.

I waited 20 years, but about 6 years or so ago, (Ginger, I think that’s about right) I told myself I’ve got to find Captain Mallard; I’ve got to find him; I’ve got to let him know what he means to me.

Finding him was not easy.

I tell you that, when you retire as a Captain from the Navy, they keep where you are very private.

\We tried writing to the Oaks at Lena, SC, and that didn’t work. That letter came back to us.

Finally, I went to BUPERS in Washington, D.C.; and, they said – write us a letter, mail it to us, and we will forward it to him; but we will not give you his address.

So, I wrote the letter and attempted to pour out my heart to him and let him know that 25 years later he was still having a profound effect on someone whose name I was sure he didn’t even remember.

By the way, the fact that he would probably not remember me was part of what was so special about him.
I was no more unique to him during that one year together than anyone else on the ship.
We weren’t buddies; we weren’t close friends; he was my Captain.

I got that letter written, and he received it and wrote me a wonderful note in return.

Soon thereafter, Ginger was kind enough to arrange a surprise meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina during one of her art shows.

Not only did I get a chance to reunite with him and say some things verbally that I wanted to say, embrace him, talk with him; but I also got to purchase two of my favorite, actually, they are my two very favorite pictures, that hang in our house today.

I will now conclude this story of the past.

What does all of this have to do with the present other than letting you know that John Mallard has profoundly affected people other than family and close friends?

That question brings me to this thought -- WE ARE HERE – WITH ALL MY HEART I BELIEVE THIS – TO CELEBRATE THE FOREGIVENESS, THE REPENTENCE, THE LOVE AND THE SALVATION THAT IS PROMISED TO EACH ONE OF US THROUGH OUR BELIEF IN JESUS CHRIST, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR.

That is why we are here, we are here to celebrate!

I want to tell you I have a mental picture of Captain Mallard appearing at the pearly gates and here’s what did not happen:

They did not ask him, did you make Admiral?

They did not ask him how much money did you accumulate?

They did not ask him how many times his picture was on the front page of a newspaper, what political office did he hold, what corporation did he run?

WHAT THEY DID ASK HIM WAS – DID YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE YOU TOUCHED?

And, guess what, HE DID.

HE DID - TO QUOTE OUR EARLIER SCRIPTURE -- EVEN UNTO THE LEAST OF THEM – EVEN UNTO THE LEAST OF THEM – A SEAMAN THIRD CLASS’ LIFE WAS CHANGED; A YOUNG, WET BEHIND THE EARS, LIEUTENANT’S LIFE WAS CHANGED - LIVES OF PEOPLE HE WAS NEVER GOING TO SEE AGAIN WERE CHANGED.

And, I tell you right now, when they asked that question, THERE WAS A RESOUNDING CHORUS OF “YESES” FROM THE ANGELS, and I know, therefore, with all my heart where John Mallard is now -- I know with all my heart where he is right now .

GOD’S LIGHT SHONE THROUGH THE LIFE OF JOHN B. MALLARD, AND WE ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE THAT THEY ARE NOW TOGETHER FOREVER.

Before I finish my comments and have a closing prayer, I want to thank Lynn as a representative of his immediate family for sharing him with us.

I was in the Navy long enough to know that being the daughter of a Naval Captain, who was at sea so much, was not an easy thing and when we had him you did not.

I know that, and I hope you can take some comfort in knowing that all of us who served with him treasure the time that we had.

And, Ginger, I thank you for so many things. I thank you for bringing him back into my life, for giving me that opportunity to “make the call.”

I urge each one of you, if there is someone out there in your life that has made a difference and you have not told them, make the call!

Pick up the phone, write the note, write the letter, and tell them they are special - thank goodness I did, thank goodness Ginger responded, and thank goodness I once more had time with Captain Mallard.

So, my final thought is this – I refer back to Ginger’s two paintings that hang in my home.

I treasure those paintings, and I’ve got to be honest with you, Ginger, I treasure them for two reasons:

I treasure them because I love them. I love to look at them; I love to enjoy them; and, to me, they are masterpieces done by a master of her trade.

The second reason I treasure those paintings is because they have the name MALLARD signed on them.
Every time I look at those paintings I look at that name and that reminds me - every single time I look at them – of an even more important masterpiece --- a masterpiece created by the Master himself.
AND THE NAME OF THAT MASTERPIECE WAS JOHN B. MALLARD.

If I could, I would like to close in prayer.

“Our Father, we thank You once more for this day and this time; we thank You more than anything at this moment for the life of Captain John B. Mallard. We thank You for the effect that he had on each one of us. We thank You for now having him in your arms, hugging him and embracing him and providing him a joy that we cannot even begin to understand. We know, for example, that if Captain Mallard could, at this very moment, turn around and come back and join us on earth, as much as he loves his family and friends, he would say no thank you. We cannot conceive of a place so wonderful that we would be willing to stay away from the ones we love, but we know that that is the nature of where he is right now. We thank You for that knowledge. We thank You for all your love, and we ask that, as we go through our days, we emulate Captain Mallard and so many of his attributes and that we also strive to go through our life touching those around us, making their lives better and doing it even unto the least of them. We thank You for all of this and ask You all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. Amen.”

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