Skift Take
It's a bad year for military-related celebrations. New York City's Fleet Week will suffer the same fate as Floridas and the Blue Angels are grounded, too.
Picture the scene of a Fort Lauderdale beachside hotel and in strut a couple of Navy sailors -- in uniform -- straight off the ship. They spot a table full of young women in swimsuits sipping cocktails and listening to music. One sailor dares the other: bet you can't get them to dance with you.
"I went over to the table and I said 'Ladies, I can't ask just one of you to dance with me,'" (Ret.) Senior Chief Petty Officer Chuck Black, recalled of his visit to Fort Lauderdale in the 1980s. '"I'm going to ask all of you to dance with me.'
"And they did. It was so much fun."
The welcoming atmosphere Black found in Fort Lauderdale lured him back, and today Black is a permanent resident of South Florida and loyal supporter of Fleet Week, that beloved annual tradition that brings thousands of sailors to our shores each year.
This year it starts April 29 -- but without
