Mr. November

by Anthony J. Romeo

When Reggie Jackson hit three homeruns in the 1977 World Series, he was going against great odds, but was still able to overcome and stand out from all the rest. Hence, he was nicknamed Mr. October.

There are many great candidates in the 2008 Presidential race, but I believe Rudy Giuliani will stand out from the rest. Hopefully, if all goes well next year at this time, we can refer to him as not only the President, but as Mr. November for Republicans.

Once I heard Mr. Giuliani was going to be in the presidential race for 2008, I knew he was going to get my first vote ever. I missed my first two chances to vote because of my own youth and ignorance.

But after all my travels and experiences abroad in the Navy, I now see, as an American, how important it is to vote. As a native New Yorker, I am convinced that Mr. Giuliani will have no problem facing our nation’s issues and executing an effective plan of action. America is the greatest nation in the world to me, as I am sure it is to all of you. That is why, back in December of 2004, I enlisted in the Navy. While traveling to many countries, I have seen first hand why our voting system should not be taken for granted.

I also know how vital it is to know the history of the candidate whom you are supporting.
Growing up in New York, I can remember Mr. Giuliani serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York City. If you did not know, he secured over 4,000 criminal convictions. I also remember how he changed the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, where he made the emissions test more stringent for the thousands of cabs that roam through New York City each day. This was a great achievement because if you were living in the city during the late 80’s and early 90’s, you would recall too many of those taxi cabs breaking down on the side of the road or polluting the air with abandon when they were up and running.

If you look at Times Square now, compared to 20 years ago, it has made a complete 180-degree turn around for the better. I can remember walking through Times Square as a boy in broad day light, seeing all the peep shows, smut shops and prostitutes right on the street. It was down right disgusting for a young boy to see. Then Mayor Giuliani forced out the smut shops and increased the manpower of the New York City Police Department and the NY/NJ Port Authority to enforce the law. This led to a number of big corporations like Planet Hollywood, ESPN Zone, Olive Garden, The W Hotel, MTV's TRL, Toys R' Us and many others to set up shop in Times Square. This is just one of many reasons tourism has grown in New York City since Giuliani’s administration. Now, I look at Times Square in a completely different light.

I am sure he has not done everything right throughout his career, but what President has not made mistakes in office? Problems will always occur throughout time, but instead of avoiding an issue, Mr. Giuliani has and, I believe, will continue to face the issues head on.

On top of that, Mr. Giuliani is glorified for his actions during September 11th, as he rightfully should. Because of his cool, calm, collective thoughts and quick planning, he and his admirable staff were able to organize rescue crews, security units, as well as clean up crews for the after effects in less than a day.

I’m sure a lot of people might say or think that he just did his job. If you could remember the one-day black out in New York City in the late 70's, killings, riots, and chaos took over the city. All this lunacy erupted from a temporary loss of electrical power on that particular night!

You may think that this is an outdated example of the worst-case scenario, but then think about what happened after Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. Remember all the unfortunate riots, lootings, and killings in the aftermath? I understand that September 11th was horrific, but the aftermath could have been so much worse.

In my opinion, if Mr. Giuliani were not there to take the proper actions that he did, there would have been a much greater disaster after September 11th. To me, he was a great attorney and a fabulous Mayor, so I have absolutely no doubt he would make an outstanding President for our great nation.

Anthony John Romeo is a sailor in the U.S. Navy who plans to get more active with the YRs and the Republican presidential campaign when he returns to New York.

Thoughts from a New York Sailor

by Anthony J. Romeo

When I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in early 2005, I was rather confused, at first, and a little nervous not knowing what to except from this new lifestyle.

Also, joining the military at the age of 24, it was a little harder to adjust, mainly because most of the great men and women of the United States Armed Forces either joined right out of high school at the young age of 18 or 19.

I had to deal with a lot of issues at first, and so, during my deployment, I took time to think long and hard about all the things people normally take for granted.

I would try to go to church as much as I could, and while the chaplain would attempt to deliver his mass over the enormous bangs of the flight deck catapults, I would hear that horrible bang as the mass would continue and I would think to myself how I would love to be back home at church listening to a baby’s constant cry and shushing by its mother instead.

Being away from my true Love, Lauren, was the hardest thing for me to cope with, but I feel it made our relationship so much stronger being away from one another for such a long period of time. Every night as I was reading my war time prayer book by author Father Fulton Sheen, I would use one of Lauren’s pictures as a bookmark, so that last thing I saw before I fell asleep was her beautiful face.

In the little free time I had, when I knew the ship was pulling into a port, I would inquire with my command’s religious department how I could help the people of whichever country we were visiting.

In Dubai, U.A.E., I volunteered twice to help handicapped children play different types of sports, including wheelchair basketball and soccer.

Another time I visited Dubai, I led a team to build a garden for a group of women who had been victims of human trafficking. They were recently rescued and needed a place of sanctuary, which we helped make into a more livable and beautiful home.

I did not do any of these things for a ribbon, medal or a plaque; I simply did them because they needed to be done.

There are so many great people overseas that just want the same thing we Americans want out of life, and that is good schools for our children to attend, as well as safe neighborhoods to live in and raise a family in.

The people over there are no different than you or I. They value family and their religion more than anything. I constantly tell people you should be happy for what you have, not be upset for what you don’t have, because when could a person ever be happy if you constantly wanted something bigger or more expensive? The answer is never.

A person should be grateful for the country we live in, the government we elect, and just for being alive. So many people take the most precious thing we have for granted too much, and that is life itself.

I remember as a young boy going to church, the priest once said, “Do not be upset you do not have a new pair of sneakers to play in, but be happy that you have feet and you are able to run and play with other children.”

I think people just need to take a second and look at the bigger picture, because, going away for so long, I learned not to complain, since no matter how much you complain, the situation does not change unless you do something about it yourself.

Anthony John Romeo, 27 of Brooklyn, New York, enlisted into the United States Navy on January 9, 2005.
During his service, he has been awarded the Blue Jacket Sailor of the Month twice in his department on the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Aviation Warfare Specialist, two Global War on Terrorism Medals, the Sea Service Medal, the National Defense Medal, and assisted his command to obtain the Battle of Excellence for 2006 during Operation Enduring Freedom & Iraqi Freedom from October of 2006 to May of 2007.
When he returns to New York, he plans to get more involved as a Young Republican.