BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Crew members of the USS Boise participate in hometown visits once a year. During their visit this weekend, one thing in particular stood out.
“This is probably the cleanest place that I’ve ever been,” Overhaul Coordinator Dustin Wolcott said.
On Thursday, the Boise Metro Chamber unveiled a new tribute wall, sponsored by Idaho Central Credit Union, for the USS Boise and its crew. According to President and CEO of the Boise Metro Chamber Bill Connors, the tribute wall is intended to serve as a destination for those who have and will serve on the USS Boise and as a reminder of the support those service members have in Boise.
The wall includes an honor roll for those who served on the Boise to sign. Lt. Cmdr. Derik Rothchild was the first to sign the honor roll.
“It’s an honor,” Rothchild said. “It’s one of those things that I’ve always dreamed about with regards to having that legacy and being able to put my name on a building. Well, this is the first step. I’ll keep working towards that name on a building someday.”
The tribute wall is something Rothchild will direct his family to for years to come, he said.
“I can tell my grandchildren to come here,” Rothchild said. “I have family in the area, so I can tell my family for years and years, you can see my name (here).”
The USS Boise is a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine in active service with the United States Navy.
Most submarines of this class are named after American cities or towns.
“This chamber has been long supporters of our military,” Connors said. ”National security is important to the business community, and we want to support our troops and wherever they are.”
The USS Boise was launched on March 23, 1991. In 2002, it was a part of the John F. Kennedy strike group during Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2003, it delivered some of the opening shots of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The submarine is currently in a dry dock undergoing maintenance.
“Right now we’re doing a lot of external hull and tank work and stuff like that,” Wolcott said. “And then we’ll get into the overhaul where they basically rip everything apart, renew it and then put it back together.”
The submarine should be back on the water in the next four or five years, Wolcott said. With all that waiting, it’s clear that perseverance and patience are big parts of the Boise story, Wolcott said.
“It’s tough when you’re on the blocks and there’s holes cut your ship,” Wolcott said. “But we do a good job, we send (crew members) out to other boats so they can rise to the sea.”
Things like this hometown visit help the crew members too.
“I’ve been around 23 years and I still get motivated just meeting people and seeing how invested they are in the boat,” Wolcott said.
The wall and the honor roll stand as a witness to Rothchild and his team that the things they do on a daily basis are appreciated by people in Boise.
“I’ve never heard of a tribute wall out of all the other submarines and we got one. It’s amazing,” Rothchild said. “We definitely do appreciate everything that committee is doing for us and really the city itself, because it’s all one line of effort towards being able to exercise our freedoms as American citizens.”
Connors is also a part of the USS Boise committee, which raises money to give sailors while they’re serving.
“I don’t know how these guys do it. It’s just an incredible commitment to be on a nuclear-powered submarine,” Connors said. “I’m just very proud of these people and hopefully, they’ll become proud of Boise over the years.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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