James B. Perkins III grew up in Boothbay Harbor. Before graduating from Boothbay Region High School, he and his fellow team mates on the football team brought home the state championship trophy in 1958.

Admiral Perkins went on to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy. He holds a master’s degree in engineering acoustics and in National Security and Strategic Studies. When he retired in 1999, after 35 years of distinguished service, he had achieved the rank of vice admiral.

“I had two or three good days,” Perkins said with a wry smile, reflecting on his decades of service.

Perkins, who spent most of his time at sea, would have remained in the Navy “forever,” but statutory age limitations had to be observed.

Of all the missions the Vice Admiral accomplished, there are three he considers highlights of his career.

The first was when at the rank of Captain he led, and helped to plan, the surface action group that destroyed three Iranian ships and two intelligence operations platforms on the April 18, 1988 in the action, Operation Praying Mantis. This operation was a retaliatory measure against the Iranians after The USS Samuel B. Roberts struck one of their mines in the Persian Gulf.

“That action was done on what is called 'mission orders,” back when you told a guy to do something and didn't micromanage him,” Perkins said. “You just let him do it. We sacked three ships. The Iranian Navy ceased to be a factor after this operation … it was a good day."

Although most of us think of military men and women in combat or in war zones most of their careers, the fact is, more often than not they are involved in disaster relief efforts.

A memorable relief effort for Perkins was his tour in Guam in the early 1990s where the Navy helped put the island back together after a typhoon swept through. During this time frame, in the nearby Philippines, the volcano Mount Pinatubo erupted. Both Clark Air Force Base and the Subic Bay Naval Station are located close by. Perkins was in charge of the evacuation of 21,000 people in 11 days to Guam and then on to the U.S.

Finally, as a One Star Admiral stationed in San Diego, Perkins was the commander of the Amphibious Group Three (1992-1994). He led combined naval forces in Somalia during the first and ending phases of Operation Restore Hope.

“There was a famine in Somalia, that was manipulated by the war lords; if you weren't a member of the favored clans, you didn't get anything to eat,” Perkins said. “I ended up opening the Port of Mogadishu and ran it for about six weeks. We brought food and aid to the port and then convoyed it out to the feeding stations with security forces. It was a good first half of the operation. Kind of bothers me a bit, because when people hear Somalia they think "Black Hawk Down," which happened a year and a half after the operation ended.

The Vice Admiral always enjoyed going out to sea and the camaraderie, back then. But he said he wouldn't like it as much in 'today's Navy.”

“Today's Navy is different — there's this 'one strike and you're out' policy,” Perkins said. “Don't misunderstand me, I don't condone misbehaving, but young people make mistakes. They get caught for drunk driving, for example. We tend to judge them very harshly and, in general, terminate many careers.”

The treatment of today's veterans, the lack of medical care and/or inability to get a timely appointment, and the fact some veterans end up homeless, is of concern to Perkins. He reflected on the recent termination of Eric Shinseki as a result of the Veterans Health Administration scandal, which erupted last month.

“First off, Eric Shinseki (former Secretary of Veterans Affairs) is a good man. He's a disabled veteran,” Perkins said. “I knew him when he was in the Pentagon and I was in the military sealift command. In my view, he was the scapegoat, he took the fall for the President and everybody else.”

“Clearly we aren't keeping track of the right stuff. It seems obvious to me you need to keep track of how long it takes to get an appointment. Having said that, if you look at the client base VA hospitals like at Togus, its increased dramatically — not only do you have Vietnam vets, like me, but you have 12 years of war and many more veterans who survived because of improvements in battlefield medical care.”

Though retired from the U.S. Navy, Perkins is still “on the job” as a teacher at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He spends summers back home in Boothbay Harbor. He says his goal is to be here three months out of the year. This is the first year he was able to arrive on June 1.

Perkins has always been fond of travel, and of being near the water. But it's always good to come home.

“I used to talk to Mary Brewer about it. I'd tell her how you can't really understand what a wonderful place Boothbay Harbor is until you leave and you come back. You can take it for granted. It's a wonderful place ... I think Mary just pretended to believe me,” Perkins said, chuckling.

He's looking forward to another Windjammer Days festival, seeing his son and granddaughter who are coming to town for the events, and maybe having them ride with him in the street parade.

When Friends of Windjammer Days Board Member Mark Gimbel extended the grand marshal invitation, the Vice Admiral replied, “It would be an honor and a pleasure.”

“I think a great deal of this town,” Perkins said. “I'm glad that they are stretching WJD out (to a week). People like those tall ships, it brings people into the towns to go to the restaurants, and other places.”

“I remember them (the schooners) coming in the harbor with their sails up — it's really dramatic,” Perkins said.

Today, with his view of the harbor from his cottage, the schooners anchor in his “backyard.”

“I have the best view in the world.”

The Windjammer Days Street Parade will take to the streets on Wednesday, June 25 at 4 p.m. Watch for the Vice Admiral and send him a salute as he rides by.