'You're Junior!'
NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr. visits Great Lakes
By Dan Moran
GREAT LAKES — Two guests joined a table of recruits for lunch Thursday in the mess hall of the USS Marvin Shields barracks.
One was easily identified by his nameplate and the single star on his collar: Rear Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, commander of the Navy Recruiting Command.
But as Fowler led the lunchtime small-talk, quizzing the surrounding recruits about their assignments, no one seemed to take special notice of the other visitor, a quiet, lanky man with rusty brown hair.
Finally, Fowler decided to test the waters. He looked across the table at recruit Jenilee Paige Sanders, who was seated next to the mild-mannered guest, and said, "Do you know who he is?"
"No," said Sanders, shaking her head as she turned to take a closer look.
"Really?" said the mystery guest — Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of an American motorsport icon and a reigning NASCAR superstar in his own right.
As laughter surrounded the table, Earnhardt beamed at Sanders, a smile that seemed to express relief at being seen as something other than a celebrity for a change.
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