Capt. James Symonds could hardly believe his good fortune when he was selected skipper of the USS Ronald Reagan.

Symonds told Oak Harbor Rotary Club and Oak Harbor Navy League members Friday, Aug. 26, about his political hero — the 40th president of the United States — for whom the aircraft carrier was named.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that everything is better thanks to Ronald Reagan,” he told the overflow crowd at the Oak Harbor Yacht Club.

He credited Reagan with improving benefits for veterans and active duty personnel, and so much more.

But Symonds confessed he wasn’t eager when Navy brass summoned him to participate in Reagan’s internment service at Simi Valley, Calif. At the time, Symonds was taking the ship on its first deployment and was dealing with treacherous waters off South America.

Navy captains usually don’t leave their ships when underway, but the Chief of Naval Operations gave his blessing and Symonds flew to California for the ceremony that riveted the nation on June 11, 2004.

Symonds presented a folded flag to First Lady Nancy Reagan during the ceremony. He’d met her at the launching of the carrier the previous year. She had taken a personal interest in the ship’s interior design.

The captain’s quarter’s are reminiscent of the Red Room (red — her favorite color) at the White House. The centerpiece is a desk and chair Reagan had used, complete with a deep drawer in which Reagan stored his speeches on file cards.

Immediately after the service, Symonds was whisked back to the ship to continue training exercises with the South Americans. He took the carrier through the Straits of Magellan, which had surprisingly deep waters and were capable of handling the ship’s draught.

The beautiful coastline and mountain views were disorienting.

Symonds was struck by “the amazing similarity to the waters around Whidbey Island and views of the Cascades.”

“Cascades meets Puget Sound is what I was thinking, having been a Whidbey guy,” he said.

Symonds is a former Intruder pilot and commander of the “Boomers,” VA-165. He also served as commander of the Medium Attack Weapons School at NAS Whidbey. He held several leadership positions before he was chosen as captain of the aircraft carrier.

A native of Sodus, New York, Symonds earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the State University of New York at Albany in 1975. He was commissioned at Aviation Officer Candidate School, NAS Pensacola, Florida, in September 1975. He was designated a Naval Flight Officer in July 1976. He earned his pilot’s wings at Pensacola in August 1983.

He was elevated to squadron commander in 1993 and went on to command ships and various naval operations.

Now he’s headed to the top of the mast. Symonds has been selected for promotion to Rear Admiral.

He’ll command the USS Ronald Reagan until November and then head off to Washington, D.C. to take over as Director of Environmental Protection for the Navy.

Larry Munns, a retired captain and former commander of NAS Whidbey, met Symonds when they were young officers based at Whidbey. They were both transferred to naval operations in Japan.

“We went to Japan and we were roommates on our first cruise,” Munns said, in remarks introducing his friend to the crowd at the Oak Harbor Yacht Club.

Symonds has traveled successfully through his naval career with his wife Anne, by his side. They have three children, who are now long gone from home.

But Symonds said Oak Harbor schoolmates will surely remember, Adam, 28, Karen, 25, and Leah, 23.

Where Symonds career will eventually lead remains to be seen. One day he’d like to return to Whidbey, maybe spend summers here and winters in Arizona.

“Returning to Whidbey has been absolutely magical,” Symonds said in an interview. “Yes, there are changes, yet so much is the same as when we left it 10 or 11 years ago.”