CAN YOU HEAR ME?
- Jason Bonnicksen
- Dec 12, 2025
- 4 min read
December 12, 2025
Jason Bonnicksen
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
365 DAYS OF THANKSLIVING — DAY 2
The phone rang. The area code said (757). “That’s the Tidewater area,” I said. “And honey, that prefix is Norfolk or Virgina Beach. It looks like it’s coming from base.”
My phone had now rung three times. “Should I pick it up?” There’s no way it could be her. She was supposed to be deployed— halfway across the world at sea. I quickly started to worry… I pressed the green icon and picked up.
“Dad? Mom? Are you there? Can you hear me?”
A single tear welled up in my eye. It was Hallie on the line. But how could it be? “Kiddo. Hi. Are you alright? We thought you were out to sea.”
“Oh, I’m just fine. I just wanted to call and say, ‘Hi.’”
“Well, where are you? You must be in port, right?” The line went silent. “Hallie…. Hallie? Can you hear me?” Our hopeful SWO didn’t reply, at least not instantaneously.
“I’m not in any port; we’re still out to sea,” She replied hesitantly.
“Are you at least allowed to tell us where you’re at?”
Another brief moment of silence befell the line. Then we heard her voice again. “I’m in my office aboard the ship. But as to where we are, I’m not allowed to say. We’re still haze gray and underway.”
I knew that code all too well. The USS Oak Hill was on mission, someplace, somewhere in the world (and they weren’t allowed to say where). Hallie had called to say hello, and that despite what we might see online, that she and her shipmates were okay. That was her way of saying, “Keep your eye on Fox News.”
We talked seemingly for hours. We were so proud of girl; she was doing what she loved. Hallie was on her first deployment, learning the ropes as a new officer. Hallie had called in comfort, her chair learning back and her feet upon her desk; her ship sailing through the waters, 100’s of miles off the coast, somewhere in the world.
I remember thanking God for the gift of talking with my daughter that day— thanking Him for her, her safety, and a technology I hadn’t considered that’d advanced that far. My mind flashed back to 30 years earlier….
“Dear Sweetie. I can’t wait to see you again. The days are long, and the week never seems to end. I don’t even know what day it is. I sure miss hearing your voice and seeing your lovely face. I can’t wait to talk with you again. And, well… speaking of which, I’m gonna call you soon. I need you to write this down. I’m gonna call you on your birthday, but it’ll be 2AM your time. Please make sure you’re up. I’ll won’t be able to talk for long.”
MS3 Jason Bonnicksen, US Navy
The line was long at MWR that night. There were two phones we could use, both looked like payphones on the base. All’s we had to do, they said, was use the code on the card, dial the number, and Walla!
(507) 437-6976…. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzz… The buzzing stopped. The line picked up.
“Hello?.... Jason? Is this you?”
“Dani, Sweetie….. Can you hear me? Om my gosh; I can’t believe this works. I just wanted to call to say, ‘Hi and I love you.’ Happy Birthday.” I can’t tell you where I am… I just wanted you to know that I love you and that we’re safe…. How are you?”
Our call lasted only 3 minutes; that’s all the time MWR would afford. It cost $7/minute to make a call back then. But no amount of money mattered, the cost of hearing her voice was invaluable.” I still thank God for that day.
Back then, making calls like that was such a BIG deal. I needed to hear her voice again; she was all that was anchoring me and keeping hopeful and sane. But today, we don’t give much thought to technology like this. We use Kakao Talk and WhatsApp to chat for free with loved ones halfway across the world.
Honestly, I’ve grown all to custom to using apps like these to stay in touch with my daughter, whose literally 14 time zones away. But today, the Lord reminded me of the advancements we’ve made to simply say, “I love you” from so far away. I'm reminded today of what James the brother of Jesus wrote:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change
James 1:17, ESV
What kind of things have you grown so use to that you almost take for granted?
Thank you, Lord God for the ability to stay in touch with such ease. Thank you for technology; and human advancement that helps keep our love warm and families strong.
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