My Navy Career

Well, this is how I started out my Navy career, just as everyone else starts out. At boot camp as a freshly shaven(head), clean cut, young person. Actually this is my Boot Camp graduation picture as I have no other boot camp pictures prior to this one.

It all started when I was 17 years old. I was bored in school and looking back, I believe that is why I was just an average student. Other than that, I really do not know why I joined. However, I do not regret one minute having done so.

For my first stop, they sent me to NTC Great Lakes during the winter for bootcamp. Yes, it was very cold! There were many times that we did not get to go outside as it was too cold. Of course at bootcamp you learn discipline, lots of it, and the Navy way of life.

After bootcamp, my first stop was Service School Command, Great Lakes for my initial rate training as a Machinist Mate. Being a Machinist Mate has nothing at all to do with machining parts like it sounds. A Machinist Mate is a Steam Propulsion Engineer who starts out working in the Main Propulsion spaces below the water line of the ship. These are the people who bring the ship alive, all while working in a place that can and will snuff out your very existence in the blink of an eye. To shine light on this fact, read "The Snipes Lament" by an unknown author.

My first ship was the USS Edson (DD-946) homeported in Newport, RI. This is where I cut my teeth so to speak, as well as where I learned to ride a small ship in 50 foot seas in the North Atlantic. The waves were going faster than us and yes I did get wet taking this picture. This was where I had my most fun in the Navy, when you could have lots of fun and not get in any real trouble. The Edson was part of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum located in New York City.

I was then sent to my first shore duty tour at the Navy Absentee Collection Unit in Newport, RI. Here my job was the Investigation, Apprehension and Transportation of Navy Deserters. Yes, some people actually decided they did not like the Navy and left on their own accord thinking they would never get caught. While I was there, we caught a person that had been gone for 23 1/2 years. Contrary to popular belief there is no statue of limitation for desertion.

My second ship was the USS Nashville (LPD-13). The first half of my tour I was assigned to the Aft Engineroom and stood watch as the Machinist Mate of the Watch. The second half of my tour I was assigned to the Mechanical Gage Calibration Lab as the shop supervisor. I volunteered for this job as no one else would and I soon found out why! If you ever served onboard the USS Nashville, or if you are just curious browse on over to the USS Nashville (LPD-13) - Shipmates Homepage. This is a site listing past crew members, as well as a gathering place to be able to contact old shipmates.

My second shore duty assignment was at NAVSURFLANT Performance Monitoring Team in Charleston, SC. Here we went onboard ships to conduct assessments of the ships engineering systems to determine when and if repairs were needed. This was done through Thermal Imaging, Vibration Analysis, Flow Monitoring, Mechanical Alignment, as well as other methods of determining equipment condition.

My third and final ship was the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). I was assigned to the ship as part of the outfitting and commissioning crew as the Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Shop Supervisor. I was responsible for coordinating the creation of the shop from scratch, as well as directing the day to day operations during my assignment. The ship was constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, VA. This was my most challenging assignment during my 20 year career, however, it was also my most rewarding.

My final duty station was at the Naval Reserve Center Lexington, KY. There I was primarily assigned as the Order Writer. I arranged the transportation and wrote orders for all the reservists when they drilled away from the reserve center. I also served as the Network Administrator for the command. I enjoyed the duty here as it was pretty laid back and everyone on the staff, as well as most of the reservists were real decent people. True to the detailler telling me, a reserve center is a great place to retire from the Navy.

I spent 20 years in the Navy and am now retired. Navy retirement does not pay enough, so I still have to work. I currently work as the Maintenance Manager at America's Beverage Company in Irving, TX.

I never once regret serving my country.