In the beginning...

In order to 'blog' about what I do for our great country, and more specifically, our beloved Navy today, I must first take you back to the beginning...

Believe it or not, I actually enlisted in the Navy (Delayed Entry Program) two days before I received my driver's license - way back in September of 1985, during my senior year of high school! Yup, I knew very early that I wanted to serve in the Navy, just like my dad did in his youth. But because of my passion for drag racing (I grew up about 1/2 hour from Englishtown), I wanted to be an Engineman, or a Gas Turbine Specialist, or a Machinist Mate - something that would allow me to continue to develop my mechanical desires, not a Storekeeper like my Dad was. However, my recruiter was a GREAT guy and told me I was nuts. He rather graphically explained that I was stupid for wanting to be a snipe working in excessivley hot machinery rooms when I qualified for much better professions that normally had air conditioned spaces - Air Traffic Control being at the top of that list, despite the fact I never considered it as a possibility.

So, after conferring with my personal hero - my Dad, who else, I agreed to give it a shot. The plan was so simple: Five year enlistment; develop the skill; get out and join the FAA where the big money was... and that would allow me to pursue my second burning desire - Drag Racing! That was, as I said, back in 1985... yet, I'm still here and I'm still not racing - but I'm getting closer.

Here's some Navy logic for ya. Where would one think the Navy would send someone to boot camp who lives in New Jersey & has a guaranteed 'A' school in Millington, TN after boot camp? Orlando would be the logical locale, no? Even Great Lakes is reasonable. But noooo, the Navy sends me to San Diego, CA for boot camp! Great, huh?

SEA STORY #1: The Recruit Training Command (RTC) in San Diego is very close to Lindbergh Field (San Diego Intl. Airport). My Company Commander gave me five "airplane push-ups" one day because I looked funny, or something. Anyway, an airplane push-up begins in the push-up position - arms extended with back and legs straight. When an aircraft takes off from Lindbergh you go to the 'down' position (no part of your body may touch the deck at any time, other than your hands and feet) and hold it there. When the next aircraft takes off, you return to the 'up' position and state "one, sir!" By the time the tenth aircraft takes off your arms are pure rubber... That is one of the lasting memories I have from boot camp.

My first tour of duty as a young air traffic controller was on an island called Diego Garcia - d'kid knows where it is! It's a small, beautiful, remote island located 7 degrees off the equator in the Indian Ocean and it's owned by the British. Not a lot of air traffic to work out there, primarily P-3's, C-141's, C-5's, DC-8's, S-3's & H-3's, with the occassional B-52 or various other Air Force jets coming through for brief stops. Twice during my one-year tour an aircraft carrier pulled in and the traffic load increased exponentially... and that was a LOT of fun! As Karl can probably attest, the fishing was incredible. We'd often go out in the lagoon and catch Grouper & Red Snapper all day long and when we returned to shore we'd ask the locals to fillet them for us (we'd trade fillets for the assist - there was always plenty) and then they'd go almost directly to the frying pan. It doesn't get much fresher than that, huh? Man, I miss those days.

SEA STORY #2: I was selected to get underway aboard USS CARL VINSON after her short port visit to our lovely island to observe carrier air traffic control first hand for a few days. I would get back to the island via a cat shot aboard a C-2 Greyhound or a US-3 Viking. I got to write backwards on see through status boards for two days and had a great time seeing flight ops at sea. If you've never witnessed it "live," I gotta tell ya, it's awe inspiring. TV does ok showing it, but seeing it up close and personal is still, to this day, a wonderment.

Anyway, the lovely and talented Coal Miner's daughter herself, Loretta Lynn, was aboard the ship for a USO show and she flew back to the island a day before I did. As it turned out, she had left a few personal items in her stateroom and the ship's Commanding Officer wanted a responsible sailor to make sure her things were delivered personally - again, I was selected (though I was less than completely responsible... Ha Ha Ha) & I flew back with her stuff. The Cat Shot was the coolest - zero to 150 knots in about two and a half seconds, sitting backwards! I got to meet her and get photo's with her and her back up singers (hotties, one and all!) and it was a lot of fun.

Well, that's all for today - I have to go earn today's paycheck. I'll try to bring you to current day operations tomorrow...