“I was born and raised in New York City and graduated George Washington High School in June 1953. In the summer of 1955 I pushed my draft date up and was inducted into the Navy. During my boot leave from the NTC, Bainbridge, Maryland, I married my hometown sweetheart, Sheila Caulfield.

My first duty station was the newly commissioned USS John S. Mc Cain (DL-3). My arrival on board gave me a taste of thing to come. The old story, “It was a dark and stormy night” came true, I arrived at fleet landing in Norfolk and took a boat out to the ship at disbursal anchorage, climbed a “Jacobs Ladder” on the boat boom in drenching rain to board the ship. That was the beginning of a new adventure. The next day the ship move from anchorage to the shipyard in Portsmouth and that was the only time I was ever underway on Mc Cain. As the newest Fireman Apprentice on the ship I assigned to the boiler room. With an over abundance of BT strikers on board, and as low man on the totem pole, I was assigned to head cleaning, and a month later to compartment cleaning. As luck would have it, a month later they needed a clerical striker in the ships office, and with the potential for mess cooking looming in my future with the boiler room gang, I decided it was time to strike for Personnelman. The crew of Mc Cain had been together from pre-commission, and it was my first taste of working with a “can do” crew.

From there I served in various units including; the USS Valley Forge (CVS-45), Norfolk, VA, VS-36, Norfolk, VA, Naval Air Station, Norfolk, VA, Commander Naval Air Bases, 5th ND, NAS, Norfolk, VA, EPDOCONUS, NTC, Bainbridge, MD, and Personnelman Classification Interviewer School, NTC, San Diego, CA. From school I reported into VP-21 in November 1961, as a Personnelman First Class.

The years with VP-21 in Maine are the most memorable in my life. Everyone I met in VP-21 from day one, were “can do” people. Many of my squadron mates have described in their biographies stories about their experiences in VP-21. The one theme that coursed through their stories is “the people”. Just great people. Those were busy times, regular deployments, Cold War patrols, Cuban Missile Crisis to name a few, but in general the our squadron as well as the other VP squadrons at NAS Brunswick were up for the task. I enjoyed the competitive spirit between the VP squadrons in the Wing. One of my fondest memories is where I worked. Our squadron offices and shops, occupies the west side of the hangar with a view toward the runways. My office however, was in the old “Line Shack” located outside the southwest corner of the hangar with a view of the aircraft parking area. At first I thought we were squadron “orphans” however, I quickly realize that it was a great location for the office. I served 5 squadron commanding officers, and served with some of the finest officers and enlisted men I have ever met, during my years with VP-21.

Not many real “sea stories” to tell, but my adventure continued. I do recall that all First Class PO’s had to serve as “Duty PO’s”, on their duty days. That meant that all PO1’s were required to be plane directors. On one of my duty night in the middle of winter, with winds howling, and snow blowing, and the ramp area a sheet of ice, I had to bring an aircraft into the hangar. On that particular night the temperature was well below freezing and the wind from the east was blowing steady and occasional violently gusting. The task was to bring an aircraft into the northwest bay of the hangar. I got the crew together, tractor driver and wing walkers and went out to the line area that overlooked the runway. We coupled up the tractor, removed the chock, and tie downs, and started moving the aircraft, and we were hit by a strong wind gust that moved the aircraft sideway on the ramp. I knew this was not going to be a fun night. At any rate I forged ahead, and we move the aircraft to the hangar, bow wheel at the threshold, checked clearances, and proceeded to bring the aircraft into the hangar, just as the tip tanks were nearing the door opening a strong wind gust moved the aircraft sideways so that the tip tank on one side would not clear the doorway. Needless to say, we chocked the aircraft, disconnected and repositioned the tractor so that we could push it out, jockey around outside the door, tried again, but the wind gusts were not helping. I don’t remember how many times we tried to bring the aircraft in, but ultimately we put the aircraft back in chocks and tie downs on the line. Needless to say, senior “ground pounders” like me were relieved of plane director duties after that event.

I transferred in May 1966 as Warrant Officer, W-1 to attend Warrant Officer Indoctrination, OCS, Newport, RI. My first duty status as a Warrant was the USS Essex (CVS-9), NAS, Quonset Point, RI, followed by Fleet Sonar School, Key West, FL, and Beachmaster Unit 2, Amphibious Base, Little Creek, VA. I enjoy all my duty stations through the years. However, I truly enjoyed my tour with BMU-2. My first 17 years in the Navy I spent behind a desk doing lots of paperwork, but the last 3 year, were with the Beachmasters. I served as a Beach Party Officer in Charge, with all the challenges involved in amphibious operation. I was part of the vetting of new amphibious techniques as the Navy moved from the old close in strategies to over the horizon operations. It was fun having operational crew working for and with me, the Beach Party Team, the Marine Corp Shore Party, The Seabee Detachments, and all the commands and organization involved in amphibious operation. In June 1976 I retired as CWO2 with 20½ years of service.

After retirement I went to work, while simultaneously attending college. I completed 2 Associate Degrees, a Bachelor Degree, and a Masters Degree. I have worked as a Corrections Officer, and also as Probation and Parole Officer in the Chesapeake, VA area. I relocated to the Washington, DC area and worked as a Technical Writer, a Training Supervisor, as well as a Computer System Engineer. I was involved in the Saudi Navy expansion program and, from there I became involved in the DDG-51 Ships Design Program in the DC area, and subsequently move to Maine, to support the DDG-51 Construction Program, as well as the Test Team for the Aegis Weapons System Program.

I have been blessed in many ways. My hometown sweetheart, and mate, for more than 60 years and I have enjoyed our lives together residing from Key West to Maine, and finally retiring, and, settling near the ocean in Florida, where, our families can join us for a get away. I have survived two hip replacements, a heart attack, bypass surgery, and radiation treatment for a potential cancer. I have had the opportunity to return to Maine for a substantial stay, and enjoy all that the great state of Maine has to offer. I have succeeded in spending most of my life close to the sea, as well as a good deal of my life around my second passion, aviation. And, best of all, the adventure of life continues.”