After a very fulfilling 38-year Navy career, I completed a second career in the government. Now retired, I'm doing some of the other important things in life!
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A New Jersey native, after high school in 1968, I immediately enlisted in the United States Navy. Following basic training at RTC, Great Lakes, I was first assigned to USS ISLE ROYALE (AD 29) followed by the USS JOHN PAUL JONES (DDG 32) -- both home ported in Long Beach, CA. After a Viet Nam deployment, in May 1971 I was assigned to the A-6 Intruder training squadron, Attack Squadron Forty Two, at NAS Oceana, VA.
In August 1975, I reported aboard USS BORDELON (DD 881) as the Ship's Admin/Personnel petty officer in charge. After an at-sea collision with the USUAL John F. Kennedy resulting in BORDELON's decommissioning, I completed my sea rotation aboard USS SIMON LAKE (AS 33), also home ported in Charleston, SC where I was selected for Chief Petty Officer. In 1978 I was assigned to NAS, Brunswick, ME as the Asst Personnel Officer. During my enlisted career, I advanced to Senior Chief Personnelman, crossed the Equator, made several WestPac and Med deployments, and was one of the first Sailors to earn the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) designation.
After submitting three applications for a direct commission, I was selected as an Admin Limited Duty Officer (LDO) and commissioned as a new ensign, in 1980. I was immediately assigned as Ship's Secretary aboard USS MOUNT WHITNEY (LCC 20) home ported in Norfolk, VA. In 1982, I returned to the West Coast as OIC of PSD Lemoore, CA. From 1984 to 1992 I served several tours in Pearl Harbor, HI -- first as Executive Officer Flag Allowance, Commander THIRD Fleet on Ford Island and embarked in USS CORONADO (AGF 11); then as the Admin Officer, Commander, U.S. Pacific Airborne Command Post (ABNCP), Hickam AFB; and as the Executive Officer/Commanding Officer and Flag Secretary, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. It was during my three tours in Hawaii that I was selected for the College Degree Program (CDP) and earned my bachelors degree in Business Administration in 1988 from Chaminade University of Honolulu.
In 1992 I returned to the East Coast and was assigned as the Director of Administration in the NATO Headquarters, Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, Norfolk, VA. In 1996 I traveled cross-country again, this time as a geo-bachelor to Bremerton/Everett, WA aboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) as the Admin Officer. In 1998, I returned to Norfolk and was assigned as Executive Officer, Personnel Support Activity Norfolk, VA. In 2000, I received a command assignment as Commanding Officer, Personnel Support Activity, Jacksonville, FL. In 2002, I was reassigned to the Navy Personnel Command in Millington, TN as Director, Field Support Division (Pers-33/673). In May 2004, I returned to Norfolk as the Chief of Staff, Task Force Warrior (Sea Warrior project). In February 2005, I reported to my last Navy assignment as Assistant Chief of Staff of Administration/Resources and Commanding Officer Staff, at Commander Operational Test and Evaluation Force in Norfolk, VA. After a fulfilling, 38-year Navy career, I retired from the Navy in 2006 and immediately began working as a consultant/senior analyst for a government contractor, C.A.C.I. where I accomplished a myriad of management projects.
In January 2012, I began the latest chapter in my career in the civil service as the Director Global Operations at the Navy Pay and Personnel Support Center, in Norfolk, VA in support of the 60 Personnel Support Detachments (PSDs) world-wide.
In February 2017, I retired from government service and beginning to write the newest chapter in my life.
A proud father of three wonderful children and a grandpa to seven adorable grand children, my wife and I currently reside in Northeast Florida. Life is Good!
Best Friends LN1 Jim and Ann Marie Alexander; DKCM Earl and Susan Eustice
Best Moment Birth of third child. Stood up PSD Brunswick. Commissioned as an Ensign, Limited Duty Officer.
Other Memories Let me tell you a little bit about that during the two years we spent aboard Naval Air Station (NAS), Brunswick, Maine...
I had left Charleston in the spring of 1978 to check in to NAS Brunswick and get us on the government housing list. About a month after I got there, I went back for my wife and kids so we could set up home in a little, isolated house in S. Harpswell. At the very tip of our Harpswell Road peninsula, we were as secluded as we had ever been before. The quaint New England town of Brunswick, Maine was small to start with. There were no major chain stores or malls to speak of. We did most of our shopping at the base commissary or the little Mom and Pop Trading Post store about five miles from the house. When we first got there, the weather was rather mild and the beauty of the Maine country-side was simply breathtaking. Yes, we were in God's country. But summer didn't last very long and we soon learned why it was important to have a snow removal contract to do our driveway to the main road. Holy moley did it snow! Inches turned into feet in hours. Having learned how to shop and split that cord of wood earlier in the year made our wood-burning fireplace something a lot more than aesthetically pleasing to look at.
The people in Maine are quite a unique story in themselves. First of all, if your born and raised in Maine, you're a Mainer or a local. If not, you're pretty much a tourist. For us 'tourists,' there were two basic forms of extra-curricular activities -- fishing or hunting. Now I'm not a hunter, but I sure did like the fact that our secluded government home was atop the hill of the old fuel farm (which tanks held the various types of fuels particularly for the P-3 patrol aircraft and fast frigate ships that were produced by the Bath Iron Works). Guarded by a 24/7 gate watchman, about a half-mile down the hill from our house was a very long fuel pier that I could use anytime I wanted to catch whatever school of fish that were running. And boy oh boy, there were always fish running along the Atlantic coastline -- even that far north! Many an evening or a Saturday I would spend on that pier.
When I wasn't having fun on the pier, I worked as the Leading Chief Petty Officer of the NAS personnel office. I had a crew of about nine personnel and administrative specialists working with me. We worked closely with the disbursing office team across the street to ensure our NAS, Air Wing and VP Squadron Sailors were getting accurate and timely resource support service. One of my close friends and mentors was an old Master Chief Disbursing Clerk who seemed to know everybody and everybody knew him. Our close friendship helped homogenize our personnel and disbursing office staffs to work very well together. This was important when we later consolidated our two offices to become one of the first Personnel Support Detachments in the Navy in 1978. The transition from two offices to a one-stop shop concept of customer service, coupled with the NAS Brunswick leadership being equally supportive and cooperative made it one heck of a great place to work. During that time in Maine we made some life-long friends, shared some great adventures, and found the cold and snow to be tolerable, so long as we were prepared. We had our third child, Becky in Brunswick, making it all the more special to us too. We would have had a four-year tour of duty there had another special event in my career not have happened. It was in the winter of 1979 that I submitted my third application for a direct commission as a Naval officer. I guess the third time's a charm? Shortly afterwards, I learned I was selected for a commission as a Navy Ensign. That in turn would mean we would again have to transfer.
I was filled with mixed emotions. I was not only going to leave some great friends in a place that we found so rewarding, but I would also be transitioning from the enlisted to officer roles with little more than a ceremonial change of a uniform. For almost 12 years I had been groomed from learning how to take orders, to leading and giving orders while taking care of my people. How would this military knowledge and experience transfer into the commissioned ranks? How would my fellow officers in the wardroom accept me? Would I fit in? I would soon find out as I had my orders to depart Brunswick in April 1980 to be the Administrative Officer aboard the command, control and communications ship, the USS MOUNT WHITNEY (LCC-20) homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. Ahh Norfolk. At least we will have some dear friends there to help us adjust to our new environment -- our new life.