Chief Warrant Officer |
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Service Details |
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Current Service Status
USNR Retired
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Current/Last Rank
Chief Warrant Officer 3
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Current/Last Service Branch
Repair Technician
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Current/Last Primary NEC
714X-Warrant Officer - Repair Technician
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Current/Last Rating/NEC Group
Chief Warrant Officer
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Primary Unit
2008-2009, 714X, Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 7 (NCHB-7)
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Previously Held NEC
HT-4955-Non-Nuclear High Pressure Components Welder
HT-0000-Hull Maintenance Technician
9502-Instructor
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Service Years
1980 - 2009
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Other Languages
Pushtu-Afghan
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Official/Unofficial US Navy Certificates
Cold War
Decommissioning
Great Lakes
Operation Enduring Freedom
Order of the Dirt Sailor
Plank Owner
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What are you doing now:
Construction Control Representative for GSA in Austin TX
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1980-1980, HQ, RTC Great Lakes, IL (Company Commander/Staff)
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1981-1983, HT-4955, USS Cape Cod (AD-43)
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1983-1986, HT-4955, USS Samuel Gompers (AD-37)
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1986-1998, HT-0000, Naval & Marine Corps Reserve Center (NMCRC) Rock Island, IL
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1989-1989, HT-4955, USS Boulder (LST-1190)
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1992-1998, Shore Intermediate Maintenance Activity (SIMA)
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1998-2000, 9502, Naval Reserve Center (NAVRESCEN) Chicago IL
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2001-2002, HT-0000, Naval & Marine Corps Reserve Center (NMCRC) Washington, DC
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2002-2004, HT-0000, FTC (Staff) San Diego, CA
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2004-2005, 714X, Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Chicago, IL
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2004-2005, 714X, Assault Craft Unit 1 (ACU-1)
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2005-2007, 714X, Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Chicago, IL
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2006-2007, 714X, Joint Task Force (JTF) Phoenix V
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2007-2008, 714X, HQ, RTC Great Lakes, IL (Company Commander/Staff)
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2008-2009, 714X, Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 7 (NCHB-7)
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Reflections on CWO3 Lutz's
US Navy Service
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PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE NAVY.
As a boy my brother Pete, who also joined the Navy, and I would hang out at the recruiters office in downtown Pekin, IL, scrounging for handouts of frisbees, posters, ink pens, what ever they would give us! As I grew older I continued to visit and even had a girl friend who worked at an after school job in the office there and when I found myself married without any prospects my senior year of high school. I visited my old friends in the recruiters office for help. BT2 Bob Schoonover assisted me and found the right program for me and my Naval journey began.
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WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BOOT CAMP AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, SHIPS OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
I entered the Navy as an E-3 in the Advanced Technical Field (ATF) which as long as I passed my "A" school and signed an extension for 2 years I was guaranteed "C" school and more importantly for a young man with a brand new baby daughter, automatic advancement to E-4 or HT3. I was command advanced (CAP) to HT2, for service aboard my first ship the USS Cape Cod. I was the barracks MAA for the pre-commissioning unit Cape Cod and not a very popular person, as I was always telling someone, quite often senior to me, that they needed to make their rack or store their gear adrift. My work for this was rewarded with the advancement, and it was a selection cycle early, which allowed me to take the E-6 test early and I was promoted to HT1 in 4- 1/2 years. Pretty fast! I was on the USS Samuel Gompers at this time and ended my active duty of 6 years on board. I entered the reserves, was selected, initiated, and I do mean initiated, not patted on the butt, and filling out a check sheet, I was humiliated, made to understand how important the promotion was and was honored to put on my anchors for Chief Petty Officer in 1989 8-1/2 years and 27 years old! I remained a Chief for 15 years continually honing skills and was finally selected in 2004 (24 years of service, at this time it was either make it or go home) after 6 attempts for commissioning as a Chief Warrant Officer in the Reserves. I was the last Engineering Warrant selected in the reserves at the time of this writing. I was promoted to CWO3 in Oct of 2008 and retired in Feb 2009 with 29 years of service.
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IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
I was not in any combat operations. I did serve in Afghanistan from May 2006-May 2007 in Camp Phoenix, Kabul as a contingency engineer building bases for the Army.
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FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
I was proud to serve and many memories are important, but overall I think serving with my younger brothers, Pete on board the USS Samuel Gompers, and Chip at NAR Chicago stand out more than others. Nothing can compare with sharing military experiences with family members. I must also mention that after 9/11/2001, I was activated for 32 days and assisted with the Casualty Assistance Calls Officers for the Navy Pentagon victims. It is during this time I met my present wife, Lynne a PS2, who during a time a crisis and emotional upheaval, made something good happen for me. I owe much of my present happiness to her.
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OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
I received a Navy Achievement Medal at the end of my active duty career when it was not common to receive them. In 1986 they had to be signed by the SECNAV.
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WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
I wish I knew his name. I was in a TPU barracks in San Diego listening to probably the crustiest CWO4 Bosun who was speaking and what he said made an impression on me. He said, that many people are upset with the Navy, the Navy messed with them, screwed them over, made them do this or that. He said who is the Navy? The Navy is you and me. We make up the Navy. You get exactly what you put into the Navy out of the Navy. To a young PO3 it just made sense. From that day on I wanted to be a Warrant Officer.
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CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
While I was on the Gompers we were on the Flying Squad, and we had a few "wing nuts" on our crew. One young fireman, Merle "Wild Hose" Harmon, got his nickname during one of our flight quarters operations. He wanted to be the nozzle-man that day and we needed to test the system. We charged the hose and Merle opened the nozzle and it was all he could do to hang on. 150 PSI of water pressure lifted Merle right up off of the deck and proceeded to bounce him up and down until we could secure the hose. We were laughing so hard at what was happening it took a few seconds longer then it should have!
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WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
When I got off of active duty I became a fire fighter. My training in damage control suited this position well. I also completed a sheet-metal apprenticeship, Using the knowledge I had gained on active duty about working metal, it assisted me greatly in getting jobs in that field. I learned a lot about buildings and HVAC systems and now work for the federal government as an Energy Manager for a four state region.
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WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
I am a member of the Reserve Officers Association which gives me an idea of what legislation I need to be aware of, the VFW which provides some of those same benefits and camaraderie that one misses when they leave active duty.
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
From the military I learned that knowledge of the position you have is everything. What I mean by that is if your position is the #1 nozzle-man, then know everything about that position that you can. Learn everything that is possible about the situations you may find yourself in and continue to learn. Be the subject matter expert on your position and learn the jobs of the others around you to assist you in remaining flexible in your organization.
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BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE NAVY?
Remain true to your ideals. Stand up for the people that work for you even if you know they are wrong. Take responsibility for your actions and accept the responsibility of the actions of those that work for you. The "buck" stops with the leaders in the Navy.
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
TWS is the best vehicle for me to find my shipmates. I have reconnected not only with Navy shipmates, but with my friends from the other services. I am proud to be a life member and plank-owner of this site and recommend it to those I know that served. DB 8/23/2016
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