WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:02.000 I was in high school , graduated in 00:02.000 --> 00:04.056 1985 and I had a friend of mine , he 00:04.056 --> 00:06.111 had joined the navy and he come back 00:06.111 --> 00:07.944 and we kind of hung out . He was 00:07.944 --> 00:10.278 telling me some of his responsibilities . 00:10.278 --> 00:10.050 I was like That sounds like something I 00:10.050 --> 00:12.230 could do . So it piqued my interest . 00:12.230 --> 00:14.640 And then uh , that following week , uh , 00:14.650 --> 00:17.360 I went and saw the recruiter and the 00:17.360 --> 00:19.471 following week I actually went up and 00:19.471 --> 00:22.140 signed up , started boot camp in April 00:22.140 --> 00:24.130 26 , 1986 . Going to the Navy , I 00:24.140 --> 00:26.029 learned to become a diesel engine 00:26.029 --> 00:28.251 mechanic and that was a whole new trade 00:28.251 --> 00:31.140 to meet . I did really well in advance 00:31.140 --> 00:35.100 to really quick went from the U . S . S 00:35.110 --> 00:37.450 stump , which I was was my very first 00:37.450 --> 00:40.110 ship and went to the Uss Gunston Hall . 00:40.120 --> 00:42.980 My second day reporting there . The 00:42.980 --> 00:45.500 ship was told that we were going to the 00:45.500 --> 00:48.950 Persian gulf and that was at the start 00:48.950 --> 00:51.260 of the desert shield desert storm . You 00:51.260 --> 00:53.482 know , there was no time for planning . 00:53.482 --> 00:55.538 I mean it was just had a baby on the 00:55.538 --> 00:57.990 way . And the wife and uh , we just 00:57.990 --> 01:00.090 reported to the new ship , new new 01:00.090 --> 01:02.570 everything so that , you know , we just 01:02.570 --> 01:04.570 got the apartment . So the wife was 01:04.570 --> 01:07.600 basically left at home trying to figure 01:07.600 --> 01:09.767 everything out . Learning a new ship , 01:09.767 --> 01:11.989 trying to get qualified for all the new 01:11.989 --> 01:14.156 positions . So I was , you know , in a 01:14.156 --> 01:17.250 new um , a new mindset because of the 01:17.250 --> 01:20.380 new responsibilities I have . And I was 01:20.380 --> 01:23.180 also trying to lead a new set of people 01:23.180 --> 01:26.590 that didn't know and trying to figure 01:26.590 --> 01:28.701 them out . They were trying to figure 01:28.701 --> 01:30.590 me out all at the same time I was 01:30.590 --> 01:32.646 trying to manage my home life at the 01:32.646 --> 01:34.646 same time . At the time you enter , 01:34.646 --> 01:37.540 you're really a kid and you're growing 01:37.540 --> 01:39.620 up in the military , you know going 01:39.620 --> 01:41.870 from a kid to a man at the time . So 01:41.870 --> 01:45.670 it's um it brings out the best of you 01:45.680 --> 01:47.791 at the time . So you know you kind of 01:47.791 --> 01:49.569 you establish who you are , you 01:49.569 --> 01:52.630 establish your your priorities , your 01:52.630 --> 01:56.250 manhood , It's been almost 30 01:56.250 --> 01:59.490 years um with the government's it's 01:59.490 --> 02:02.120 been it's been it's been wide open and 02:02.120 --> 02:04.760 it just seems like it's nothing , 02:05.240 --> 02:07.240 nothing is boring . It's never been 02:07.240 --> 02:09.470 born at all . It's been it's been a 02:09.470 --> 02:11.170 good ride .