[cva66snipe]

What some don't realize is 20-30 years on active duty takes a toll on the person. I saw Chiefs in their mid thirties that looked 50-60 and their bodies were such. It's not a matter of lack of exercise etc. rather it's the nature of sea duty.

Twenty years in the Navy often a lot less wears out feet, legs, and back due to running, walking, and standing on steel. You get exposures to chemicals, fibers, etc in that timeframe that you would not otherwise get in two lifetimes due to the ventilation on ships which was my specialty.

The day after I got out of the Navy I could have went to work starting out about three times the pay. I didn't want to stay in the Norfolk area. The job was at NNSY. I saw some E-6's with about 12 years vested take them up on it.

[GailA]

Shortly after discharge he came down with a real bad case of Retinitis, left holes in his vision, he has hearing loss from working the flight deck. His specialty was electronics/computer, flight deck operations.

Get this between his Pensions and both our SS checks, we make to MUCH money for him to qualify for VA healthcare!

He was young enough to start a second career, college to be a teacher, repairing TV, Radios on the side for money, then taught JR College 20 yrs.