Originally from Louisville Kentucky, this Navy vet joined the service on March 28th of 2000. After basic training, I attended Submarine School in New London Connecticut. Attending Basic Submarine School and Sonar Technician ‘A’ School, I graduated both near the top of my class. In March of 2001, I was transferred to USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709). On Oct 5th 2001 I departed on my first deployment. I earned my dolphins on November 12th 2001. During my first deployment, I was fortunate to visit Scotland and Norway.

After returning from that deployment on April 5th 2002, I completed the rest of my qualifications as a sonar operator. After spending most of the winter in thei shipyard, we returned to sea in January of 2003. Gearing up for another deployment, we departed again in October of 2003. During this deployment I was fortunate to visit Norway and England. Returning in April of 2004, I was preparing to begin the next phase of my Navy career when things suddenly upended on me.

For reasons beyond my control (and not appropriate for an internet forum) I was reassigned from SSN 709 in the summer of 2004, and reclassified as an Aircraft Structural Mechanic. After completing ‘A’ School in Pensacola Florida, (and surviving Hurricane Ivan in the process) I relocated to Brunswick Maine to Patrol Squadron 26 to work on P-3 Orions. How ironic I go from being stationed aboard a submarine to working on sub hunters.

After a year there, I was deployed to Sigonella Sicily from December of 2005 till April of 2006. During that deployment I got a part time job working the enlisted club as a DJ on Friday nights. Upon my return to the States, I began working out of the recycling center as I was short at the time. On July 10th of 2006, I left the Naval Service via Honorable Discharge.

After returning home to find an unsuccessful job market, a friend from VP-26 got in contact with me and told me about a job in Maryland making almost 50K a year working on V-22 Opspreys. Even without having any experiance with this aircraft, I was hired on in October of 2006 and have been there ever since.

I have been a member of Free Republic since 2002, though I have rarely posted. This was mostly due to the fact of me being on a submarine at the time and I did not want to inadvertantly disclose any classified information, or make many details of my personal life available. Now that I am out of the service, I’m more apt to pop up more often here and there.