33 years ago, this month I joined the Navy and am retiring this Saturday so I can spend more time with my wife and 17-month old twins as well as my two older daughters and my grand-kids in Ohio and Virgina. I am thrilled to be honored by the Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday via them flying an American Flag in my honor - that will then be sent to me - so thrilled by that because as some of you know I am an avid Buckeye football collector.
My first job was at 9 or 10 years old delivering newspapers around Lake Cable in Stark County for The Canton Repository = the job taught me many valuable lessons. In High School I worked a series of jobs with no real issues to speak of because I was happy to be putting food on the table of my young family (married at barely 17 in my senior year of high school) so again; many lessons.
The worst job ever was after High School and I needed work so I started doing industrial / commercial and residential roofing. Each day I found that I was the only sober person on the work site because everyone else was drunk and stoned and put everyone on the work site at risk where the guys would get wasted at lunch then go back to work...
It took three events for me to end up where I am today (will get to that in a minute).... one day on a residential roof one of the drunk / drugged idiots dropped two packs of shingles on the ladder jack that holds a plank of wood used to walk on and next thing we all know we're on our way down the roof (it had a huge pitch) and we nearly all died, the next roof was an old industrial roof that you could see holes through and the drunks / druggies got wasted and put us all in danger when they began cutting what was left of the roof without any safety measures in place and we all nearly died..., then the third and final was one day we were returning from lunch and one of the drunk / druggy clowns stepped on a board that had an 8 penny nail sticking through it and it went through his foot and stuck through the top of his tennis show and he thought it was funny to walk around with the board on his foot.... the day ended with all of them drunk and gambling their paychecks via what they called "paycheck poker" where they bet against the serial numbers on their checks = I went in the Navy the next day and that was 33 years ago this month.
I would like to offer the following to any of you have children thinking about going in the military I'd be happy to share with you, and them, all of the positive aspects including massive financial security via pension and investment funds, full medical and dental during service and after you retire, education benefits, and a career that they can be very proud of. Send me a PM if interested (my contact info is in my account info page).
Lastly, I am deeply honored to receive this personal letter from the President regarding my military service and retirement 1 September 2019 after 33-years of military service with 13 years enlisted - Electronics Technician Chief Petty Officer (submarines) and 20 years officer - Surface (6 years) and Submarines (14 years) Electronics Limited Duty Officer Commander.
I share this moment with gratitude to my entire family, friends, and my beloved Buckeye brothers that have supported me over these many years. Thank you - your support has enabled me to be strong in times of fear, to find light in times of darkness, to see positive in many places of uncertainty and immense danger, and most of all as something I could hold near to me when I was not sure if I would ever make it home again. I've never regretted my decision to join but am looking forward to retirement so I can spend time with my family in Sicily where I am retiring to.
All the best to you and yours - may God Bless those that continue to serve as well as those that have served before.
