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I was stationed-- well, I moved
down here in April 1998. I was recently onboard
the U.S.S. Chief stationed down here in Ingleside,
Texas, and been dealing with computers for the
last six years and it's been a rewarding challenge
for me.
I was born in Jackson, Louisiana,
and I decided in high school that I wanted something
challenging. I really wanted to go see the world,
so I figured the Navy would be a good opportunity
for me to go out and learn a job trade and get
a chance to see the world at the same time.
So I talked with one of my uncles. He was the
only one that joined the Navy and I decided
to follow in his footsteps and I joined the
Navy in 1981, was-- went to Boot Camp in San
Diego, California, which was a challenging two
months. Everybody says it's like summer camp,
but I think they're different. And once I finished
up Boot Camp in San Diego, I went to Radioman
A School in San Diego, California, which was
a self-paced course and I found it really challenging.
I got into the radioman
work rate because I figured I was going to be
a DJ or something, but come to find out once
I went to A School, it was a totally different
story there.
First of all,
they told me I had to learn how to type. I said,
well, I didn't think DJs typed. I thought they'd
be on the airways and stuff. So I went through
the typing course and everything. Passed it
with flying colors. And they said I'll be working
with computers. And it
was an old, ancient-model computer that they
currently had. We used to name it Fred because
every time we'd go in there and take tests,
typing tests, Fred would go down. Fred was the
computer, so on our final day of testing, we
had to qualify a certain many words per minute.
Go in there to type on the computer and stuff
and all of a sudden Fred goes down. And so they
say it'll probably be about two or three hours
before it come back up. A couple of friends
of mine, we left and went over to a florist,
came back, bought Fred some flowers. And the
instructor said, "why you do that?" Say, well,
I think Fred is dead, so we go ahead and give
him some flowers. They thought it was hilarious.
It came back up about two and half hours later,
I was able to finish my typing test and I felt
pretty good about it.
[If I could give advice to
high school students,] I'd say, stay in school,
listen to your teachers because they are your
best friends at the time. If you can, get in
all the calculus, physics. Learn
all you can about computers because they are--
they are important part of our lives right now
and the I think they are the
wave of the future so learn all you can
while you're in high school. Stay in school
and be all that you can be while you're in school.
You know. Make your parents proud of you.
My current goal is to go ahead
and retire in the Navy, do my 20 years. I only
have another year left. If I was to pick up
E7, make another advancement, you know, I would
like to stay on, go to another ship, you know,
because I feel that I could make a difference
to some of the junior sailors out there. I want
to mold them into a great sailor as well, but
I have no regrets. I enjoyed the Navy for the
last 19 years. I'd like to get out in my 20
if I do not pick up Chief, and I'd like to move
on in something, into a communication field
working with IBM, AT&T, what have you. And also
I'd like to finish my college career. Currently
have Associates Degree and I'd like to move
on and get my Bachelors, and my children are
my light and I'd just like to see them grow
up and graduate and prosper in life as well.
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