Like a wave on the open sea, the years have silently slipped past. On this date, forty three years ago, I started a youthful journey. This journey not only took me around the world several times but the journey also transformed me from a kid to a man. My eyes were opened to a new world, cultures, and lifestyles outside those that I had known in Colorado or Alaska.

After hitch hiking to Anchorage from Homer on October 16, 1963, I was put up in a hotel in Anchorage for the night and commenced my processing for the Navy the following day. On the afternoon of October 17, 1963 the Navy Recruiter in Anchorage, put me on a airplane to Kodiak Naval Air Station where my enlistment would be completed. This was the first time that I had ever flown and was amazed that we flew over Homer on our way to Kodiak. Arriving in Kodiak, I was met at the airport by the Navy Shore Patrol and escorted to my first military barracks at the air station.

The following morning, October 18, 1963 I completed my physical examination, an excessive amount of paperwork and took the Oath of Enlistment. My guarantee for the next four years was that I would be enlisted as a Seaman Recruit, guaranteed three meals a day and a salary of $98.00 per month.

On the afternoon of October 18, 1963 I was given an airline ticket to fly from Kodiak to Chicago, Illinois via Seattle, Washington. In those days, Pacific Northern Airlines flew direct flights from Kodiak to Seattle aboard a Super Constellation. I can remember that it seemed like we were flying uphill all the way to Seattle, as the aircraft was never level. Arriving in Seattle, I boarded my first jet aircraft, a luxury in comparison to my flight from Kodiak.

Arriving at O'Hare International Airport, I was once again met by the Shore Patrol and escorted to a Navy Bus containing several other "boots" headed to hell. Arriving at our new home, Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois in the early morning hours, we were quickly moved into a large cafeteria where we would have the opportunity to eat before we turned in for the night. The meal consisted of baked beans, fried eggs and biscuits. After seeing our choice for this meal, I was looking forward to breakfast.


After our light meal, we were taken to a barracks and assigned a rack which consisted of bunk beds, one blanket, one pillow, and one sheet. Three hours later, we were awakened by some guy with a lot of stripes on his arm beating a stick inside an empty metal trash can. For a brief instance, I had second thoughts about my decision until I was reminded that we had two minutes "to drop your _ _ _ _ and grab your socks" and line up on the grinder, which I discovered was a large paved parking lot with no cars. The next thing I quickly noticed, it was not daylight and we were on our way to breakfast in an "almost" marching formation. What a great breakfast, although baked beans and fried eggs were still on the menu, we could also enjoy some grits and cold toast. I had no idea what "grits" were, but I ate them because they were served to me.

Following breakfast, our indoctrination period began and it was at this point that all of us started counting the days until our training was completed, all we had to do was survive for thirteen weeks. One month later, our training would be halted for a week while the naval base was locked down following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, so we "enjoyed" spending a little extra time on the wind swept shores of the Great Lakes in the middle of the winter.


It was an adventure, for the next twenty years, I served on a variety of naval vessels and enjoyed my share of time on shore, retiring on August 18, 1983 and transferring to the U.S. Navy Fleet Reserve. In October 1993, my classification was changed to "Retired" Status upon my completion of thirty years of service. Was it an adventure that I would do over again? It was a great 20 years of active duty and I have never regretted the decision that I made on that day, forty three years ago today.