My story starts two days after Independence Day, 1992. I shipped out for boot located in the ever so lovely paradise known as Orlando, Florida. I didn’t know then but I was off to a promising career in Uncle Sam’s Yacht Club. Being the son of a retired Master Chief, I had a pretty good idea of what awaited me, but I was still in uncharted waters. I fell ill in the middle of boot camp and ended up with an extra 4 weeks playing catch up but I made it through. I had two weeks of leave between boot and “A” school, so I went home and relaxed. My school was located in Pensacola, Florida. That’s where things started getting really fun. The competition was fierce and the training was very difficult. Ultimately, there was a 1 point gap between me and first place. Jason and I were both honored with the choice of our first duty stations. He went east coast and I went on to become a Hollywood sailor. I finally made it to the fleet!  This is where I found out that the Navy doesn’t mess around. Within two weeks of checking onboard my first command, I was deployed for the Persian Gulf. On the way over, we stopped at Pearl Harbor, Yokosuka, Japan, Phuket, Thailand, Singapore, and then straight to Bahrain. I was amazed at how quickly we got there. It was during this deployment that I decided that I was going to make it a career. I got promoted to 3rd Class Petty Officer towards the end of my first deployment. On our way back home we stopped at Diego Garcia, Australia (x2), and Suva, Fiji then back to Pearl Harbor and home. I was never so happy to be back on my native soil as I was the day we tied up at pier two in San Diego. Six months after getting back, I was promoted to 2nd Class Petty Officer. I did 2 more full deployments and many TDY deployments from 1994 to 1998. I got to see Guam, Hong Kong, almost all of the Middle East countries and the Philippines. My most favorite ports of call were in Australia though. My dad and grandfather were a little jealous because neither of them ever got to see Australia. In 1998, life decided to throw me a curve ball. That November, I exited my military career but to this day I’m still serving my country. I attended a trade school and obtained my commercial driver’s license and became a long haul trucker. Even though my military career was very rewarding, I have found it even more rewarding here at home. I miss the days of sailing the high seas though. Feeling the sea spray and breathing the salt air always brings back the fond memories of sailing around the world. My trucking career has been good so far. It hasn’t been all peaches and cream but I don’t regret the decision. I’ve achieved a life that few people will ever know. From the road to VP/Co-owner of a company built for and in honor of my brothers and sisters in arms.