President

My wife Aida and I are a Navy family having a combined service of almost 50 years to the US Navy. I entered the Navy in July 1965 as a seaman recruit. After boot camp at Great Lakes I reported aboard the USS Yosemite AD-19 home ported at Newport, RI for my first real Navy job as a mess cook before reporting to Deck Department to work as a Deck Seaman and First Lieutenant’s yeoman. My second tour was aboard the USS Valcour AGF-1 home ported in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. The John W Weeks was my third ship. I reported aboard the Weeks in December 1968 and was a Boatswain’s Mate Third Class in First Division. Aboard the Weeks I went on the Westpac cruise to Vietnam and was part of the task force to Korea in 1969 to secure the release of an American aircraft and crew after the plane was shot down by North Korea. After release from four years active duty in November 1969, I affiliated with the Naval Reserve and served an additional over 35 years. I was enlisted for my first 20 years in the Navy and attained the rank of Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate. My Naval Officer career begin in 1986 when I was Commissioned a W-2 Warrant Boatswain. I was later promoted to W-3 and selected for promotion to LTJG (LD0) Operations Line Officer in 1989. I served aboard several ships, DESRONS, and shore stations, including two years attached to the Marines followed by two years with Naval Special Forces Group 1 and Group 2 before retiring as a Commander in 2005. It was an honor to have served as Ship’s Boatswain, Communications Officer, Operations Officer, Gunnery Liaison Officer, Amphibious Operations Officer, Division Officer, Department Head, Executive Officer, and Commanding Officer of one shipboard unit, one DESRON unit and two Naval Special Warfare Commands before retiring. It was a privilege to have served as a BM3 in First Division aboard the USS John W Weeks. The Weeks was the ship I loved most. I worked hard to take care of her when I was onboard. I never liked hearing her called the “Leaky Weeks” even though it may have been true. I had some really wonderful times when I was on the ship and we went through some very difficult times together, but we loved one another and worked hard together. I had the best crew in the world working for me in the Division and on the bridge. We not only worked together on the ship, but we were on liberty together. The friendships we developed on the cruise are still there after 50 years. The bonds of friendships that we developed have lasted a lifetime. My wife, Aida, begin working for the Naval Hospital in Subic Bay, Philippines in 1962 after graduating from the University of the East. She worked at the Naval Hospital until April 1972 when we moved back to the United States from the Philippines. Aida worked at the Oak Hill Hospital and Freeman Hospital in Joplin, Missouri until she retired. We have been married 47 years and have one daughter, Kimberly. Kimberly has lived and worked in Japan for the past 17 years and takes care of the computer systems for Burberry company in Japan as well as some other parts of the world. As a civilian, I worked in research and development for the Electronics Division of Eagle Picher developing special purpose batteries for space, medical, military and industrial applications. I was also the manager of research and development for Eagle Picher Chemical Division, Environmental and Chemical engineer for Teledyne Industries and I taught physics, chemistry and science in high schools.