I served 24 years active duty in locations all over the world. East coast and west coast, and patrols with port visits to Hawaii, Guam, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Hong Kong, the Caribbean (St Thomas), North Atlantic (London), the Mediterranean (Malaga Spain, Rome, Portugal, the Red Sea (Aqaba Jordan), Port Said Egypt (Suez Canal transit) and ports in the Persian Gulf (Bahrain, Doha Qatar).

I have also been stationed overseas in Guam which really is a tropical paradise. It is a small island only 8 miles wide by 30 miles long. It has a rich history. Guam was struck by an earthquake just before my arrival which delayed my family. It destroyed many buildings, electrical and water lines. We had to use bottled water our entire tour.

I was also stationed in Germany with the German Navy with our Personal Exchange Program (PEP). I wore the US uniform but served on a German fast patrol boat tender. I had to attend the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterrey CA first to learn German. Nine months, eight hours a day plus homework. It was equivalent to two years of college German. Fortunately, my wife was able to attend also as the squadron was on the Danish border and the nearest US base was eight hours away. Talk about being immersed in the local economy. The kids went to the German schools and picked up German easily including the slang.

The squadron did port visits to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, eastern Germany right on the Russian border. I think one of the most interesting/fun things I did was mountain biking during a midnight ride and campfire. That time of year it was 24-hour daylight.