I joined the Navy in Jan 1969 and went into the nuclear power submarine service. After boot camp and A-school at Great Lakes, IL, I spent 4 months on the USS Klondike AR-22 as a fireman apprentice and made third class Machinist Mate prior to attending Nuclear Power School at Mare Island in Vallejo.

After NPS I went to Nuclear Propulsion Training Unit in Idaho Falls, ID at the S5G prototype and went to Engineering Laboratory Technician school. I was picked up after ELT school as an instructor and spent two years training teenagers and officers how to operate and maintain a nuclear propulsion plant.

I went to the USS Barb SSN-596 as the Leading ELT in Pearl Harbor, qualified for my submarine dolphins, completed a western pacific deployment, and rode her through a nuclear refuel and overhaul at Mare Island.

I returned to NPTU Idaho for another instructor tour at the S1W prototype. After qualifying on S1W I was selected to be an Idaho Branch Office technical assistant and reported directly to Admiral Rickover concerning the operation and training performed by the military and civilian staff. I successfully completed the Engineering Officer qualification process and participated in the final qualification oral boards for EOOWs.

I next went to the USS Permit SSN-594 as the M-div leading CPO and completed another Wes-Pac before riding her into Mare Island for a nuclear refuel and overhaul.

Having sufficient experience in refueling I went to the USS Proteus AS-19 stationed in Guam, Mariana Islands and was the Radiological Controls division leading CPO.

From Guam I went to Groton, CT and was a plank owner on the USS Helena SSN-725. I was the Engineering Department Enlisted Advisor or "Bull Nuke", I got to ride the Helena down the ways into the Thames river at her christening, performed all systems testing and then placed her in commission as a US Navy denison of the deep.

I finished my career at Submarine Base New London on the Rad Con barge as the leading SCPO providing services for east coast submarines.