It all started when some of my friends said they wanted to be firefighters. They had thought they could get their training in the Navy so we took a trip to the recruiter in Texas. Next thing I knew they had me taking the entrance exam. The only problem with this was I was only in 10th grade. But wouldn't you know it they called me up when I was a year from graduation. This time they wanted me to join. I said I would go and see what jobs they offered. Well they said I could become a Electronics Technician with boot camp and the first part of school in Orlando FL. Then I would go on to Great Lakes IL. (right above Chicago). This sounded great to me so I swore in. One year later I was in Orlando meeting new people, and doing new and exiting stuff like going to Daytona Beach every weekend. School was not easy but it was not hard.  Then it was on to Great Lakes for the second part of school. This was were I first had my own apartment, well it started off someone else's (Scott Burnett). He needed a roommate so I moved in and soon Mike Blanchard moved in too. We had a blast in this apartment. We were the only single sailors with a place, so we always had a party and company. It was fun wile it lasted. After Great Lakes I Got Orders to Orlando again to go to a "C" school for repair and calibration of RADIACs (radiological control devices). This Is were Rob Jones and I really started to become friends. I had known him scene boot camp but he was married and I was Partying. Rob was in my boot camp company, was in the "A" school class right behind me, had the same "C" school class as me, and went to the same ship in the same division in the same shop (I think he was following me). Anyway it was off to San Diego, to the USS McKee AS-41. On the McKee I was in R-5 (the radcon division). I spent five Years in San Diego. It was over one year before the ship went underway, and that was just to turn circles in the ocean. I met Jymmi Bechard on the McKee he introduced me to Bryan Schmitz. They were renting a house in El Cajon (a suburb of San Diego) when Bryan's sister came to visit, he said I should meet her. Six months later we were Married.  I only Went a few places on the USS McKee, Victoria Canada, San Francisco, Hawaii, and Seattle Washington.  Although we did spend a lot of time in Hawaii, and I did not mind that. We were in San Diego when Keegan was born on Sep 14, 1999. He came out kicking and hasn't stopped. San Diego was also the place I was out bicycling with Rob and broke my collarbone. This eventually caused me to get out of the Navy on a medical discharge as a disabled Vet. (with an extra plate and six screws attached to me) So I got out and moved to Memphis Tn. with Jennifer and Keegan.