Rick, There's always two sides to every story. The facts are some get caught, some don't. Right Nick? Some of my early "criminals" evolved into some of the best the system had. Using golf terminology, "Its not how you drive, its how you arrive"
Nick, the real (back-story) truth to this tale is that I have never stood an ops watch in my life before I joined your section in Kef. After I crossed rated from ET my first NAVFAC was Grand Turk. I should have gone to the watch floor with Jack Lecza but I had a CAL-TECH NEC and the EMO needed a CAL-TECH so I went to Maintenance and worked for Wayne Rennee. Anyway Gary Peterson was the Grand Turk Training Chief and he agreed to train me on my duty nights and I qualified thru SUP with Chief Pete's help. When Chief Pete & I were transferring to Kef he told me to just tell everyone at Kef that I was a qualified Sup. That's the how I snuck into the OT Ops world.
Of course six months after getting to Kef the EMO there discovered I was his missing CAL-TECH but it was too late then.
John...I read your post and you are so kind with your comments. I remember that for many years, when we worked together, that I was absolutely amazed I that I was given the opportunity to work with such brilliant people. to this day I still carry the lessons I learned in IUSS forward as I continue our endeavors in undersea warfare. I'm still out in the front lines everyday trying the teach the next generation, but in do so I am always grateful that I learned from the best.
