If you enjoy “A dog’s life” (https://dogtown.blog ) I hope you will enjoy “Truth, Half-Truths and Sea Stories”. For twenty-six years over three decades, I lived out my childhood cartoon hero, Popeye – a crusty Sailor who gets the girl, stands up to injustice, and has a special thing about spinach. For my former shipmates, I hope you get a few chuckles and good memories. For new, and as yet unmet, friends, may you enjoy observations of someone coming of age in that world. While many write about the perils and the fraternity (no sexist connotation intended, please) of combat, as a kid from Arizona, I remember amusing, unique and interesting times to share. And I was a glutton for adventure; I joined the Navy 3 times (!) to see the world and saw a lot of it.
I had the privilege of being mentored by Sailors who rose through the enlisted ranks to become enlisted Master Chief Petty Officers; two others who started as enlisted recruits, were commissioned, and rose through the ranks to become Admirals. I became a Senior Chief Petty Officer; my perspective on life is skewed by the firsthand witness to how 90 percent of the world actually lives and how little my countrymen actually know or have experienced.
