Wagenblass, John W.
Not Pictured
Tuttle, Robert M.
Speer, James W.
Karlan, Charles C.
Wineski Jr., John A.
Company
Antonetti, Louis C.
LaTourrette, John A.
Mellars, Robert J.
Sullivan, Patrick D.
Babb, James A.
th
Ytterdal, Galen M.
Moore, Mark P.
Verrengia, Thomas J.
Baron, Frederick H.
Lane, Alan L.
Boynton, Robert W.
11
Plummer Jr., John F.
Becken, Bradford A.
Post III, John H.
Brink, Gale D.
First Regiment
Rogers, James M.
Second Battalion
Cochrane, John M.
Apollaro, Anthony F.
Campbell, Con B.
Rogers, William C.
Bodine, John H.
Saxton, Robert T.
Stevens, Joseph J.
11
Simmons, Eric C.
Farrell, Patrick J.
Hall, Michael R.
Lahren, Jack W.
Kostick Jr., Peter A.
Kaufman, Paul N.
Slaight IV, James B.
Hawkins Jr., John B.
Apollaro, Anthony F.
Cochrane, John M.
Caption Right for Photo Left
1970
Caption Right
Caption Left
Curabitur blandit tempus porttitor. Aenean eu leo quam. Pellentesque ornare sem lacinia quam venenatis vestibulum. Cras mattis consectetur purus sit amet fermentum. Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod. Morbi leo risus, porta ac consectetur ac, vestibulum at eros. Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue laoreet rutrum faucibus dolor auctor. Curabitur blandit tempus porttitor.
Curabitur blandit tempus porttitor. Aenean eu leo quam. Pellentesque ornare sem lacinia quam venenatis vestibulum. Cras mattis consectetur purus sit amet fermentum. Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod. Morbi leo risus, porta ac consectetur ac, vestibulum at eros. Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue laoreet rutrum faucibus dolor auctor. Curabitur blandit tempus porttitor.
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Cras justo odio, dapibus ac facilisis in, egestas eget quam. Maecenas faucibus mollis interdum. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. Donec id elit non mi porta gravida at eget metus. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.
Nullam quis risus eget urna mollis ornare vel eu leo. Donec sed odio dui. Sed posuere consectetur est at lobortis. Praesent commodo cursus magna, vel scelerisque nisl consectetur et.
Morbi leo risus, porta ac consectetur ac, vestibulum at eros. Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris condimentum nibh, ut fermentum massa justo sit amet risus. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. Morbi leo risus, porta ac consectetur ac, vestibulum at eros. Praesent commodo cursus magna, vel scelerisque nisl consectetur et.
Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula, eget lacinia odio sem nec elit. Cras justo odio, dapibus ac facilisis in, egestas eget quam. Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue laoreet rutrum faucibus dolor auctor. nisi erat porttitor ligula, eget lacinia odio sem nec elit.
Perry Dunn’s family
Caption Left for Photo Right
Date of Death: August 23, 1999
Louis Charles Antonetti
Date of Death: Month 00, 2055
Anthony Francis Apollaro
I was appointed by the Secretary of the Navy based on competitive exams. My best memory was during graduation week when my mother, unfamiliar with Naval Officer ranks, asked, “What will you be when you graduate?” To which I responded, “Outrageously happy.”
That said, I learned that I had a helicopter pilot’s karma. I seemed to find myself hovering in the vicinity of a pending disaster while possessing assets to avert a catastrophe:
(Jim)
James Albert Babb
My First Class cruise, I had to find a Youngster to complete some administrative details. While heading to the bunking area, I found an electrical fire developing in a space adjacent to the ship’s (USS Waldo County (LST 1163)) number-one magazine.
A quick instruction to the sailors brought an electrician to the space while I sent the crew to General Quarters. Fortunately, the fire was quickly halted when the electrician extracted the burning resistor from the fuse box.
In 1980, my helo developed instrumentation problems (both engine temperature gauges dropped to zero simultaneously). I returned to base and took the standby bird for the mission.
En route I found myself off Long Island, around sunset, as did a family in a boat with a failed engine.
The Coast Guard did not seem to think this was an emergency (family in a boat drifting out to sea at sunset) until I announced that I was assuming on-scene command and effecting rescue, whereupon the Coasties decided that they would send a boat so that I would not be inconvenienced by having to deliver the boat and the family therein to a safe harbor.
Me and my shadow inspecting roof
damage after Hurricane Harvey
Frederick Henry Baron
Bradford Albert Becken Jr.
I was coming off a high wave of anticipation and eagerness in 1965 to be rid of High School, ticking off the boxes for college applications without any clarity whatsoever of a career goal. A sense of choice was governed by cost, personal academic challenge, but very strongly by opportunity to continue athletics.
There were numerous soccer and lacrosse powerhouses along the East Coast, but it was tough to beat the package offered by the US Naval Academy – National Champions in Lacrosse, getting paid to go to college? It seemed like it could only be a winning proposition. What did I know?
So there I was on induction day, raising my hand and swearing the oath before being herded off for conversion (not yet marched) – brutal haircut, new clothes (uh, uniform), the start of a new vocabulary.
They said, “Look to left of you, look to the right of you. Two-thirds of you will not be here in four years’ time.”
Well, that was a bit intimidating, but it triggered my competitive instincts to be one who would be there at the finish.
And so I was there at the finish, having progressed from a scrawny, jumpy, self-doubting plebe, to a Firstie who could hold his own with academic, athletic, and military lore (Reef Points).
Plebe Summer had been tough. I visited the “Awkward Squad” one morning after a highly rushed uniform change, putting my leggings on the wrong legs, you know, eyelets on the inside. Snagged leggings don’t march! I had learned how to use my lacrosse stick in water balloon fights to hook balloons up into the windows above ours, watched the “Spring Offensive” of sweet young tourist girls in flowery dresses emerge from the “Dark Ages” in Tecumseh Court as March and April rolled around. I had done my Youngster Cruise aboard an old World War II destroyer with Qualification Exercises at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, spent a summer as an exchange officer with the French Navy, and did duty as a Second Class with the Plebe Detail, getting new plebes ready for the return of the Brigade. But had I really learned what a career in the Navy would be like?
I graduated, went through Nuclear Power training at Mare Island, California and Idaho and then joined the fleet – dry-dock on a Destroyer Escort in the Naval Shipyard in Boston. Experience while at the Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho of exploring the Tetons and Snake River and now proximity to the White Mountains of New England released a hunger for the outdoors. As I matured and learned more about the world, I could feel the mismatch of military life for me. I recognized that determination and focus to “stick with the program” was not what life was all about. I really needed to figure out what I was best suited for and what best suited me.
John Howard Bodine
Taking advantage is the Navy’s preoccupation with post-graduate education, I spent my Ensign year getting a Master of Science degree in Nuclear Science and Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The predictable follow-on to this was much school and tours in three submarines – USS Greenling (SSN 624), USS Alexander Hamilton (SSBN 617) and USS Pargo (SSN 650).
After 10 years I’d had enough of “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure” and resigned. The value of Academy and class networking became immediately apparent. Without ever going through the standard torture of hunting for a job, I sent my resume to our classmate Pete Kruse and had a job with Combustion Engineering, a nuclear reactor manufacturer, two months before I left the Navy.
The next nine years were spent in the civilian nuclear power industry, mainly doing reactor testing during plant startups after initial construction or refueling.
I enjoyed this work at new construction plants but had no desire to be a reactor engineer for an operating plant. So, when there were no new plants to start up, it was time for a career change. The change proved to be fairly radical.
Robert West Boynton
(Bob)
On a whim I took the Foreign Service exam and, against all odds, passed it. The change from kicking around construction sites to the button-down world of diplomacy was more akin to a change in culture than just a job shift.
Over the next twenty years I served at American embassies in Santo Domingo, Taiwan (actually at an institute that serves as an embassy there), Beijing and Baghdad, as well as several tours at the State Department in Washington DC. I retired in 2008.
Not wanting my brain to turn to mush as the years rolled on, in 2011 I started teaching physics at a local community college. This gives me, in addition to a little pocket money, a chance to interact with a segment of society that most of us no longer deal with outside of our families. Many of my students could drive any teacher nuts. Their math and writing skills are sometimes abysmal and I question whether they should be in a college classroom at all. On the other hand, over half of them are working and, even while they’re struggling and miserable due to their mediocre academic backgrounds, they keep at it. On balance they make me feel pretty good about the potential of the so-called millennials and what they can contribute to our country.
Gale Dean Brink
Con Barton Campbell
John Mackay Cochrane
Date of Death: October 13, 1972
Patrick Joseph Farrell
Michael Robert Hall
Commander Brad Hawkins
(Brad, Hawks)
John Braddock Hawkins Jr.
Charles Conrad Karlan
Paul Nicholas Kaufman
Peter Albert Kostick Jr.
(Al)
After graduation, my short naval career in the Supply Corps saw two years on USS Coral Sea (CVA 43) and 1 1/2 years at Naval Air Station Alameda, California. After that, not the type to spend 20-30 years with the same company or behind a desk, I worked food and beverage in Atlanta, Georgia restaurants, Hilton Hotels, and a Hyatt Hotel.
After that I spent eight years as a circulation district manager for an Atlanta newspaper. Next I managed local Atlanta liquor stores before starting a vending business in 1997 that I sold ten years later.
Alan Leonard Lane
Al Lane and Jim Speer, 1969
Bobby Cowin and Tony Apollaro just prior
to the arrival of the O.D., 1966
John Austin LaTourrette
Robert Joseph Mellars
Mark Power Moore
John Franklin Plummer Jr.
An unchanging relationship, much like the USNA sea wall or Bancroft Hall, a lighthouse in the dark, something that will be a lifetime advantage to you. My grandfather was right when he repeatedly told me, “Keep your friendships in repair.”
When I moved from the Training Command in Pensacola, Florida to Miami, Florida for medical school, I was referred to a grad who was a realtor. He got me a great deal on a house, and even though I’d never met the guy before, as grad to grad, he cosigned the mortgage to my house!
You now have the opportunity to “pay it forward,” to do the same for those who follow you.
Lastly, regardless the length of your time in service, minimum or career, never give up on fitness – it lasts a lifetime – and never stop learning.
John Hazen Post III
I have a few things to pass on to the reader, likely a Midshipman of the future. First, your performance at the Academy, be it academic, athletic or other, has little bearing on your future success. I was Anchor Man of the class at our January Service Selection and not much athletically. (But, did well enough my 8th semester to lose Anchor status by graduation. And the customary silver dollars.)
Following seven years as a Marine aviator and then medical school, I ended up a successful surgeon (orthopedic), athlete (Manhattan Island Swimming Marathon, English Channel Swim), husband and father. So many young men and women, the author a prime example, have the nidus of success down deep inside but don’t know how or why to use it until they are 25-26. I didn’t start medical school until I was 29. Your future knows no bounds.
Secondly, the bond of the Naval Academy lasts a lifetime, but it does require just a little input on your part. Not only your own company mates and classmates, but grads older and younger. At a recent swimming race, I passed a couple where the gent sported a Navy ball cap. “Nice hat,” I offered, wearing the same. After brief exchanges, rather than perfect strangers, we chatted about the race like two old friends, an easy and animated conversation. It happens all the time.
James Michael Rogers
Date of Death: June 3, 2009
Bill was killed along with his Radar Intercept Officer in an F-4 operational accident in Naples, Italy on September 27, 1974. Sandee was pregnant with their daughter Billee at the time.
Following graduation and nearly two months of leave, Bill reported to The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, where he was a member of Bravo Company, TBS 2-70.
Bill, desirous of jets, worked hard in the classroom, and with his native skills in the field from years of hunting, fishing and camping, achieved an admirable class standing that allowed him to choose the Air Force jet training program.
Weekends were spent in Manassas, Virginia at the drag strip, pushing his 1953 Hudson Hornet closer and closer to the speed of sound.
Finishing Quantico in January 1970, Bill reported to Laughlin Air Force Base, Del Rio, Texas.
By eye witness accounts, his weekends were spent shooting rabbits with nights drinking beer from the nearby border cantina. Sandee, his ever patient and supportive wife, could only sit back and smile.
After flight school, Bill reported to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. By this time Bill had swapped his Hudson Hornet for a drag-ready light blue 1970 Chevrolet Camaro.
William Clifford Rogers
Date of Death: September 27, 1974
Robert Townsend Saxton III
I entered USNA as the son of a 1942 graduate and career naval officer. While there, I had times
that I loved and some not so great but left with a deep appreciation for what I had been given.
My naval career was pretty nondescript. After a year at Michigan State followed by flight training, I received my wings in early 1972 as the Vietnam war was winding down.
I spent 5-plus years as a flight instructor in Training Squadron (VT) 9 in Meridian, Mississippi, then Attack Squadron (VA) 45 and Light Attack Wing (LATWING) 1 staff at Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida.
By then I had a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of North Florida (UNF) and a very young family, and “jumped ship” to begin a career in manufacturing.
That career included gigs with Proctor & Gamble (P&G), Frito Lay, James River Paper and, finally, as Vice President of Manufacturing for Playtex Products. My time with P&G included a fascinating year as a leader in the design and start up team for a Luvs diaper production plant in Japan.
Eric Charles Simmons
Products that I was associated with included Pampers, Frito Lay salty snacks, Northern and Dixie brand paper products, custom printed napkins and placemats for bars and restaurants, Wet Ones, Mr. Bubble, Diaper Genie, Playtex infant care products and Playtex Gentle Glide and Sport tampons. (We shipped 1.5 billion “sticks” per year from Dover, Delaware - I probably know more about tampons than any guy should know!)
My first wife and I divorced late in our marriage, so I started over at age 55. During that time, I moved to Sidney, Ohio to take over the Playtex Ohio operations. There I met and several years later married Graceann, an absolutely wonderful lady. We celebrated our 12th anniversary last August.
I have three kids scattered across the country, each with three of their own. My wife has one son with two grandkids. We have 11 grandkids between us in California, Texas, Vermont and Massachusetts.
As VP of Playtex manufacturing, we lived in Dover, Delaware for almost eight years. Then Energizer bought Playtex which led to my retirement in 2012. We are now settled in Ellenton, Florida, just north of the Sarasota/Bradenton area.
There were two Naval Academy grads onboard Van Voorhis, the Chief Engineer and me. We were also the only two who got orders to in-country Vietnam. Based on my background growing up in New York City, going to a technical high school in Brooklyn and taking systems engineering at the Academy, I was a shoo-in to teach the Vietnamese to raise pigs and chickens as a Psychological Warfare (PSYOPS) Officer and Political Warfare Advisor.
My most successful project was working with the Biet Hai security force in Solid Anchor in the delta. The Biet Hai commander was a Lt. j.g. who graduated from their Naval Academy the same year I did, so we considered ourselves classmates. The most memorable time was coming home on Rest and Relaxation (R&R) and seeing my new-born son, Jim. What a rush. I can’t think of anything at Navy that gave me that feeling. I returned to the pigs and chickens, dropped thousands more leaflets, and hundreds of hours of broadcasts later I returned to be with my family.
Following six months of Destroyer School I went back out to the real Navy as a Department Head, and from there to a variety of sea and shore duties, including teaching, where two more children, Matt and Erica, were born, and a carrier group staff where Jim (’93) got the bug to go Navy Air.
James Butler Slaight IV
From the earliest time I can remember thinking about where to go to college, it was the Naval Academy. My Dad was a Chief who enlisted before World War II and was firmly convinced there was no better institution of higher learning, and a steady diet of “Victory at Sea” convinced me as well. If you haven’t seen “Victory at Sea” or listened to Richard Roger’s score, I urge you to do so.
I do periodically and still get chills at the opening. After getting a nomination as a qualified alternate and competitor, I packed my bags the day of my high school graduation and headed south to Annapolis where I met my fellow company classmates who would become friends for life. The shared experience of the Academy provided an instant connection to others of my class who I met, in some cases, long after graduation.
Mary Jane and I have formed life-long friendships resulting from those connections. Most importantly I met Mary Jane there in my Youngster Year and we’ve traveled the world through the Navy.
My first tour of duty following the graduation was on a post WWII Destroyer Escort that was 1200 tons of rock and roll. The most vivid memory I have of USS Van Voorhis (DE 1028) was taking a 63-degree roll in the North Atlantic in December. It’s the only time I ever got sick at sea.
James Walter Speer
Like my contemporaries I was a product of World War II – son of a Normandy Seabee – and a baby boomer by every definition.
I grew up with the Lone Ranger and Tonto, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Zorro, Wild Bill Hickok, “Gunsmoke,” the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Good and bad were distinct characterizations. Society was politely civil, even when dealing with the bad guys. Life was black and white, and there was no grey. And, good always won! Shows like The West Point Story, The Men of Annapolis, and the Big Picture provided an inspiring insight to the world of the military. Back-to-back showings of Victory at Sea episodes taught history in living black and white. Playing “Army” and shooting each other with cap pistols was rigorous, clean fun where good usually won. It was not seen as a predictor of violent behavior. Life was simple, safe and stable. It was in this environment that I entered high school with a focused desire to attend the Naval Academy.
Unfortunately, although a solid A/B student, I had difficulty with the SATs. Fortunately, the football coaches at Navy saw some potential and arranged for the Academy Foundation to take me under their wing. With their support I enlisted, completed boot camp, and was then enrolled in prep school while assigned to a Reserve unit. From prep school I was accepted into USNA.
Plebe Year was a challenge; in my case that means that plebe routine and academics didn’t mesh well. The outcome was that at the end of Plebe Year I “turned back” into the Class of ’69.
Two plebe years…just what I needed. The upside was that I was exempt from the “plebe stuff” on the second go-around, so I was able to concentrate on the academics. The end result of this 5 year “academic enrichment” program that I undertook was graduation with the Class of ’69 and commissioning as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy.
Within the week following graduation I was married to my “high school sweetheart,” Sandra, who waited for me from high school, through prep school, and then through five years at USNA. I’m very happy she considered me a “keeper” and waited for me.
We’ve now been married 49 years. We have one daughter, Amysue, who is married to Dr. Pete Kashubara, Ed.D., and they have two sons, Zach (14) and Nick (10).
Joseph John Stevens
Patrick Dennis Sullivan
Robert Michael Tuttle
After qualifying in the A-7, I received orders to Attack Squadron (VA) 12 where I made two Mediterranean cruises aboard USS Independence (CV 62) and then on to VA-174 as an instructor pilot and training Landing Signal Officer (LSO).
After eight years on active duty, I transferred from USN to USNR and continued my Navy flying career. I retired from the Naval Reserve in 1993 after a very rewarding tour as Commanding Officer of VA-203, a reserve A-7 squadron.
While on active duty, I met my future wife Jody in Jacksonville and we were married there in 1983.
In 1978 I was hired as a pilot for Delta Air Lines and moved to Miami, Florida. I flew for Delta for 26 years, retiring in 2004 as a Boeing 767 captain flying international flights to Europe and South America.
Jody and I still reside in Miami. We enjoy traveling with friends and boating on Biscayne Bay with occasional trips to the Florida Keys and Bahamas. The major class reunions back at USNA are always fun and we look forward to our 11th Company mini reunions when we catch up with everyone. We exchange stories about old times, embellished of course. It has been a great ride these past 50 + years.
(Tom)
I must admit I felt a bit overwhelmed standing in Tecumseh Court on that June day in 1965. I knew the events of that day would change my life, but I had no idea just how much. The lessons we learned over the next four years would give us a strong foundation to take on the challenges we would face in the real world. We established friendships that remain strong to this day.
When I first reported to USNA I had no long-range plan in mind as to what my career path would be. My short-range plan was to survive Plebe Year, graduate and receive my commission. It became clear as our time at the Academy progressed, and we were exposed to the many career paths available to us, that aviation was the thing that really interested me. By the time Service Selection Night rolled around, I couldn’t wait to make my choice.
On the day astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, I arrived at Pensacola, Florida and started down the road to become a Naval Aviator. I was excited! Flight training was challenging but fun. In May of 1971, at Beeville, Texas, I received my Navy Wings.
Then it was off to Jacksonville, Florida for A-7 training.
Thomas James Verrengia
John Watson Wagenblass
Date of Death: June 29, 2012
John Anthony Wineski Jr.
Galen Marsh Ytterdal
Date of Death: September 8, 2002
In 1989 I was searching the professional positions available when I chanced upon an ad asking for Health Physicists to work in rural Texas. Translation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was getting ready to dump high level nuclear waste into unknown salt domes in Deaf Smith County, Texas.
As geology would have it, the salt domes were beneath the Ogallala Aquifer (the main water source for the United States bread basket). A quick letter to Senator Lloyd Bentsen resulted in both the Senator and NRC jointly announcing that Deaf Smith County would NOT be used as a waste disposal site.
From 2002 through 2004 I taught math in a Charter school designed to recover drop-outs, misfits, and parolees. Two hundred students who would otherwise not complete their high school education (in no small part because of difficulties they had had with math in the public schools) received their diplomas having passed Algebra II (average grade 84%).
Key advice - raise your kids right so they don’t turn out like you. Let them find their own path. I had one son in college at 16, a second on full scholarship upon graduation. Number-three son was not a slash and enlisted in the Marine Corps. He is now completing his residency at the Mayo Clinic.
n 1980, my helo developed instrumentation problems (both engine temperature gauges dropped to zero simultaneously). I returned to base and took the standby bird for the mission. En route I found myself off Long Island, around sunset, as did a family in a boat with a failed engine.
The Coast Guard did not seem to think this was an emergency (family in a boat drifting out to sea at sunset) until I announced that I was assuming on-scene command and effecting rescue, whereupon the Coasties decided that they would send a boat so that I would not be inconvenienced by having to deliver the boat and the family therein to a safe harbor.
In 1989 I was searching the professional positions available when I chanced upon an ad asking for Health Physicists to work in rural Texas. Translation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was getting ready to dump high level nuclear waste into unknown salt domes in Deaf Smith County, Texas.
As geology would have it, the salt domes were beneath the Ogallala Aquifer (the main water source for the United States bread basket). A quick letter to Senator Lloyd Bentsen resulted in both the Senator and NRC jointly announcing that Deaf Smith County would NOT be used as a waste disposal site.
USS Waldo County (LST 1163
We grew as a family to love the mountains, three daughters, grandsons,
and all of the grandchildren trekking the rocky trails!
Was my experience at USNA a useful precursor for my later life? I would say 100%, “Yes.” The training, level of responsibility given to young military officers, the global experiences, and the resulting bonds of friendship are priceless. It’s also well understood, that beyond training career officers, our military academies are training citizens, since most graduates do not make a full military career of their lives. The Academy Education impacts our society in many dimensions and ensures understanding and appreciation of the important services our military forces provide our country. We are all out here, though we’re not all in uniform!
John Bodine and classmate Ed Bannat, 1968 French Foreign Exchange Cruise, about to fly La Grande Gorge in Fouga trainers
I was prepared to start a new journey as my service time ended, a civilian journey, but taking with me the values, friendships, and awesome leadership experiences that mellowed my edges and hardened my self-confidence. I resigned my commission and joined a pre-med program at Columbia University to perhaps follow the family tradition of going into medicine. I conquered and aced Organic Chemistry, of all things, partly to prove I could compete in this arena as well, only to discover this direction, a family expectation, was also not a great fit.
Deep reflection and soul-searching led me to put together my Engineering Math and Nuclear Physics education with my love of the mountains and wild outdoors, to discover there was such a thing as Geophysics! Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory was at the center of a revolution in Earth Science that involved continuous shipboard data collection across the world’s oceans.
Bingo, they loved me as a Navy guy, and I loved the deep dive into unraveling plate tectonics, mapping the invisible structures of the seafloor, and understanding how the earth has formed and continues to evolve. I ended up with a PhD, marrying a Navy Nurse I had first met as a wandering soul while on active duty in New England, and worked a full career in oil and gas exploration as a Research Geophysicist.
USNA Induction Day, 1965 – John Bodine, center, with Mom & Dad,
about to start a challenging and rewarding adventure with the US Navy.
On the personal side, I’m married to a great wife who is a gastroenterologist. That makes me the trailing spouse, a job to die for.
My older son Chris is an MS-60S Seahawk pilot homeported in Atsugi, Japan. My daughter Meaghan is physical therapist.
Last but not least our son Brian is sixteen and seems to be majoring more in lacrosse than the academic side of high school. That notwithstanding, he’s a good kid and we’re optimistic that once he figures out what he wants to do in life he’ll do well at it.
Son Chris and Bob in front of Chris’ MH-60S Seahawk
My life as a Midshipman was pretty much the same as any other midshipman: lots of study, athletics, and thinking of women. I married my USNA sweetheart, Jerry Willard, and we are still married after 48 years. My activities were Drum and Bugle Corps, NA10 Dance Band, Plebe Lightweight Crew and Varsity Tennis Manager. My major was Aerospace Engineering.
After graduation, I tried to enter the Naval Aviator pipeline but was rejected for eyesight. I had 20/20 vision, but the refractive error predicted I would have 20/40 within one year. I retired 20 years later with 20/20. Since I had learned to never give up, I did not give up on flying and selected the Naval Flight Officer Program, earning my wings in 1970. My first squadron was Training Squadron (VT) 23 flying first F-9’s, then A-4’s and finally T-2’s. I was the only NFO on Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, so they treated me like a pilot. At the civilian airport I earned my FAA Commercial, Multi-Engine Instrument and Instructor Licenses. After two years, I got a waiver on eyesight and returned to the pilot program. I had already started flying T-34’s in VT- 1 at Pensacola when I was called back to the Naval Aviation Medical Institute for an irregular EKG that resulted with me being reverted to an NFO. Being extremely frustrated, I requested and was transferred to Aircraft Ferry Squadron (VRF) 31, an aircraft delivery squadron in Norfolk, Virginia.
My legacy associated with the USNA started before I was accepted for admission. The US Navy is in my blood. My grandfather was a Navy sailor repairing sails on the old sailing ships. My Dad was a Navy Aviation Machinist Mate Chief and Aircrewman during World War II. Both his brothers were Navy Chiefs and Aircrewman, too. My brother joined the Navy as a Naval Flight Officer (NFO) and retired as a Commander. My inspiration for attending the Naval Academy was a cousin that was a member of the Class of 1958 who became a Naval Aviator. During Junior High School, I would visit his house and marvel at his model airplanes and how sharp he looked in his Midshipman and officer uniforms.
I pictured myself in those same uniforms. But even more I wanted to be a Naval Aviator. Since I planned to be a career aviator, I thought the best route was the USNA.
Getting into the USNA was not a breeze for me. I had the grades, athletics and leadership positions but I lived in a “Navy Town,” Pensacola, Florida, where the competition for appointments was very high. I was second alternate the first year, first alternate the second year and was finally admitted the third year. During that period, I joined the Naval Reserve as a Seaman Recruit to enhance my chance of admission. This taught me that if you want something bad enough and do not give up, you can get it. This lesson would be valuable after graduation
Brad on deployment with VA-176
This was the best sea duty squadron in the Navy for anyone that loves to fly and likes variety. I was flying thirteen different aircraft including helicopters, jets and props as both copilot and navigator. In this squadron, I went as far west as Hong Kong and as far east as Sicilia, Italy and was getting more flight hours than most pilots in the fleet at the time. From there, I transferred to the A-6 Replacement Air Group (RAG), Attack Squadron (VA) 42 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, and was assigned to VA- 176 for two cruises on the USS America (CV 66).
For shore duty I transferred to the aggressor/instrument training squadron Fighter Squadron (VF) 43 and was flying A-4’s and T-38’s on the fighter side while being in charge of the Instrument Ground School. This was the best shore duty in the Navy. From there I returned to VRF-31 but was limited to seven aircraft of the same type because they had decided it was too dangerous to fly helicopters, jets and props.
After that I went to two different staffs in Norfolk and was the first NFO in the United States to qualify as copilot on the C-12 aircraft.
By never giving up I was able to live my dream. In the Navy, I piloted 22 different aircraft and was navigator for 17 different aircraft.
I started my Navy career as a Seaman Recruit and retired as a Commander after 26 years of service. In the civilian community I flew 10 different aircraft.
Because of my Navy and civilian flight experience, after retirement I was able to continue flying with Henson, Piedmont and USAir airlines where I was a Captain for 12 years. I ended up with over 14,000 flight hours. Not bad for someone whose aviation career could have been over in 1969 if I had stopped pursuing my dream. Never take “No” for an answer.
Jack Wesley Lahren
Enjoying a fine spring P-rade, 1967
Before a mission over North Vietnam, 1972
Retirement brought me several jobs from Data Collection for Commander, Second Fleet (COMSECONDFLT) in Norfolk, to planning Ballistic Missile Defense Exercises in Texas, Netherlands, Israel and South Korea, to working in Current Operations at United States Atlantic Command (USACOM) and United States Fleet Forces Command (USFLTFORCOM), where I reached the end of my government service after some 47 years.
Currently enjoying real retirement in Virginia Beach, Virginia, playing a lot of golf and just enjoying no early wakeup calls.
Enjoying the good life in Virginia Beach
Little did I know in June 1965, standing next to fellow prospective Plebe Jim Code at the Fargo, North Dakota, Airport, what I was getting myself in for on this, the second commercial flight of my life at the tender age of 17 (still not draft eligible). Never did get that draft notice.
Arriving at the Academy I was a little awestruck by the all the imposing buildings and history. I had watched "Men of Annapolis" and "The Long Grey Line" as a preview of what to expect, but did they ever get it wrong. First stop barber shop to lose the hair and sending all the clothes home and getting those whiteworks and meeting a lot of new people who would become life-long friends. I guess you could say I survived academically but was never in danger of not graduating. Played 150-Pound varsity football and won title in 1967, beating Army. I also played Intramural field ball and softball.
Sweated out Service Selection Night because I desperately wanted Naval Aviation and there were only a limited number of Naval Flight Officer (NFO) slots available. I guess that First Class Cruise on board USS Salmon (SS 182) helped me get what I wanted with a 100-spot jump in class standing as a result of our cruise books being aced. I got what I wanted and headed off to Pensacola, Florida for NFO training. Completed and went to Glynco, Georgia and received my NFO wings and headed to Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia for training in the F-4 Phantom.
Joined Fighter Squadron (VF) 103 after completing the Replacement Air Group (RAG) syllabus. After a very fun Mediterranean cruise, got to enjoy the skies over Vietnam for a little less than a year, completing 150 combat missions, mostly over North Vietnam.
Surprise, surprise.... just before new orders, got sent to Israel to be a United Nations Peace Observer in the Golan Heights of Northern Israel. Needless to say, an interesting six months playing ground pounder and watching artillery shells pass overhead from Syria. On return, back to Pensacola as a Flight Instructor before transitioning to the F-14 Tomcat in San Diego, California. Cruised with VF-213 and then returned to VF-124 RAG to be a Flight Instructor again before heading back to the East Coast and VF-11 where I was the Operations Officer winning the Battle E and Safety E.
That ended the flying and now on the way to Commander, Third Fleet (COMTHIRDFLT) staff as the Anti-Air Warfare Officer for three years. From there to United Kingdom to teach US Carrier Operations to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officers at the British Maritime Tactical School in Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK. One last tour before retirement at Commander, Training Command, US Atlantic Fleet (COMTRALANT) Norfolk, Virginia, providing Opposition Forces for Carrier Battle Group training.
The Usual Suspects, 1967
I am a retired businessman since 2007, living in Atlanta, Georgia with my wife Kathy. We have three children and four beautiful grandchildren.
Of course, my memories of the Academy will never leave me. However, I do wish some of them would.
Live your life with integrity and honor, standing up for what is right. Say what you mean and mean what you say. As John Wayne used to say, "Life is hard. It's harder if you're stupid."
Al Lane and Jim Speer, 1959
Wife Barbara and John enjoying vacation
"Never give up on fitness – it lasts a lifetime – and never stop learning."
After a successful swim meet
Eric and Graceann enjoying the Gulf waters
I am now working part time as a dock master with Freedom Boat Club in Palmetto, Florida. It is physically demanding work, which keeps me in shape and gives my wife and I unlimited access to small boats. We make weekly outings into Tampa and Sarasota Bays and the local Gulf waters.
We are truly blessed and really enjoying our life in Southwest Florida and would love to connect with any classmates traveling to this area. The email I use for USNA contacts is esimmons215@gmail.com.
Best wishes to all of ‘69
Eric and Graceann at home in Ellenton, Florida
After 28 years commuting in and around the D.C. area, I decided that if I was going to retire, I’d be better off getting far away from D.C.’s traffic so we moved to the mountains of East Tennessee.
Our children and grandchildren have all come to fish, swim and enjoy the area – needless to say we have a blast. In the short time we’ve been here we’ve had classmates, other Navy friends, British friends and old friends and neighbors come to enjoy the mountains and the lake either to visit for a while or on their way through.
Our experience at the Academy and in the Navy provided us with instant bonds to fellow grads and Naval Officers and provided us fantastic opportunities to see places and meet people from all over the world who became and remain great friends.
In Washington D.C. at Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) our youngest, Stacey, was born. I met Frank Purdue (yes that Frank Purdue) at the Pentagon who was really interested in how I raised chickens in Vietnam. I didn’t think to ask him for a job.
We then spent three great years in the United Kingdom where I was on exchange with the Royal Navy. We got to travel to most of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries and Ireland. Mary Jane and the three oldest kids got to go through Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin and later to the Soviet Union where they spent New Year’s Eve in Red Square.
My final tour was in Naval Sea Systems Command, managing and directing surface ship and submarine command and control programs. I retired to Northern Virginia and a second career of consulting for the Navy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
We spent many Thanksgivings and Christmases with our families including our grandchildren – we now have six with another coming in the fall of 2018. Mary Jane and I met great folks all along the way from the West Coast to the East Coast and across the pond to the U.K.
Winning Form ATSB Solid Anchor
Family Celebration
Jim and Mary Jane - Almost 50 Great Years!
♣ persevere…stay focused on the prize
♣ don’t be afraid to stand alone
♣ principles matter
♣ set high standards
♣ be a positive example for the standards you set
♣ do your homework
♣ speak only when necessary…comment for the sake of comment will only cause you trouble
♣ it’s all in the packaging…think about what you’re about to say BEFORE you open your mouth
♣ take care of your people
♣ stay away from social media sites
My journey through life has not always been with “fair winds and following seas”, but overall it has been an enjoyable cruise. I’m looking forward to sailing the remainder of the trip on a downwind leg.
Upon commissioning I started a 25-year career as a Surface Warfare Officer and as an East Coast sailor. Deployments were spent in the North Atlantic, Caribbean, Mediterranean, and the Persian Gulf; homeports included Newport, Rhode Island, Norfolk Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
I had command of a guided missile frigate, attended the Naval War College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. I retired in 1994 with the rank of Captain. Post-retirement I spent twenty years as a “contractor”: 10 years supporting Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and 10 years supporting Homeland Security. I fully retired in 2015 and am now trying to learn to play golf.
In looking back at my up-bringing and career I find there are several lessons learned/take-aways that I’ve tried to live by; I’ve also tried to pass them onto my daughter and grandsons. In no specific order they are:
Jim, Sandy and grandsons, Nick (9- years-old) and Zach (13-years-old), Christmas 2017, Greensboro, NC.
Tom and Jody
Tom and Jody on The Great Wall in China
She is a Senior Account Manager with Direct TV/AT&T in Commercial Sports Marketing. Her husband is Founder and CEO of Box Lock (getboxlock.com), a porch pirate deterrent.
So, with a granddaughter in Maine, one of each in Philadelphia and a grandson (born 7/31/17) here, we travel as needed!
The Lane Inn (laneinn@gmail.com) is always open. Reservations requested but not necessary.
Currently “retired”, I fill my time now driving dealer transfer vehicles for Carl Black Dealerships in Kennesaw, Georgia. Prior to that I spent four years as inventory manager at a local Jaguar dealership.
Kathy retired at the end of 2018 after 40 years as Administrative Assistant for a manufacturer s representative. Basically, she handled everything office and inside sales.
Our first-born son, Jeremy, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), is a Registered Nurse (RN), and has a master’s degree in forensic medicine. He is currently working as a cardiac nurse in a cardiac catheterization lab in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Toby, our eldest daughter, works for Martin’s Point Health System in Brunswick, Maine. In her spare time she runs LilBowPeep, a cottage craft business, where she creates hair accessories, earrings and other fun things for little girls.
(Look her up on Facebook.com/lilbowpeep2013). She has lots of fun things for grown ladies as well! Our youngest, Abby, lives in midtown Atlanta, about 30 minutes - 1 1/2 hours away depending on the time of day.
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