Since Grandpa's grandparents/great-grandparents were deceased at the time he returned from the Navy, he imparted his life lessons to his sisters and parents. In later years he shared his life lessons with his children, and then his grandchildren.

Grandpa and his 3 bunkmates heard the first explosion from the torpedo and jumped out of bed. His three bunkmates ran out of the room and were killed in the second explosion from the second torpedo. Grandpa is a logical man and stopped to put on his shoes, and was not caught in either explosion. On his way to the top deck, grandpa stopped in another man's room and put on his shirt and pants, knowing it would be in his best interest to be clothed. As soon as he got to the top deck, he was handed a life jacket, and at that moment, the ship sank from under him. It also pulled off his shoes that saved his life by taking the time to put on after the first explosion.

For years I have heard many Navy and ship stories, which interested me enough to join Navy after high school. I was an Avioncs technician Engineer first time on the USS Theodore Roosevelt and finally on the USS Enterprise.

I had some similar feelings that I could share with Grandpa because my last six-month deployment on the USS Enterprise was quite harrowing. I was on the USS Enterprise in the Arabian Sea during the 9/11 attacks. I was part of an F-14 squadron called the Black Aces. Two weeks after the terrorist attacks my squadron started bombing Afghanistan. This experience I will never forget. I realized that the United States needs the Navy, just like they needed the Navy in WWII.