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I arrived in Norfolk on Jan 1, 1981 assigned to the Carl Vinson as an Airman Apprentice, straight out of
Florida. It was cold and snowing and being the 'Florida Boy' that I am, I really didn't have a good 'civi' jacket so
I had to wear my P-Coat! I stayed at Norfolk for a few months at various halls that looked like they had been used during WW-II, cleaning up other people's messes, going to the EM club and stripping/waxing concrete floors in the open bay barracks. Folks were going TAD to various ships in the fleet in preparation for their job on the V. I was one of the lucky ones I guess.

Out of the blue, I was called up for an interview with the Management Department at the admin building in B-U-TIFUL downtown Newport News! You've never lived until you've eaten a burger at JEFFSON'S. They put us up in apartments in Hampton until we moved on the "boat" in August (I think). The sound of a needle gun on steel is a sound I won't soon forget! :)

I was there when they tested the catapults and for all the shakedown/trial cruises and of course GITMO! The commissioning ceremony was impressive to say the least. They pulled out all the stops. In March of '83, shift colors, underway for Alameda California...heading EAST!!! It would have been much quicker to go South then West!!!! ;) It was a unique opportunity to go across the equator twice...I got to become a Shellback on the first crossing and got to give it all back on the second! I believe we crossed at 0/0 Lat/Long and we are called "Golden Diamond Shellbacks" I think...who cares...the important thing is that I'm not a WOG anymore!!! LOL

We saw many different places during the World Cruise and it made me realize something very important. No matter how much we complain about the United States, we still have the best thing going! So many people take so many things for granted.

Navy. I started working for AT&T in the Orlando, Florida area and was there for 14 years. I left AT&T in 2000 and have been working for Nortel Networks/Avaya since then.

The whole Navy experience was good for me and it taught me that I am capable of doing a lot of things I never knew I could do. The Navy allowed me the opportunity to discovery many things about myself...and others too! ;)

-Alan Keen

DP3 Management Department