I served in the US Navy from 1980 to 1984. My best friend Tommy and I joined under the buddy system which only guaranteed that we’d go through boot camp together. But we both chose to be Radiomen, which put us in San Diego for a year learning that and Morse Code.

Tommy graduated first and I followed shortly thereafter.

While everyone was receiving orders to go on a ship, my orders were for UNITAS XXII. I had no idea what that was. I arrived in Norfolk during a hurricane and was walking aimlessly in my crackerjacks, in some neighborhood, with my seabag on my back, getting soaked to the bone, when an angel from heaven appeared in the form of a bus driver and gave me a free ride to base.

I had to wait two weeks for my passport to be processed so that I can fly out to UNITAS XXII. What was that? Nobody could tell me.

On the day I shipped out, I was told to make sure I had a button-down shirt because I was going to be on liberty in Rio de Janeiro. No way!! Talk about “Join the Navy and see the world.” This was a great place to start.

I only had t-shirts at the time having spent almost a year in sunny San Diego. I rushed to the base exchange and bought a new shirt.

Taking off in Norfolk with stops in Atlanta and Miami, I finally made it to Rio, which turned out to be a two-hour layover where I wasn’t even allowed to leave the airport. My only memory of the white sand and blue water of Rio is the view I had from the window seat of the airplane flying in and flying out.

I met my ship, the USS Plymouth Rock, in Montevideo, Uruguay. I was processed and introduced to the rest of the radiomen, who in time introduced me to the rest of the ship. One guy asked where I came aboard. I told him Montevideo.

He said, “Oh man! You JUST MISSED Rio. We were only supposed to spend three days there. The captain liked it so much we wound up staying ten. Too bad you missed it, everyone had a good time.”

Yay me.