Is this page really obligatory? Guess so…
Ok – my name is Craig and I was born a poor white child. I grew up in the arm-pit of Ohio known as Lima. I graduated from Lima Senior High School in 1980, at which time I was working at Repps Sports Equipment, a sporting goods store owned by Mr. Don Mort and Mr. Ken Roethlisberger (yes, the grand-father of that wanna-be quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers). Navy recruiters were all over me to join, but I pretty much told them to kiss my shiny white butt – “there was no way in hell I’d join the Navy!”.
In 1982, I was off to Navy boot camp at Great Lakes (Chicago). 20 years later I was “US Navy, RETIRED”! Wow, who would have thought?! During those 20 years, I met some OUTSTANDING individuals: RJ Cox, Robert “Bugs” Moore, Jane and AJ Sweat, Scott Walker, Susan Sussman, John Judd, Sean “Smurf” Murphy, Tom “Tadpole” Patocka, Roger Hanthorn, Susan Haupt, Terry O’Leary, Larry Bishop (USAF), Barb Hecht (Army), Joe Wilson, Joe Love, Brian and Elsa Temple, Rick Swartzfager, Bill Wolfe, Bud Humphry, Phil Akridge, Eric Morris, Jim Black, Lubka Tomasovich, Justin “Hoppy” Hopkins, and several more whose names escape me at the moment. To each and every one of you, I SALUTE YOU! Thanks for being a part of my life!
After I retired from the Navy, I settled down in San Diego (a place I swore I would never live) – where I met my wife Michelle. Michelle is responsible for getting me to take cruises on Carnival Cruise Lines – absolutely the best vacations I have ever had! Thanks, Michelle!
That’s about it for now – if I think of anything else, I’ll update this page… or not! :)
Hey Watty, Great to see your doing well. Congrats on on completing your 20.. Retired.. Awesome.. To everybody that visits this blog, I just want you all to know, Watty is an absolute class act. As my division petty officer on the Crommelin, he took me I’m like a big brother. Fresh out of basic and still a little shell shocked, it was a breath of fresh air to have friend like Watty to make a strange new place and atmosphere feel more like home.
Not long after my arrival to USS Crommelin, My lymph node gland in the left side of my neck sweld to about the size of a baseball. I spent two weeks at Trippler Hospital. I was poked and prodded the entire time with no real diagnosis. Eventuley the swelling went away. For two weeks, my only visit was from Watty. If I didn’t tell you then, that meant the world to me. With no personal family support, Watty was there for me. Thanks.. Your a great shipmate and a great friend.
Russ Gelow
Russ – I don’t know what to say… you spoke some extremely kind words! It was an honor serving with you, shipmate!
1998 was an interesting year watty, wasn’t it?
We did have some fun in that basement