There were several reasons I joined the Navy. My grandfather served briefly as a sailor during World War I. Some of my personal heroes served in the Navy: John F Kennedy, Robert A Heinlein, Jim Lovell. A fellow grad student was in the reserve doing interesting things and getting paid to do it. This was the final thing that captured my attention. A direct commission led to 20 years of interesting experiences, valued shipmates, and a few sea stories (even if they were all from experiences on land).

LCDR (retired) Edmund Rochford, USNR