I joined the Navy in 1969, not so much as a patriotic duty but as a response to a letter received from the Selective Service board. Back then my sole goal in life was to become the next Wolfman Jack on the radio. I had taught myself electronics and was well on the way to qualifying as a broadcast engineer at the local station. So I viewed four years of Naval service as a minor delay to fame and fortune.

An A6 Intruder returns from a strike mission in Vietnam.

The Navy made me an Aviation Fire Control Technician, fixing radar systems on Phantoms, Tomcats, Intruders and Hornets. My first cruise in 1972 was aboard USS America with VF-74. The only memory that stands out from that nearly year long Vietnam cruise was endlessly dragging 100 pounds of test equipment through blinding monsoon rains in order to get the birds ready for the next alpha strike.

The age of Top 40 radio was over by the time we got back in 1973, so I decided to hang out for awhile. Cruises on Enterprise, Ranger, Kitty Hawk and finally Nimitz followed. The years went by in a blur with many warm memories, and some not so warm. The fall of Saigon in ‘75, 121 straight days at sea, becoming the fastest sailor on deck while avoiding fast moving flaming debris, all conflict with tropical ports of call, camaraderie of friends, and doing what it takes to get the job done.

What began as a tour of four years has now grown to nearly forty years of devotion to the Navy. Since shedding my uniform in 1994, I’ve repaired Hornet hydraulics at Top Gun, rewired Tomcats at a depot, built test equipment for carriers, and sailed with the Sealift Command. Today’s job, to me, is the most important of all. Each day hundreds of young men and women gather in the classrooms I maintain. My goal is to prepare them to excel on the same decks I once traveled. The simple act of repairing a computer takes on new importance when viewed from a historical perspective.

Darrell Buxton
CSC Systems Administrator
TSC Hampton Roads, CNATTU Oceana