Education: Graduated from Laurel High School, New Castle, PA, 1984. Attended various night school classes at Chaminade University (Hawaii), Leeward Community College (Hawaii), Hawaii Pacific University (you guessed it), and Howard County Community College (Maryland). I've taken mostly history classes, but I know that if I'm ever to get a degree, I'm going to have to take the boring classes too!
Career: I enlisted in the Navy in October, 1984. My first stop was boot camp in Orlando, FL. I was assigned to Company C005, under the fine direction of RMCS(SS) Mike Gray. In December '84, I left boot camp and headed out to NTTC Corry Station, Pensacola, FL, for Cryptologic Technician (Communications) (CTO) "A" School.
Upon graduation from CTO "A" School, my first assignment was at CNO SPINTCOMM in the Pentagon. That was only an 18 month tour. I left there and went to TACINTEL "C" school in Pensacola. From there, it was on to the USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) on which I'm a Plankowner. I was onboard from January 1987 - September 1990. The LEYTE GULF is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser. While onboard, I visited such places as: Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Martinique, Norway, Cuba, Italy, France, Egypt, Israel, and Turkey.
I left the ship and went back to Pensacola (for a 3rd time) for ATST "C" school. After that, it was out to NCTAMS EASTPAC in Wahiawa, HI. I served there from Jan '91 to Oct '94.
I reported to Keesler AFB for NEWSDEALER school, then it was on to the National Security Agency at Ft. Meade, MD. I was there until Dec '97, when I left there and transferred to the USS Saipan (LHA-2). The SAIPAN is a Tarawa-class Amphibious Assault Ship. We got back from a Mediterranean deployment in Dec '98 where we visited Greece (twice), France, Spain, and Sardinia. After spending 1999 in the shipyards then out floating around doing drills and MV-22 Osprey testing, we spent early 2000 working up for our deployment from July-Dec in 2K. We visited Rota, Palma and Tarragona, Spain; La Spezia, Trieste and Naples, Italy; Dubrovnic and Rejika, Croatia; and Malta.
I transferred from the ship in December 2000 and I'm back at the National Security Agency at Ft. Meade, MD.
Hobbies: They're pretty much on hold until I either (1) retire and/or (2) my sons start doing their own things! I do get to spend some time working on my Genealogy project, however. When I get home, I enjoy groundhog hunting and some fishing.
Family: I'm married to the former KarenSue Lyons from Volant, PA. We have two boys, Kenny (7) and John (5) (as of March 2001).
