1985 [ The Navy | Two Navy Men ]

[25]

I called & woke Dad,
told him through
his astonishment
I had joined the Navy
would be a Sailor, too —
as he had been once.

[85]

It was unlike me:
in high school & college,
(after the Vietnam War debacle),
I’d scoffed at joining the service.

I told friends
in Air Force ROTC
the military wasn’t for me.

I’d be a Navy man.

Mom asked me
why I wasn’t an officer.
I hadn’t tested well,
needed a job, so enlisted.

Despite excellent
performance evaluations
& encouragement in applying
for officer programs,
I saw honor in being
an enlisted Sailor,
as Dad had been.

I served proudly,
loved & hated the Navy.

~*~

Andrew Shattuck McBride
NaPoWriMo ~ 2013 | My Day 14
April 22, 2013