Richard Black, CTI2, 1969-1973 Being the son of a WWII Army vet who said not to join the Army, Navy has better food and you don't have to sleep on the ground, I joined the Navy in July 1969 after graduating from OSU. Couldn't have timed it better, Neil Armstrong landed on the moon while I was at Great Lakes, and the President declared a holiday and the time did not count. Woodstock happened in Aug, I was in Glakes, hot and miserable. Enlisted to get into avionics, did well on the test and had the secret conversation. I had 24 hours of German in college, but the Navy in its wisdom sent me to the language institute for Russian training at Syracuse University, class 9/11/1969b, remember military dates. During my stay,the school was put on alert due to protests over the deaths at Kent State. Finished in August 1970, trained at Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo TX. USN Groton Cn for sub training. Stationed at NSA/ACNSG/Ft Meade Md. Served onboard the USS Whale, SSN 638, USS Narwhal SSN 671, and the USS Intrepid CVS-11, and completed my tour at the air force base in Synop Turkey. The service aboard the subs was special and the teams I went with were well received and the camaraderie was fantastic. Both subs are scrap now but the Intrepid is a museum in NYC now. Clear sailing! Richard Black, CTI2, 1969-1973