Ronald E. Hecox, CAPT USN/USNR Retired, 1964-2006 Had to attend summer school to get my high school diploma. Received diploma on Friday and on Monday (27 July '64) I was in NTC, San Diego. Butch, a high school classmate, joined the Navy two weeks before I and he was going to Radioman school in Treasure Island. I too had earned the Boy Scout Morse Code merit badge and aced the Morse code test during boot camp aptitude testing. When it was my turn with the classifier, I said I wanted to be a Radioman because I aced the Morse test -- (truth was Butch had a car so we could cruise chicks in San Francisco). Classifier said he had a better deal for me -- Communications Technician. The only thing he could tell me was I would be working on radios and I would be going to school in Pensacola, FL. I immediately saw myself with a screw driver in one hand and a pair of pliers in the other (simple visions at 18) working on those radios! Little did I know what he meant by "working on radios." More importantly, I would be on the sandy beaches of Pensacola, FL cruising chicks and as a result I threw Butch and his car off the raft and went for the CT rating. It is funny how achieving a simple merit badge as a Boy Scout and being a horny 18 year old would be the major factors steering one's life work. After nine years active, last five at NSA, I converted to a civilian position at NSA and affiliated with Navy Reserve SecGru. Advanced to Senior Chief with only 14 years total service and decided if I was going to stay for 30 years I would only get one more promotion. Thankfully I took advantage of the GI Bill, completed my education, thus qualifying me for a commission. Walked in to my commissioning ceremony as a CTRCS and out as a LTJG Cryptologic Officer. While on assignment for NSA in Germany, and the CO of the reserve unit in Stuttgart, my unit was mobilized for the conflict in Bosnia. Little did I know we would be mobilized due to a little police action in Bosnia. NSA was offering buy outs for those who had 30 years or more of service. I had the foresight to buy my 9 years of active time into the NSA retirement system so left at 49 years of age with 31 years combined service and my retirement in hand. The mobilization was for 9 months at EUCOM and afterwards they asked me to stay on active duty for another 4 years where I was advanced to Captain. In 2000 I returned to the states for one year and managed to get another recall to active duty at NSG Headquarters serving as the Reserve Plans and Policy Director under Admiral Burns. I had my retirement ceremony on 29 Sep 2005 retiring from active duty at HQ NSG. I was the last person to be retired by the NSG Commander while it was still a command. As a result I had started my working life at 18 by joining the Navy as a Seaman Recruit and retired from active duty at 60 as a Captain. My affiliation with the Navy SecGru program (both active and reserve) has been the greatest -- attributable to the only merit badge I managed to earn as a Boy Scout. Ronald Hecox 1964 Boot Camp San Diego -- SR/SA 1964-1965 NTTC Pensacola, FL -- CTSA/CTSN 1965-1966 NSGA San Miguel, Philippines -- CTRSN 1966-1967 USS Oxford (AGTR-1) -- CTR3/CTR2 1967-1968 NSGA Bremerhaven, Germany -- CTR2 1969-1973 NSGA Ft. Meade, MD -- CTR1 1973-1995 Navy Reserve Units -- CTR1-CTRCS/LTJG-CDR 1996-2000 USEUCOM, Stuttgart, Germany -- CDR/CAPT 2000-2001 Navy Reserve -- CAPT 2001-2006 NSG HQ, Ft. Meade, MD -- CAPT