Didn't see this thread. Posted this in the Pf but it should go here too.....
Thanks for posting this. Dan Crenshaw is a true American hero.
@CGgater - you're another true American hero! The Master Chief Petty Officer is the pinnacle of the the enlisted ranks. I'm looking forward to having a few ice cold beers with you in Gainesville when you make your way back there (and, of course, I make my way back to Florida) and sharing sea stories!
@divits that's awesome about your father. I went to a lot of air shows w/ my career Navy father. My roommate at UF's father was a Marine Corps pilot (he got out after 13 years to become an airline pilot) - my roommate is now a Navy nurse (of all things), an O5 now and just returned from GTMO. My father was a "lowly" enlisted man - he was the oldest of 10 kids, from the hills of east Tennessee with an 8th grade education - he enlisted at 17, did 22 years and his last duty station was NAS Jax, where I was born. He died from lung cancer when I was 11 - from pulling asbestos out of ships (he was 47 when he died). The military has been a part of my life...my entire life!
Serving as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, Coast Guard Corpsman and officer was truly the privilege of a lifetime. Retiring from the military is a bittersweet moment and I will always look back fondly on the time I spent in the service.