Born and raised in South Boston, I dedicated 32 years to the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of Master Chief Torpedoman's Mate. My service spanned submarines, surface warfare, and diving, earning me qualifications as a Master Diver, Master Training Specialist, and Command Master Chief. I held command of USS Petrel (AS14) and the Naval Diving Salvage Training Center. Following my Navy career, I worked on OSVs in the Gulf of Mexico before settling in Charleston in 1996. Since then, I've been teaching at Sea School and spent 25 years with Navco (Charleston Pilots), operating various pilot vessels, including a 40ft jet drive RIB, 55ft and 75ft conventional pilot boats, and a 64ft pod drive vessel. My responsibilities included training crews and apprentice pilots on all systems, procedures, and operations. Today, I enjoy fishing 50-70 nautical miles offshore Charleston with my grandchildren and friends.