Theodore Varga, US Navy
I remember the first days being like a fitness
camp. Joining the Navy was something I
wanted to do because I wanted to serve
this country. I was living in Calabash, North
Carolina when I voluntarily enlisted. It was
exciting to know that the Navy was going to
teach me a trade and that I would spend my
time enlisted to learn and master this trade.
After joining the Navy, I was sent to Bahrain
during the Persian Gulf War. My jobs were
to run escort duties in the straits of Hormuz,
boarding operations in the Red Sea. We
spent many months sailing around the Gulf.
Although the Persian Gulf War was
happening, being on a ship was not at all
like our combat veterans that were fighting on the ground. I
would play a lot of cards and watch movies to entertain myself. I
wrote letters and used Mars radio when it was available to keep
in touch with my family. I was able to sail the Caribbean, the
Mediterranean, the Red and Black Seas, the Persian Gulf and all
over the Atlantic. I remember returning to the pier after each
of my five deployments and seeing my family there waiting for
me, twice I had a new daughter to meet. Those are the moments
that stand out to me.
When I got out, I was in Norfolk Virginia. Five hours later, I was painting
a water tower in Plymouth, NC. I did not take any time off and went
straight into working. My time in the service forced me to grow up
fast and to learn to own my responsibilities. Those twelve years were
extremely rewarding and I would not change a thing.
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