I was born and raised in Bellegrove, PA (a little village outside of Lebanon, PA – population: 500). At the age of 17 I joined the Navy and life became an adventure for a while:
I spent 6 months in San Diego, CA; 4 years in Norfolk, VA; 2 months in Jacksonville, FL; 3 years in the Azores, Portugal; 3 years in Brunswick, ME; 4 years in San Diego, CA (again) where I was able to get to some pretty interesting places (Singapore, Hong Kong, Diego Garcia, Australia, South Korea, Japan, oh and everyone sailor’s favorite: the Persian Gulf); and 5 ½ years in Patuxent River, MD. All totaled, I spend 1 year, 2 months, 16 days on a ship and if I could have done it with less than that, I would have!
When I retired from the Navy in 2003 I moved back home to Lebanon, PA. If the winters continue like the past two or three years, I may be moving South!