Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Once Again - Why VADM Harvey......

.....is a rockstar!

Readers here already know I have a "blog crush" on VADM Harvey. I learned of this concept from TSO down in DC. I have others, LTG Rick Lynch, CNO Roughhead, I've actually met VADM Harvey so I know he lives up to my hype.

He is down there, getting the job done and never forgetting the importance of mentorship - which is the subject of a blog post over at USNI. The post is the second in a series of three, the first can be found here.

VADM John Harvey: On Nuke SWO, Serving Under Charles Krulak & Mentorship

My favorite question -

Midn Withington - I have four or five months now until I put in my service selection choices and I am still struggling. You went nuclear surface warfare and what led you to choose that? Any favorite memory?

VADM Harvey - Well, first and this is most important to say you have a wonderful problem and you have a lot of really great choices. People should have such problems.…
I was always predisposed to surface following my 3rd class cruise. I found that I really enjoyed being at sea and being part of a ship. I just responded very viscerally to that and I sort of got on that track and stayed with it. We chose 1st class year, in the late fall/early winter, one of the things which drove me to surface nuke–now remember this is late ‘72 early ’73…a law had been passed under Title VIII saying that all new construction on warships of a certain tonnage, I think it was 8000 tons or greater, had to be nuclear power. So I am just sitting there in my room in Bancroft Hall, just trying to put this all together and I thought “I want to be surface and I want to be part of the future here.” I didn’t know if I was going to be in for five years or fifty at the time, but…if you did stick around and be a part of this is clearly you had to serve in nuclear power warships… I went in, did interviews, and the rest as they say is history.
Then of course they repealed the law [laughter] but I am very glad I made the choice I did.
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You know I am partial to SWO!

I look forward the the third installment, but I must point out these serious posts do not present the full picture. Let me pull up a comment from this post to round out the image -

Boston Maggie -

I am certainly not talking about you!

But it is very interesting to see how many bloggers think I'm talking about them.

Just for the record - please help spread the word that I do indeed have a sense of humor.

In fact, runor has it that I was even a JO once, living in a 10 man bunkroom underneath #3 Catapult on USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65) back in some of my glory days from 1974-1976.

Anyway, I hope you are feeling better; we're all pulling for you.

All the best, JCHjr

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