Today at midnight I will be retiring from the United States Navy (active duty) as a Navy Senior Chief, and starting my new life’s chapter as a Veteran in the USA.
It feels surreal, but here we are.
This is how this chapter ends. As I type these words, I am sitting in my living room with my wife and daughter beside me. My daughter Sammy is watching her TV show while we are sharing a very festive looking blanket. My wife got us to celebrate, with Kir Royale and sushi (no less). We all love sushi and Kir Royale! Sammy had some ginger ale.
And as I get ready to re-start my life as a civilian, a lot of thoughts cross my mind. The last day I wore my uniform was on February 2024 as I started my terminal leave and some time off for house hunting and job hunting. The hair on the top of my head and my face is now longer than it has ever been in the last two decades. I’ve been working a lot on recalibrating for this new chapter with my company BeeZee Vision, LLC and my daughter-dad project Half Life Crisis. It was hectic but rewarding.
Update as I type, Sammy ran to her room and got the same bear I gifted her when I returned from deployment and put it in in the spot she was sitting next to me, then she moved to the big recliner to continue watching her shows. I have a very funny kid. That’s her unique way to be very thoughtful, as she is looking at me giggling, and said “I love you, Dada.” Then she returned and is sitting next to me again now.
Dinner at home was wonderful, I wanted to ease down as I’ve been adjusting to my next adventure. It is even interesting that today I’ll be featured on National Television on a Roku channel and other outlets as my US Navy adventure ends. It is good to see that my transition seems promising, especially as in 2023 I became an author and a writer to put in written word all the craziness that is constantly tumbling on my head.
If you want to see what’s new with me, here is the link about today’s show. It premieres April 30, 2024 at 8pm Easter Time.
Understanding Authoritarianism and Propaganda (youtube.com)
20 years of military service.
It would be impossible for me to summarize the 20 last years in a few paragraphs. In fact, one day I might write a full book about it. But as I sit here, I would like to express how grateful I am. I did not really know what to expect when I joined the mighty US Navy in 2003. The world was a very different place back then, and most of the faces who saw me depart are no longer living among us. I know, it is very sad, and it is extremely sobering understanding how time has changed.
You see, when I first joined, I was ready for a change from my civilian life. I was disappointed on how dystopian the environment had turned out to be in the town I lived, and I wanted to do something totally different as to escape from what was turning into a very shallow environment, even though I was generally trapped in a golden cage.
The last person who was there to say goodbye to me was my grandmother when the recruiter picked me up at around 3am in the morning. It was the last time I ever saw her alive. The next time I saw her was after my first deployment during my first year of service. She waited for me for as long as she could, yet she died less than two hours before I arrived to her side. I was still flying over Colombia on my way to Ecuador. I’ve never been the same since then.
Fast forward several years, and fate had it that in the very same house, in the very same room I lost my mother and my great aunt. The three women who raised me passed away while I was absent. All three of them were waiting for me to be there. But I was answering the call of duty somewhere else. They understood that, but to this day, it is hard for me to understand it myself.
But paired with the greatest pains in my life were also my biggest joys. In the US Navy I’ve met the love of my life, my wife Alicia. She was also a US Navy Sailor, and she retired as a Navy Chief. We’ve shared a lot more adventures than any couple could ever imagine, but the greatest joy was welcoming our daughter Sammy. I’ve lost the three women in my life who raised me while in the Navy, and I got the two most important people in my life also because of the Navy.
They are now my family, and my whole world. I have a lot to be grateful to the US Navy, and they are right about what they say. You miss the people. You see, a United States Navy Sailor is a volunteer. We are capricious, we are arrogant, we are humble, we have flaws, but we also have the biggest hearts you can ever see. The sacrifices we’ve made individually and collectively are something all the money in the world cannot buy. Yet we are all volunteers, and we’ve assumed this responsibility with open arms.
And it is easy to see why thinking about it will make you teary-eyed. Veterans have a bond that is indescribable, but you have to be one to truly understand it. Only less than 1% of the US population ever earns the privilege of wearing a military uniform. Only 2% of the Navy earns the right to wear the same uniform I got the honor of wearing as a Senior Chief. That is something I cannot ever take for granted.
For you see, I was born in Quito, about 2 miles above sea level in the Republic of Ecuador. Yet the United States Navy not only welcomed me as one of their own. It trusted me with placement and access that very few people alive get to earn in a lifetime. Something that not all the money in the world can ever buy. And today all that is a wonderful memory. All those adventures, the good, the bad, the rough days, the happiness, the silly things, the prideful, the frustrating, the honorable, the adventures, different leadership styles, and so much more I could list for hours… all that is now a memory.
Being a US Navy Sailor.
Starting tomorrow I can finally start a story by saying “when I was in the Navy…” – and speak as a veteran. A proud recipient of the coveted DD-214 (the discharge military document). No longer do I get any midnight phone calls that need my attention for a Sailor, somebody else’s capable hands stand that watch tonight.
I, like many Sailors before me, stood watch. While the world fell asleep at night, we were there ensuring they would exist in a free society when they woke up. Now my life is in the capable hands of my shipmates who remain in uniform. I cannot thank them enough, because I know what it is like to stand those watches. I know what it is like to do what they do. And they too will feel what I feel when their time to hang their uniform also arrives.
When I was wearing my uniform, a lot of times I had people approach me and “thank me for my service.” I have to admit although I was always appreciative, I didn’t quite know how to respond. As I am now on this side of my military service, I think I can finally understand. You see, it is not as easy to see the road when you’re in the driver’s seat. But if you’re seeing it from a bird’s eye view – the context becomes a lot clearer.
I’ve met some of the most wonderful people in the Navy. I’ve also met in the flesh some of the most insufferable people alive. But the latter group is almost like a caricature, and actually today makes me laugh. Though I might not have been very happy with them at the time. But you see, the US navy is a living mega-organism. There are so many personalities, but we do have something in common. It’s hard to explain with words. If you’re a Navy veteran, you know exactly what I am talking about. If you’re not, hopefully you will still be able to join to find out. Seriously, my words, no matter how eloquent will come short.
As the day ends, I just want to bask on the fact that I am in the company of the two most important people in my life. They are my family, and at the end of the day they are the ones who were waiting for me at the end of the pier. I am very grateful to all my shipmates who were there with me at any point in my military career. It will take me hours if not days or weeks to tell you all the wonderful stories about them all.
All I can say is that I would not have traded the last 20 years for anything in the world. Today 30 April 2024 is 20 years, 6 months, 2 weeks and 1 day, or for you eagled-eye mathematicians 7,503 days since I’ve let my home in Fort Lauderdale, FL to start my US Navy adventure, and end it here at my home in Chesapeake, VA in the company of my two girls.
I’ll just end by saying that once you’ve been a military member, especially a Navy Chief, then your commitment to the US Navy is perpetual. I might not shave or cut my hair (and don’t intend to) but I still have my uniforms crisply pressed and inspection ready should our nation ever needs us back. I startlingly have a looming feeling that scenario is possibly not too farfetched, based on the deteriorating geopolitical instability. If that is the case, I’ll be ready to put my uniform back on again.
Until then, I just want to thank you for spending this time with me. As I said, it is still very surreal – and I am sure I will be writing more about this in the near future. Unsurprisingly, I do have a lot to say, but I know you only have so much time to read my words. Thank you for reading this far. HLC