In the inimitable words of the legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey, here is the rest of the story.
No, it won’t be everything you didn’t want to know about me, but a little about me and my life if you are interested.
My name is Rich and I live in Columbia, SC. I grew up in Liberty, SC, which is in the northwestern corner of South Carolina. In June, 1974, twenty days after I graduated high school, I joined the US Navy. I couldn’t wait to get out of South Carolina.
Serving in the navy allowed me to travel all over the world. I trained in Orlando, FL and Great Lakes, IL (just north of Chicago). I served aboard two ships in Norfolk, VA. During those tours, I visited the US Virgin Islands (St. Croix was my favorite), Iran (pre-Ayatollah), Pakistan, Kenya, Seychelles Islands, Israel, and Australia. I transited the Suez Canal several times. After my second sea tour, I transferred to Washington, DC, where I met my wife. I later transferred to Japan, where I served for seven years. I completed my naval career in New Orleans, Louisiana. After I retired in 1993, we returned to SC, eventually settling in Columbia in 1995.
Since then, I have worked stints in the corporate world and state government. I served over seven years as a career firefighter for the Columbia Fire Department. I currently work for the US government. I have been married to the same wonderful woman for over thirty years. We have raised three terrific sons.
Here is a favorite quote; from Shakespeare’s Henry V, paraphrased by Carwood Lipton in the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers:
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember’d; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
writesomethingtoday 