In the summer of 2000, I reported for duty to a Naval tech school. With my first tour of duty behind me, the hard earned reputation as one of the greatest and youngest tech controllers in the fleet on my shoulders, and the anxiety of a new marriage still heavy on my mind I stepped through the gates alone and slightly depressed. The sign on a nearby training center building read "Through these doors walk the finest Cryptologists in the World." Not far away, the members of a class jogging in formation. I see a small group of people getting off a bus and being told to standby for an escort. Dressed in white and carrying green duffel bags means they’ve never been here before. Less than 50 steps beyond the gate and I’m already thinking to myself, "I ****ing hate school."
The nature of our job makes meeting new friends difficult and keeping them only slightly less than impossible as you’re sent to various duty stations around the world. Especially with people who had a different specialization than you, we actually called it "cross breeding" as kind of a bad over-dramatic joke of how bad an idea it is to get too attached to friends you meet in school.
But I soon had a friend, whom I had heard from others around the training center was quite dependable. I was kind of... I guess "weary" at first because usually that kind of popularity means trouble. But as time went on I became more and more happy. The long days in class, the annoying mandatory exercise routine, the stress of being away from my wife for the first time, it was all pretty bearable now thanks to some joyful and often very exciting evenings.
I promised myself I would never let this end no matter where the military sends me and no matter how long I was contracted to be there. This bond was just too good to let go and stayed strong through thick and thin, through earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, and even traveling to and from more countries than I care to count. But on April 25 2011 as I went through my normal routine of getting ready for bed I decided to check a few things on the internet first. I was surfing forums or something and that’s when I got the news.
My wife sat on my lap, and just as she was about to get cuddly, she points to the other side of my desk and says "I’ve never seen that light go out." My heart skipped a beat, my stomach instantly felt sick... I did everything I could, but it was too late... my 1st-generation PlayStation 2 was dead.
I’ll never forget you buddy.
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