I am not a historian. Neither am I a writer. I am a storyteller, and my purpose is to relate stories that are interesting, humorous, or perhaps contain some worthwhile message or meaning for the reader. The stories in this writing reflect events as they occurred during specific periods during thirty years in our Navy and our nation’s history. These are stories I have enjoyed telling over the years, and ones that others seem to have enjoyed hearing. They are all true, and some effort was made to mask identities and reflect favorably on the characters therein where possible. Where events do reflect unfavorably on individuals, I tried to be careful to relate those situations accurately. Just remember that I have chosen stories that reflect the life and times of this period and to give the reader a “flavor of the times.”