Shawnee native thrives under the sea

1. Is being in a submarine like people see in old movies?

Submarines are capable of a lot of different missions, everything from intelligence collection to shooting tomahawk missiles and launching Special Forces. It's not quite like it used to be. All the submarines we have today are nuclear powered, so we don't have the issues with fuel. And we have pretty good size crews. In the older days, they had fairly small crews. Our crews are anywhere from 120 to 170.

2. Is it as tight inside as some might think?

It's tight, but most of our attack submarines are about 350 feet long and others are 560 feet long. So they are not little, by any stretch of the imagination. There is not a lot of room for the guys. It is a little tight. You wouldn't want to be somebody who is claustrophobic. Just the thought of being underneath the water, it affects some people.

3. What is the longest time you've been underwater?

When I was on the USS Ray, we did several North Atlantic deployments, and I'd say the longest I was gone on that boat was about four months at a time. I've been on a couple six-month deployments. You are actually at sea about 65 to 75 percent of the time. Some of the boats involved in some of the stuff in the Middle East have done eight-month deployments.

4. How is it to be out for that long?

It is a little sensory deprivation. You don't get to smell the fresh-cut grass or see a lot of daylight. You get used to a lot of fluorescent light, so it's good to come home. But we are pretty busy when we're out there. We're working all the time that we're awake and time goes very quickly when we're out there. The guys we have working for us are really talented. They are all specially trained before they get selected into the submarine force.

5. Why have you stuck with it for 25 years?

I think it is probably the people more than anything. They are just top-notch. It is a fairly hostile environment out there and you are very dependent on the guys you're working with to make sure the ship is operating correctly and that you're keeping everybody safe and sound and we're able to execute what we are out there to do. Submariners bring a lot of value to our military forces. We don't really talk about what we do. Most of what we do is pretty highly classified. Most of the intelligence collections are not published. They are out there doing a lot of good things. It's a good thing to make sure we maintain. The ships are national treasurers.

6. What sort of places have you been?

Norway, England, Scotland, France, Spain, Italy, Morocco, all over the Mediterranean. I've Been south, Puerto Rico, St. Croix. We used to pull into St. Croix. We'd take our submarine and tie her right up to a pier down there. I haven't done a Pacific deployment.

7. What does it mean to be inducted into Shawnee's hall of fame?

It was a little bit of a surprise I guess. I certainly wasn't expecting it. I was flattered and happy to do it. I was certainly honored.