Originally from St. Louis, MO. Joined US Coast Guard in 1985 with aspirations to be a diver but was told by my recruiter, 'the Coast Guard doesn't have divers." I became a Machinery Technician instead. Later learned my recruiter didn't know we had divers and went to Navy Second Class Diver school in 1993 (93-50-2C) in Panama City, FL. Diving afloat tours included USCGC POLAR SEA (WAGB-11), USCGC MALLOW (WLB-396), and USCGC KUKUI (WLB-203). Other diving tours included Regional Dive Locker East, Portsmouth, VA, and staff tours at the Deployable Operations Group, Arlington, VA, and CG Pacific Area Command, Alameda, CA. Currently serving as a civilian employee for the Coast Guard at US Coast Guard Headquarters as Chief of Subsurface Capabilities in the Office of Specialized Capabilities, CG-721.