Samuel Pistachio:  

Life My Spouse I went on a blind date with a telephone operator who introduced me to her younger sister at my home in Lexington park, MD. I ended up dating the younger sister and finally married her. Even my father thought she was the most interesting woman he had ever met. I always wanted to be a aviator when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a great idea. As it turns out, they were right. I have spent many happy hours alone on my boat in the Potomac River, drifting and fishing and watching the sunset. I have had several mentors during my career but two stand out as great men. Russel Stetler gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my potential as a leader and decision maker, and the confidence to go above and beyond. Master Chief Petty Officer William R. Gardiner accepted me as a colleague in a Navy program that had the ability to influence great change and he taught me the meaning of sacrifice and endeavor for the common good. He also made me proud to have served my country. The one person from my past who I'd most like to see again is my father Samuel R. Pistachio, Sr., because I never had the chance to say goodbye and I want to tell him I love him. If I could improve my home, I'd remodel my master bathroom and add on a larger rec room. My dream home would be a simple rambler with a large porch that overlooked the ocean in a warm climate, perhaps somewhere like the Caribbean. I've learned to be more tolerent, more patient, and the meaning of true love. I also learned that being a father means you must learn how to cry and still be a man. My father always said that when I was ninety years old and my children were seventy, they would still be my children. What he meant is that you never stop caring for their well being or safety. If I won $100 million, I'd give most of it to the needy because money is only good for the happiness you can buy with it, then spend the rest on my family, my friends and then I'd spend the rest traveling the world seeking high adventure. Fortunately my only college courses were off campus but I did spend a lot of my younger life in a Navy dormitory if that qualifies. I witnessed many interesting activities there because the military society is just a microcosm ...Expand for more