Alex Durosky:  

From the day I graduated in 1975 I did a terrible job keeping in touch with High School friends, losing contact with virtually everyone over the years. Needless to say, email would have been a very helpful tool from day one. On the other hand, I tend to continually look forward and rarely look back. That doesn't help. For those who care or were wondering if I fell off the face of the earth this is where I've been and what I've been doing in a nutshell. If you don't remember me or didn't know me, that's OK. Odds are I don't remember you either but probably knew who you were at the time. I joined the Navy after graduating from JTHS, retiring in October, 1995. I was a Cyrptologic Technician and a Computer Programmer (FORTRAN). My duty stations were Great Lakes, Illinois; Pensacola, Florida; Edzell, Scotland; Homestead, Florida; Pensacola, Florida; Edzell, Scotland; Sonoma, California; and Chesapeake, Virginia (where I retired). Geez that was rough! As you can easily determine, I spent 20 years in the Navy but didn't go to sea once (I can still hear my Father laughing over that). I tried in vain early in my career to get stationed on submarines or ships, but they didn't have available positions for me at the time. Later, after becoming a Computer Programmer, I was stationed on land. Simply put, Programmers are needed on land -- not at sea. Although I had a say in the matter I was stationed where I was most needed. If I wanted to go to sea I had to get out of the Programming billet to do so. I wasn't about to do that, nor did I have a burning desire to leave my family six months at a time at that point in my career or after my daughter was born. At the same time, what I did do on land protected the lives of the people at sea.. Now, when someone teases me about the lack of sea time, I simply ask them if everyone in the Air Force flies, or if all Coast Guard personnel float in a boat. That usually mutes them long enough for me to get away. My Navy career was very rewarding despite the lack of sea time, and the experiences and friendships literally last a lifetime. I have friends all around the world and around the United States. It also instills a self-confidence that is indescribable. There is an old saying that is so old but rings true; you can take the man out of the military, but you can't take the military out of the man. You change, but change for the better. People who knew that shy and skinny kid in Milton would be very surprised to see how I've changed and developed over the years (especially the teachers). I hope for the better. And skinny? Let's just say those were the good old days. And that shy guy turned into the sly guy. I met my wife Somjit (Sam) while stationed in Homestead, Florida and we married a year later in 1981. We've been going strong ever since and are honestly each other's best friend. I have one daughter, Sandra, who was born in Homestead, and a step-daughter, Michelle who was born in Miami. Both of our daughters are married and we have two grandsons.. Sandra, her husband, and my grandson Ian live in Pensacola. Michelle, her husband, and our grandson Taylor live in Mississippi (two and a half hours from Pensacola). When I transferred from California to Virginia we settled ...Expand for more