Marty Mele:
CLASS OF 1979
Kennedy High SchoolClass of 1979
Willingboro, NJ
Willingboro High SchoolClass of 1979
Willingboro, NJ
Willingboro Memorial Junior High SchoolClass of 1976
Willingboro, NJ
Garfield Park East Elementary SchoolClass of 1973
Willingboro, NJ
King Elementary SchoolClass of 1973
Willingboro, NJ
Marty's Story
Life
I settled in San Diego in 1983. Music has been a big part of my life since junior high. I still play guitar and bass. I play and sing in the Praise Band and Choir at First Presbyterian Church of San Diego. I'm an IT (computer-stuff) acquisitions analyst for Scripps Hospitals in San Diego. All our high school reunions have been awesome. For our 30th we are going to have a combined reunion with Willingboro High School. It will be great!
Military
When I was 16, I was the last person I would have expected to join the Navy. But when they offered me a scholarship, I had to do it for myself and my parents. I was a member of ROTC at Penn State. After graduation in May 1983, I received my commission as an officer. I had lots of options regarding where to go, but couldn't resist the chance to go to California. I went through six months of training in Coronado, CA before I was assigned to my first ship. I served as First Division Officer and Electronics Officer aboard USS Mobile (LKA-115), an amphibious cargo ship based in Long Beach, CA. I made two deployments across the Pacific. In 1984, we visited Hawaii, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kenya, South Korea, and Japan. It was an adventure as advertised. By the time I made my second trip overseas i...Expand for more
n 1986, I knew that none of those places compared to the U.S. We spent most of that tour in the Philippines during the revolution that tossed out Marcos. We had 2,000 Marines onboard in case they were needed to protect U.S. citizens. Fortunately, the revolution was peaceful. It was exciting to see it develop and to follow it on TV and in the newspapers. I was very happy to be assigned to shore duty back in Coronado in June 1986. I was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned as Operations Officer at Beachmaster Unit One at the Naval Amphibious Base. As the name implies, we conducted amphibious training along the southern California coast and at Camp Pendleton. Also in 1986 I purchased a house in San Diego and decided to put down some roots. The Navy provided its share of fun and adventure, but it is also an incredibly demanding profession. Imagine taking the office where you work and putting it on a boat in the middle of the ocean and living with the people you work with today 24/7. That's what Navy life at sea is about. I left the Navy after my assignment at BMU-1 ended in February 1988. I have great memories of the time I spent in the military and have an even greater appreciation for the men and women who serve today in wartime. It was an honor to wear the uniform.
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Yearbooks
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