Stephen Luxon:
CLASS OF 1985
Medina High SchoolClass of 1985
Medina, OH
University of AkronClass of 1992
Akron, OH
Medina Junior High SchoolClass of 1981
Medina, OH
Heritage Elementary SchoolClass of 1979
Medina, OH
Maple Elementary SchoolClass of 1979
North olmsted, OH
Stephen's Story
The following is a good read on my life over the last 20 years or so. If you really want to contact me look me up on Facebook. I'm not going to pay for a social networking site when FB does the same thing. I think I'll delete this page later this year.
Life
I am a Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy Seabees. My wife Anne and I struggle to adjust to a new community every 3-4 years. Between us we have 3 kids. I'm always family focused, but long hours constructing bases overseas, separated only by empty hours await Seabees who hear the call of the sea. We live for returning to a joyous homecoming of family. My son Brady lives in with my ex in Medina. My step-kids Will and Meghan are great! Teach your children well, they are your reward for living!
God Bless the USA and the US Navy. I have purpose, I am happy.
School
No surprise that I didn't take much away from high school. I'll stop short of saying that I hated it, but it bored the heck out of me. I just didn't see how the high school experience was going to enhance anything.
I wish I'd played sports back then. I love being part of a team now. I'm in a specialized division of the Navy known as the Seabees. Although, the education I got at Medina Senior High did not prepare me for my eventual career! I've leared much from life since graduation.
College
I briefly attended Ohio State in 1985-6, in the College of Engineering and I lived in Baker Hall on the third floor. It was a hard adjusting and I used alcohol as a crutch. I had a near death experience with alcohol, and the moral is that I wasn't college material back then.
After basic training with the Navy, I returned to school at the Univeristy of Akron, attending from 1988 to 1990 and again in 1992. I took classes in Graphic Design and Computer Aided Drafting. I gained the knowedge that allowed me to compete in the Navy construction field.
I graduated from Southwest Tennessee (Memphis, TN) in May 2007 with an AAS in Mid-Management and graduated from Park University with a BS in Management in October 2009.
Workplace
From my first job mowing my neighbors lawn to working at Dominos, Wendy's, Landscapers, Recration Center Attendant, Bus Driver to Parts Inventory Specialist and Mechanic. I have been there, done that in the job world. Repetition in my job is one thing I have never been able to endure. During my years in the Navy Reserve, I spent most of my time wrenching. I started at Wal-Mart changing tires and oil, went to the Jeep/VW dealer to Firestone in my first three years. At each place, my knowledge of automotive systems grew quickly past what I was hired to do. I settled in at the Firestone in Middleburg Hts. for almost three years in the mid '90's. I switched to the Chevy - Buick dealer in Rittman and worked there in the Mid to Late '90's. I moved to Norris AutoMall in the late '90's until 2001. I got Master ASE certified, and I really enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment you get when you fix something complex. You know not just anyone with a book can do that.
All the while working as an Auto Technician, I continued to drill as a Navy Reservist. For most of that time, I also held part time jobs with pizza delivery companies and then AutoZone. AutoZone lured me away from wrenching in 2001 to run their wholesale program. I had already started the process for returning to Active Duty, so I had nothing to loose. I returned to Active Duty in December 2001 as a Seabee Veteran. Since then, I've had little regrets for that decision.
Military
I joined the Navy to serve with Bob Ensor. He was in the Navy Reserve then, and I thought it would be great to spend one weekend a month with one of my closest friends from high school. Bob drove me to the recruiters office. I had had a student job as Bus Driver at Ohio S...Expand for more
tate, so when the recruiter asked me what I wanted to do, I said "Drive a bus". He told me there was a $5000.00 bonus and I think he said a bunch of stuff after that, but never heard it. That is how I became an Equipment Operator in the Seabees. I went into the Navy Reserve, but I never did spend a weekend with my friend.
I got recalled to serve in Desert Storm in 1991. I was with a Cargo Handling Battalion that jumped from port to port in the Mediterranian Sea. I had an opportunity to stay in at the end of it, my first wife talked me out of it and I went home. 6 months later, marriage was over and I was just an unskilled divorced guy. I managed to work into a great career as an auto mechanic, found out I was good at it, and became Master and Line Certified. Flat rate pay is inconsistant though, and I was starting to think about retirement for the first time in my life. In 2000, I began lobbying the Navy to let me back into Active Duty. Immediately after 9/11 I was approved. My list of duty stations are below.
1) Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Three (NMCB-3), Port Hueneme, CA. Upon arrival I recieved the appropriate amount of B.S. for being a former reservist and not a professional truck driver. The next two years were hard work, proving that I had knowlege, skill and leadership. I served as the Battalion License Examiner, Accident Investgator and Transportation Supervisor, thanks in part to the fact the no one in my pay grade ever had the time to come to the equipment yard. I ensured that 45 guys had something to do and the trucks and bulldozers to do it. My last year was in NMCB Three was the payoff, I was selected to become the Drug and Alcohol Program Advisor. I counseled and tracked violators to the Navy's policies. I got them into rehab and AA meetings. I drew on my past to connect with them. This was my chance to pay back the command for all the training they had to do with me to get me ready to serve in the Worlds Finest Navy on Active Duty. It was also my chance to give back to my Navy community.
2) Headquarters, Navy Recruiting Command (CNRC) Millington, TN. I tracked the recruiting fleet of 4000+ vehicles and managed 145,000 Sq Ft. of facilities for Recruiting Command in Millington, diagnosing and submitting trouble calls and quality control. I received my 4th and 5th Navy Achievement Medals (NAMs) for the individual effort involved in our $7,000,000 renovation of 45,000 sq ft of office space in Millington, TN. The highlight of my tour was receiving one of the first challenge coins from Force Master Chief Penton. If you have ever had a challenge coin pressed into your hand in appreciation of a job well done, you understand.
3) Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit TWO (EODESU-2) Virginia Beach, Va. I served as Maintenance Department Leading Petty Officer, supevising maintenance personnel and operations for all EOD Group TWO Civil Engineering Support Equipment. I was promoted to Chief in 2010 and served as the Maintenance Department Leading Chief over three Divisions. EOD is an weird animal within the Navy, and Seabees don't really fit in because of our ridged structure and attention to detail. EOD is used to making things up on the fly, getting what they want, and they waste little time on the deatils. I recieved my 6th NAM as the EODESU2 2009 Sailor of the Year, and my 7th NAM for spearheading the Embarkation of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 to Haiti for Eathquake relief in Jan 2010. I recieved a Navy Commendation at my transfer for 3+ years of outstanding effort.
4) NMCB-27, Westover Air Reserve Base, Chicopee, MA. I'm on the active duty RSS Staff for a Reserve NMCB, tasked as the Embarkation Chief and Equipment Operations Advisor. I just recently reported here, more to follow in a few months.
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