June 2011 - Supervisor of Salvage and Diving

Not too long ago there was an
email circulating about the
children of Navy Divers joining the various
military branches. This is not really
a surprise as there have been multiple
members of the same family in our community
for a long time. One of those
families in the “business” is the Stewart
brothers, both Master Divers (I wonder
who is passing who the gravy during that
Thanksgiving dinner). The topic of children
following their parents into military
service surfaced again
about the same time
when my son asked me
about joining the Navy.
Recently I spoke to a
few dads and their sons
regarding their views
and opinions on this
matter.
Like any father in a
trade, I was proud that
my son thought enough
of what I did to want to
do it as well. As NDCM
MDV (ret) Eric Frank
said, “I think most dads
have hopes that their
sons would want to follow
in their footsteps
(especially for a job that he enjoyed so
much). However, I wasn’t going to push
them in that direction. So when Troy
came to me the first time questioning
about the diving community I was somewhat
surprised and got very excited. I
told him that he was going to be a perfect
fit for our community and to go for it.”
I look back through my life and think
about the men who I admired and the qualities
that made them who they were. One
of those qualities was that they strove to
be the best at what they did. This requires
a lifetime commitment to one’s craft - to
become a part of an organization to the
point it would be a part of your identity.
ND3 Costin, NSSF Groton, CT and Proud Dad
NDCM MDV (ret) John Reiss is one of
these people and is one of the reasons
for this article. MDV Reiss has two sons
serving, one in the Marine Corps and one
in the Army, and he has great pride when
he speaks or writes of either of his sons.
NDCM (MDV) Bill Crider has served
for over 29 years and his feeling for the
community has a changed little since his
son became a Navy Diver. “My love for
this community has actually deepened.
Listening to Ryan talk about the mentorship
he received at SMRMC and is
currently receiving at EODMU EIGHT
has confirmed for me that we are on
the right track as a community”. Our
own Master Chief of the Navy’s son
successfully completed Navy Dive
School. When asked his thoughts on Navy
Divers and his son becoming a Navy
Diver, MCPON West said, “My thoughts
of Navy Divers have not changed, they
just become more clear and in line with
what I’ve always thought of them. I’m
personally glad he chose this path… it’s
a special group and certainly not for everyone.
They work hard and ensure the
Navy is fit to fight.”
There are many families who have
multiple members serving in the armed
forces. In my own family the past four
generations have served. Currently I have
two brothers and a son who serve. The
generation before me was my stepfather
(USMC) who served for 22 years, and
my uncle, who was killed while flying
as an Army CWO helicopter pilot, both
serving in the Vietnam War. Some fathers
who served during the era would rather
see their children do anything else than
be exposed to what they were
exposed to as a military service
member. That was a dark time
for our military in regards to
the public perception as it was
expressed in the media. In the
past few decades an effort has
been made to ask these Vietnam
veterans for their forgiveness
for turning our collective backs
to them when all they did is do
what was asked of them – fight
for our country.
Today men and women
have pride in their children and
grandchildren for following
them into the military. I do not
know if saying “following” is
an accurate statement because
that denotes that someone is being led.
These men and women who join go into
the unknown trusting they will come
out changed on the other side. There are
challenges for everyone who joins, and
for the sons or daughters who want to be
“Deep Sea” – well, let’s just say they will
have a few more wrinkles to overcome.
ND2 Troy Frank said, “One of the biggest
challenges I have to deal with everyday
is how I am going to compete against
my dad’s reputation. I have to deal with
people working on the assumption that I
use my dad as an advantage and I carry
myself as if I am MDV quality already
and that is not the case. I am and will
10
June 2011