Dr. James Earl Atkinson, USN - retired
After quitting school in
February 1971 and completing a GED (General Equivalency Diploma), I joined the
United States Navy on May 7, 1971, and I retired from the U.S. Navy on May 31,
1993.
During my military career I
served with many good people; surface warfare (Targets), special warfare
(Seals), submariners (Bubbleheads), construction (Seabees), Army, Air Force,
Marine, British, Australian, Canadian, and Japanese Submariners and many, many
others, and my only regret is that I did not do even more.
For those who have never served,
you can talk a lot, but you can have no idea what it is really like. For those, regardless of when, which branch,
or whatever military specialty who have served and/or are now serving, “Fair
Winds and Following Seas”.
It is the VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us
freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us
freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us
freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us
freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us
the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN,
not the politician,
who has given us
the right to vote.
[Home]
Copyright © 1952 James Earl Atkinson