On the day he turned 17 my husband was on the bus to Navy boot camp with nothing but the clothes on his back. That was 26 years ago. Back in 1976, he was a 10th grade dropout and an E-1 – about the lowest form of navy-life. His first ship was the USS America and his first job was working in deck department – swabbing decks, chipping paint, repainting things after he’d chipped the paint off of them. He claims that he was approximately the stupidest sailor on the ship, book-wise, but that he was a really hard worker. I don’t know about the stupid part, although I don’t doubt the hard-working part. I do know that he went for his GED and got it before he’d been in the Navy a year – in fact, his hometown high school converted his GED to a diploma and so he actually “graduated” a year before his hometown classmates did. After the America, Kevin went on to a squadron (VC-6) out of Norfolk, then to a helicopter squadron (HC-4) in Sigonella, Sicily, where he met and married little old me. Then back to Norfolk again where he worked at the Naval Air Station. In Norfolk, he was a runner up for Shore Sailor of the Year – for the whole Navy. In 1989, he was selected for the Limited Duty Officer program – a Navy program designed to promote highly effective enlisted personnel to commisioned officers. He went off to Supply Corps School in Georgia and then on to the USS John F. Kennedy just in time for Operation Desert Storm. The Kennedy’s battle group was the first to leave CONUS after the invasion of Kuwait. The Kennedy had been supposed to go into the shipyards for a few months worth of maintenance, instead – in three days! – they were ready for action and heading for the Persian Gulf. Kevin was the Division Officer for S-6, the division supplying aircraft parts for all the squadrons on the ship. His work there was so important to the Kennedy’s readiness and effectiveness that Kevin received the Vice Admiral Batchelder award – this is a major award given to Junior Supply Corps Officers. Kevin was the third LDO to ever receive it and the very first Ensign (0-1) to ever receive it. As a matter of fact, he is the only Ensign to have ever received it. After the Kennedy, Kevin was stationed at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, then on the USS Peleliu. Next he was Supply Officer at the BUD/s (SEAL) Training School at Coronado. He is now a Lieutenant Commander (0-4) and the Readiness Officer (third in command of Supply Department) on the USS Nimitz.
After 26 years of exemplary performance, of putting his own needs (and his family’s) after the needs of the Navy and this nation, he is retiring on March 29. Kevin insists that it is the Navy that has been good to him, but I’m not so sure. I’ve known him for 17 years and I’ve never, ever known his duty to be far from his mind. You know the old joke about “our tax dollars at work?” Well, the taxpayers got a bargain when Kevin John Buchli enlisted in 1976. He has given all of his adult life and part of his childhood to the service of this country – never stinting, never slacking and never complaining. He is the hardest working, most dedicated person I’ve ever known. Believe me, we’ve definately gotten our money’s worth.
I’m leaving Virginia tomorrow to fly to San Diego for his retirement. Then, we’ll be driving across country to Virginia and home. So, I’ll be off the boards for a couple of weeks. I wanted to let you all know where I’m at, and also to brag a little about my guy. I’m awfully proud of him (as you might have noticed!)
Jess
