Windjammer Days

United States Navy

As Boothbay Harbor prepares to celebrate the 64th Annual Windjammer Days, this year’s theme proudly honors the past, present, and retired members of the United States Navy who have served our nation with dedication and distinction. Throughout the coming weeks, we will feature a series of profiles highlighting local Navy service members—sharing their stories, experiences, and the lasting impact of their service. These articles are a tribute to the men and women whose commitment to duty reflects the maritime heritage at the heart of Windjammer Days and the deep appreciation of our community.

Each of our schooner sponsors have chosen a U.S. Navy member to honor during Windjammer Days. Below are their stories.

If you would like to meet some of the U.S. Navy member, mark this date on your calendar, for an informal Meet & Greet on Monday, June 23rd, 3:30-5:00 (location to be determined). 

I’ve had the incredible fortune of being at the right place at the right time throughout my 100 years on this earth and some of my greatest memories come from my military experience. I served in the Merchant Marine just after the end of the Second World War aboard an American Export Lines ship from June 1946 thru May 1947, transporting supplies from the United States and to and from various ports in the Mediterranean, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Burma. I sailed aboard the S.S. Coeur d’Alene Victory, one of the many Victory Ships which were built toward the end of World War II to replace the much slower and aging Liberty ships. Each Victory ship was named after a college or university. These were 10,000-ton cargo ships with a horsepower of between 65 and 80 thousand and a speed of between 16 and 18 knots. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

I joined the Navy right out of college. I graduated on December 19th 1981 and was in Officer Candidate School (OCS) on January 2nd 1982. Not really having a plan for what I wanted to do, I was enticed by the ads that I read seeking responsibility and a sense of adventure and travel. When I graduated from OCS, I became a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) with my first job as a Missile Control Officer on a KIDD Class Destroyer USS CALLAGHAN (DDG 994), a ship that is still in active service in the Taiwanese Navy. On my first deployment, we accompanied the Battleship USS New Jersey (BB 62) with port stops all over Asia. I followed that with subsequent tours in Washington DC and onboard the USS CHANCELLORSVILLE (CG 62), an AEGIS Class Cruiser, as the Weapons Officer. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

I wasn't exactly inspired to join the Navy. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and didn't want to spend a lot of money at college to find out.  

I enlisted right after high school graduation in 1978 at 18 years old but didn't go to boot camp (in Orlando) until January 1st of 1979. Life was great back then. I actually enjoyed boot camp, for the most part. I was my first time in Florida, and it was nice and warm. It was a big culture shock, as I was coming from a very small town in Pennsylvania to all the diversity of the Navy. I really liked (and still do), the differences in the people from other areas of the country. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

I grew up in New Mexico, specifically in Los Lunas . A small town in a rural area. After graduating from high school, I started college but soon realized I wanted to get away and see new things and experience the world. Deciding between a Navy and Air Force Career, I chose the Navy. Probably because of all the Navy war movies I watched as a kid. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

Growing up in Boothbay in a family that loved and spent every summer day on the water helped shape my path toward a career in the Navy. I grew up hearing stories about my great-grandfather, Clyde Jones, an officer in the Navy, and my grandfather, Robert Holbrook, a Navy deep-sea diver. Those stories planted a seed early on.

Still, it was always assumed I would attend college after graduating high school. I enrolled at Bentley University in Massachusetts and majored in finance, but it didn’t take long to realize that a future spent in a high-rise office, pushing papers day after day, wasn’t for me. I wanted something more—I wanted to see the world. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

My father and family’s service in the United States Navy inspired me to serve. I locked on this path when I was five years old. In high school, I applied to one undergraduate program - the United States Naval Academy - with no plan B. Everything I did growing up was to prepare me - e.g., rowing at T.C. Williams High School (of Remember the Titans fame) in Alexandria, VA and achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

I was 17 years old on Induction Day - July 7th 1986 - day 1 at Annapolis, the commencement of Plebe Summer. Simpler time - few distractions. Top Gun movie elevated the naval service within the broader culture during the time. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

I was inspired to join the Navy when I was a kid, but I joined at 17 to prevent homelessness at 18. It was fall 1999 and I would watch the weekly episode of the TV show JAG with my mom. There were scenes that depicted life on an aircraft carrier in a couple episodes and 10 year old me thought that was the coolest thing ever. I knew then I wanted to live on one and I was willing to do just about anything to get to do just that. Watching JAG, and later NCIS with my mom solidified the plan. It wasn’t until fall 2006 and the start of my senior year of high school when I was told I was going to be kicked out at 17 when I graduated high school that I made the decision. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

What inspired me to join the U.S. Navy was a combination of patriotism, the desire for a true challenge, and the influence of two brothers from my hometown, Jason and Matt Higgins, who had gone before me into the SEAL Teams. Seeing people from our small community accomplish something so demanding showed me what was possible. Their example motivated me to follow in their footsteps and pursue a path that required complete dedication, resilience, and commitment to something greater than myself. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

After graduating from high school in 1980 I decided if I didn't find a good job by the end of the summer I'd join the Military. I was 18 and working at Zayre’s in Waterville Maine. Like any 18 year old at that time, I partied regularly and had a girlfriend. The reality was that I wasn't going anywhere and it was time to man up and do something useful with my life so I joined the Navy and volunteered for submarines. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

I joined the United States Navy at 17 years old because of a deep sense of patriotism and a belief that I had from a very young age: some people are put here to protect others and eliminate bad people from the earth. I always knew I would fight. I always knew I would stand up for what I instinctively knew was right. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

I joined the Navy because it was my destiny. I had a relative that served with George Washington and uncles that served in World War II and the Battle of the Bulge. My dad joined World War II at 17 as an enlisted man at 17 years old and retired after 33 years of service as LCDR Commander. He made it clear that his five boys would join the military. All five of us followed orders! My brother Richard joined the nuclear submarines and retired as a Lieutenant Commander just like our father. Michael joined the Army and went on to become a Catholic priest. Peter was a photographer as a Navy Airedale. Stephen was also a Navy Airedale and now he is a scientist. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

I remember deciding to join the Navy vividly, driving with my parents going across the old Bath bridge seeing the ships at Bath Iron Works. Not that there's anything wrong with Boothbay Harbor, but I saw those ships as a way to get out of Boothbay Harbor and see the world. My original plan was to do 4 years and come back to lobstering, but 9/11 happened and there was no way I was going to get out when my country needed me the most. Click here to see the rest of the biography.

After graduating from University of Pennsylvania in 1957, he immediately embarked on his Naval career, spending a total of 31 years in the Navy in submarines. He was on active duty until 1961, and then continued in the reserves until retiring as a full captain. 

In 1961, he and wife Lydia moved to Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where Dick attended law school at University of Maine School of Law. After graduation, they moved to Southport Island, and he opened his own practice in the Boothbay region.  

The views expressed are my own and do not constitute endorsement by the Department of War, Department of the Navy, or the U.S. Government.

I enlisted in the United States Navy at the end of May, 2000 at the age of 21. I am still on active duty today in the Navy nearly 26 years later and am currently serving as the Task Force Command Center (TFCC) Officer to Task Force 70 permanently embarked on the NIMITZ Class Aircraft Carrier USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73) forward deployed in Yokosuka, Japan.  Click here to see the rest of the biography.

 I guess you could say that I was destined to join the Navy at an early age. According to my mother, when I was four she left me outside the old post office on McKown Street, you could do that back then. When she came out, I was standing next to a metal recruitment sign, the one with the sailor in a peacoat in front of an aircraft carrier. I pointed to the picture and announced that that I was going to be a sailor when I grew up. Later, when I was eight, my brother-in-law came home from his first tour in Vietnam as a Seabee. It was then that I learned that I could be in the Navy and build things. The die as they say, was cast. Anyone who grew up with me knew I was bound for the military, my fascination with militaria made that clear. Click here to see the rest of the biography.