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 Being Retired now, I thought that it was time for a new name to this Blog |
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Talk about perks, my career had one of the best I can think of! I traveled in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I am a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and teach classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2 way radio communications (for eight more weeks). I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire. That time is now. I've always said that if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out! I can't handle the heat anymore. I was qualified to deliver approximately 32 different classes, but about half of those were 'Legacy' classes, and are not in demand anymore. My students were/are technicians, those who maintained, programmed, calibrated, and repaired large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I traveled, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where have I been? This probably won't have daily entries, but I will make entries to update you about my life before and during my employment with Motorola Solutions. I also intend to update you all about what I'm doing in retirement. Well, here we go with this new adventure, let's see where it takes us.  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Well, this morning I had my semi-annual cleaning, along with assessing my mouth/teeth for a partial plate. The loss of my 53 year old crown in February was quite a loss. The only reason he pulled it was because the GOLD crown had come out. Why did it come out? The tooth itself was cracked, while chewing a jelly-bean, the filling and crown dropped out. I really wanted that filling to remain in my mouth, fate had other plans. He wanted to get the impression done today because I lose Dental Insurance at the end of this month. The office bills my insurance all at once, so this way it's billed while I still have insaurance. I have to say, it wasn't comfortable at all. I'd never had that done, it was new to me, and definitely uncomfortable. There was a short moment of gag reflex with that thing getting the impression of my upper teeth, but I lived through it. Now to see what portion of the bill will be. I know it's at least $450, we'll see what the insurance doesn't cover. |
Indianapolis 500 May 25, 2025 I watched the complete Indianapolis 500 today for only the second or third time. Why? I've had a fascination with Indy Cars for 61 years now. As a result, I've always liked Open-Wheel Racing (Indy Cars) more than Closed Wheel Racing (NASCAR). Allow me to explain. My father would listen to the Indy 500 every year. This was before it started being televised in 1965. Heck, we didn't even have a TV until 1966 (that's a guess here), we never owned a Color TV, those were too expensive, so Black & White it was. Back to my father for a minute. He would take a piece of paper and create a table consisting of the top 3 drivers every 25 miles. At the bottom of it, he would have a list of cars out of the race. But I need to backtrack a little bit. I guess I became an Indy Car fan while we lived in Milwaukee from 1960 to 1962. The Wisconsin State Fair held a 250 mile race at its One Mile Oval track, and somehow I became a fan of Open Wheel Racing. Also, I somehow (Don't ask, because I don't remember) became a fan of a driver whose name I heard, Eddie Sachs. He was my hero, my favorite driver. We moved to Albuquerque in September 1962. After the move to Albuquerque, it became almost a custom for my father and I to sit together and listen to the Indy 500. I always cheered for Eddie Sachs who drove at Indy from 1957 to 1964. Being 9 or 10 years old, I'd quickly get bored and run out to play with my brothers and friends. In 1964 though, Eddie Sachs was killed on lap 2 in a fiery crash coming out of turn 4. Another driver spun out of control and hit the inside wall with a fiery explosion, then slid across the track. Eddie was behind him and had no chance. His car hit the other car in the middle causing a second fireball, killing Eddie almost immediately. Since it was so early in the race, I was still listening as this occurred. I cried and cried over his death. I don't think I've cried like that over someone dying since. Not even the passing of my parents or my three siblings. While in the Navy, for one reason or another, I never had the chance to watch the whole race. While at Motorola, it seemed I was usually traveling, or just had too much going on to sit back and relax to watch it. Now I do, so it's almost a tradition here now. A couple of other notes about the Indianapolis Raceway. In 1997, I traveled to Indianapolis with a group from the Firestone Plant I worked at. It wasn't raceday, it wasn't even time-trials. The drivers were 'practicing', getting used to their cars and the track. But, we had infield access. We weren't allowed in the garage area, nor could we meet and talk to the drivers. Still, it was a special day for me. And in 2016, I was given an awesome Birthday present. A day at the Chicagoland Speedway where I was able to drive an older Indycar. My fastest lap was just below 150 mph! (The cars had a limiter that prevented them going more than 170 mph). I had never driven that fast before, nor have I since. It was a very special day, that's for sure. Other than the Indianapolis 500, I no longer follow other Indycar races. The reasons are varied and many really, too much to go into here. I do look at race results and watch highlights at times, but that's about it. Til next time, y'all Love those who Love You, and Write! Jim |
Lumbar, Thoracic, Sacral Spine MRI, including the Coccyx Wow, what a day. Before I tell you about my MRI adventure, I want to mention a minor separate issue. Wednesday I was cutting meat (Kidneys and Liver) for our dogs when I managed to poke my right thumb with the knife. I thought I had cut myself, but when I checked, I saw nothing. No blood, no cut, nothing at all, so I continued my work. Now, the thumb is red and swollen, very tender at the point where I poked myself. A quick trip to Convenient Care was done, I've been put on Antibiotics, which is what I thought would happen. No change today, we'll see how things are tomorrow. Before I tell you about the MRI's, I want to stress that I AM NOT complaining. I don't talk about this (various health matters) much, except with Kathy. She hears it all. I'm letting you all know in case I suddenly am not as active as I have been. Which as you might imagine after reading this entry, is not near as active as I'd love to be. Anywho, or anyway, however you want to say it, on with it. I don't mind sharing health news, it's not HIPAA if it's about me, and comes from me, is it? I've suffered from back pain for many years now, and today a 3-year old MRI result 'appeared'. Yeah, neither of us know where it came from or how it got to the top of my drawer unit, but there it was. I forgot I have Spinal Stenosis with degeneration in 3-4 discs in my lower back. The MRI's are a follow-up to MRI's conducted in 2022 (the test results found earlier today. Still shaking my had over their sudden appearance). The Spinal Stenosis and disc issue cause Peripheral Neurophthy. What those fancy words mean is, I can't stand for long, plus I have a bit of Vertigo when I do stand. I'm not dizzy per se, I have Vertigo. I know, some of you might say it's the same thing, but in my eyes it isn't. But, if I can't stand, I should sit, right? Yeah, tell my back that. I stand, my left hip and leg ache. I sit, my back aches. So I should lie down, right? Except I lay on my left side for the most part, and my left hip let's me know it doesn't like that. It's hard to find a comfortable way to lie in bed. The MRI's without Contrast were done first, of course. Why is it that when you're required to lie still that about every place on your face decides to itch? Yeah, it happened. Plus, since the MRI was of essentially my entire spine, it took over 40 minutes! The itch started about 8 minutes into the test. It became a case of mind over matter at that point. I won some, but there were times I was asked how I was doing, so I asked if I could scratch my nose. You know I did.  The MRI with Contrast was next, and didn't take near as long, nor were near as bad. After a little over an hour of lying still in one spot, we were finally done. Ahhh, peace and quiet, because the MRI machine is very noisy. Well, that's it, I'm done. Enjoy yourself, enjoy your life, and love those in your life that really matter! Most of all, WRITE! Love To You All, JimD |
Visiting Friends & Relatives Talk about tiring! Wow, visiting three relatives/friends in three days, in three different states is exhausting! Here's what we did. On Wednesday May 7, we drove to Columbia Tennessee to see my best friend from Motorola. Steve retired five years ago and we've stayed in touch all this time. We had dinner with him and his wife Sue at a local place. It was a good time for all of us. But the day started with a small delay on our part. Someone named Mother Nature insisted we stop for a routine visit. Could she ask us both at the same time? No! So two stops were necessary. All was well though, it was just a minor inconvenience. Wednesday night though, I discovered I had left an adapter for my CPAP at home. Of course this meant I had to sleep without it. I was fine, it's happened before, it'll happen again, though I hope it doesn't. Thursday we drove from Columbia Tennessee to Montgomery Alabama to see my daughter and her family. Of course we stopped along the way at a LinCare facility to pick up that adapter. We met my daughter at a Catfish House for dinner., It was a very good time for all. I brought my camera out and let her children use it all they wanted. I haven't looked at the photo's they snapped, I'm not sure I want to.  I will upload them to G-Drive though and share with her.Friday we drove to Gulfport Mississippi to see my former Father-In-Law. He turns 90 this year, I'm not sure how many more times we'll be able to get together. He does look good though, he seems to be in better health than I am... But, along the way, while driving through a good ol' Southern Downpour, the engine on my van sounded louder. I immediately knew what had happened. My van is 11 years old now, it seems that the Exhaust System developed a hole in it. Where? I don't know of course. So tomorrow I'll take it in and leave for as long as it takes the shop to get to it and fix it Driving home yesterday and today was fun though. NOT! It was decently loud, and seemed to get louder today. But we're home, even if a certain someone (not me!) worried about it overheating, stalling, seizing, whatever else you can imagine. It's still drivable, it's just noisy of course.That was our adventure for the week, and why I haven't been available much as a result. I will work, sometime in the future. We'll see what new career (job) I choose, huh! Well, that's it, I'm done. Enjoy yourself, enjoy your life, and love those in your life that really matter! Love To You All, JimD |
Retirement Well, it was just time. Time to sit back and relax some. I can't travel as often as I once did. the fun was still there for me, my mind is still alert and able to process class material. My body just can't do it anymore, so it was time. I was hired by Motorola on January 22, 2001. Alex Torres, the man who hired me said, "If you can teach Jim, we'll teach everything you need to know about Radios & their systems." Well, it's been 24 years since then, I either talked a good talk and fooled them all, or I learned. It was the latter, believe me. My first few weeks were filled with sitting in classes. I didn't even have a laptop until my second week there! So I wrote my notes in a notebook, and became a sponge, a learning sponge. It's what I did in the Naval Nuclear Power pipeline, it was just a career move to a different technology in my eyes. By the end of 2001, I was teaching six different classes, and ended the year delivering 68 days of classes. This despite not teaching my first class until late April! I learned, and I grew knowledge wise. It's been a good career. I can deliver over 30 classes now, though half of them are legacy classes, meaning we don't deliver them anymore. Still, 15 classes? Yep. Yesterday, Friday May 2, 2025, our manager gave us (me) a retirement luncheon at a local restaurant in Schaumburg, The Granite City Food & Brewery. https://gcfb.olo.com/menu/schaumburg It was a very nice time together, I met people I haven't seen in almost a year. Yeah, I saw them all last year during Memorial Day week when we had meetings all week. I made sure to shake/hug everyone and thank them for being there. Even those I wouldn't consider a friend. Yes, there are some co-workers that I don't consider a friend. Still, they arrived for the luncheon. Privately, I said to myself, 'They're here for the food, not me.' I would never say that aloud, that would be so inconsiderate. That thought did enter my mind though.Now I'm unemployed, my first time being unemployed since January 31, 1993 when I retired from the Navy, That lasted a week. Now, I'm taking May off, and we'll see what happens afterwards. Next week we're going to see a close friend in Tennessee, then we'll visit one of my daughters living in Alabama, then see my former Father-In-Law. We are close friends, we served together, my first Submarine, his last. Him & I will always be friends. Now I wait and see what the future holds. I will still work, I'd love a part time job, not a full time one. We'll see what new career (job) I choose, huh! Well, that's it, I'm done. Enjoy yourself, enjoy your life, and love those in your life that really matter! Love To You All, JimD |
Misheard or Misunderstood Lyrics I love the phrase "I hate it when I'm singing along with song, and the singer sings the incorrect Lyrics. It's happened to all of us I know. Just this morning I had The Carpenters song "Close To You" running through my mind, and recalled a line I misunderstood long ago. Here's the line. On the day that you were born, the angels got together, And decided to create a dream come true. So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue. Except I heard it as On the day that you were born, the angels got together, And decided to create a dream come true. So they sprinkled donuts in your hair & golden starlight in your eyes of blue I couldn't understand why Angels would sprinkle donuts in the subjects hair! Here are some other lyrics that have been misunderstood or misheard. I'm guilty on a couple of these, but only a couple, not a lot. Some of these are hilarious. 1. NSYNC – “It’s Gonna Be Me" - People often think Justin Timberlake is singing “It’s gonna be May,” the correct lyric is, “It’s gonna be me.” 2. ABBA – “Dancing Queen” - A line in one of the band’s most popular songs is often sung as “feel the beat on the tangerine,” but the correct lyric is “feel the beat on the tambourine.” 3. Starship – “We Built This City” - One particular line from the group’s song “We Built This City” can sometimes be heard as “We built this city on sausage rolls,” but the correct line is “We built this city on rock and roll.” 4. The Beatles – “I Want to Hold Your Hand” - The band’s line “I want to hold your hand,” from its hit song is sometimes sung as “I want to hold your ham" 5. Bon Jovi – “Livin’ on a Prayer” - People often mistake the line “It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not” for “It doesn’t make a difference if we’re naked or not” in the popular song. 6. Celine Dion – “My Heart Will Go On” - The line “I believe that the heart does go on” is sometimes replaced with “I believe that the hot dogs go on.” 7. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta – “You’re the One That I Want” - The song from the movie Grease has a line that listeners often mistake. Some hear, “I got heels, they’re made of plywood,” while the correct line is, “I got chills, they’re multiplying.” 8. Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody” - In the band’s hit song “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the line “Spare him his life from this monstrosity” is sometimes sung as “Saving his life from this warm sausage tea.” 9. Adele – “Chasing Pavements” - The song’s correct lyric is, “Or should I just keep chasing pavements,” but often it’s mistaken as, “Or should I just keep chasing penguins.” 10. Coldplay – “Paradise” - The group sings “Dream of para-para-paradise” in the chorus, but some listeners hear “Dream of pair of dice” 11. Johnny Nash – “I Can See Clearly Now” - While the correct lyric is, “I can see clearly now the rain is gone,” in the song, some listeners have misheard it as, “I can see clearly now Lorraine is gone.” 12. The Police – “So Lonely” - The line “So lonely” in the rock band’s song is commonly misheard as “I’m Sue Lawley.” 13. Eurythmics – “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” - The correct line in the pop duo’s single is “Sweet dreams are made of this,” but some people have been known to sing it as “Sweet dreams are made of cheese.” 14. Jimi Hendrix – “Purple Haze” - Instead of singing, “Excuse me while I kiss the sky,” some people hear the artist say, “Excuse me while I kiss this guy.” 15. Fleetwood Mac – “Say You Love Me” - The lyrics from the group’s song is misheard as, “I’m begging you for a little sip of tea,” but the correct line is, “I’m begging you for a little sympathy.” 16. Elvis Presley – “Suspicious Minds” - While the King of Rock ;n’ Roll is singing, “We’re caught in a trap,” in the song, some people have misheard in a number of different ways, including, “Recording a track,” “They call it a tramp” and “We caught him a trout.” 17, Eminem and Rihanna – “Monster” - Some people have been heard singing, “I’m friends with the mustard that’s under my bed,” instead of saying the accurate lyric, “I’m friends with the monster that’s under my bed.” 18. Will Smith – “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” - Though the correct lyric in the rap song is “Gettin’ jiggy wit’ it,” some listeners have misheard it as “Kick the chicken with it.” 19. Sir Mix-a-Lot – “Baby Got Back” - In the hit song, he is rapping, “I like big butts and I cannot lie,” though some people hear, “I like big butts and a can of limes.” 20. R.E.M. – “Losing My Religion” - Some people mistake the line, “That’s me in the corner,” for, “Let’s pee in the corner.” If you hear a line and know it can't be right (such as Sprinkled Donuts in your hair, do some investigation and ensure you heard it right! That's it for misheard lyrics. Enjoy yourself, enjoy your life, and love those in your life that really matter! JimD |
Some Of My Pet Peeves If some of these make you angry, I'm sorry. I have yet to have anyone apologize to me for some of these Pet Peeves. I realize I'm getting old, I thought I'd share a few things that really get my goat. Here goes. 1. On the highway, people who wait until the last minute to merge into your lane. There's no room though, my bumper almost touches the bumper of the vehicle in front of me. 2. Saying "Thank You" to someone, their response is either "Of Course!", or maybe "No Problerm". My take on this.... I am thanking you for doing something polite, a reply of "No Problem" means that what you did politely was not a problem. Hmmmmmm. Responding with "Of Course" tells me this. Of course you say thank you, you old man. Like I said, I'm getting old, or am old. 3. Someone in traffic passes you and pulls in right in front of you. There you sit at the stoplight with them in front. What did they gain by doing that? Not one thing, other than being one car length ahead of you. OR they'll pull in front of you on a highway, then slow tro a slower speed than you have been cruising at all this time. It does make me wonder. 4. This next one might make some of you mad, but here goes. A person who identifies themself as "He/him" (She/Her), and tells you they are non-binary. I beg to differ. If we both dropped our pants, we'd see one of two things. Male genitalia, or Female genitalia. I have to wonder about this 'Non-Binary' idea and where it came from. Frankly I don't care what you think you are, be who you want to be. There's no need to post it in every written message from you, You will never find me saying, "I'm a man, an old man. I identify as a human male." 5. People who think they are right all the time, but when you check on what was said or written, you find they are completely wrong. One of my best friends at Motorola would tell us how smart they were. I have found that those who are very smart (Intelligent, High IQ, whatever), don't talk about it, or brag to others about their intelligence. Those that do have high IQ's or are very intelligent don't talk about it. Believe it or not, that's all I can think of right now. There are more, many more. My mind is just blank right now. I'm sure some of you have your own Pet Peeves. Share them with me if you like. If you prefer to stay Anonymous, send them to me in an email. I promise I will not share them with any one else. |
Schaumburg, Illinois Week of 4/14/25 This was my last time delivering a class for Motorola. Everyone felt I should feel 'something', the only thing I felt was relief, coupled with a sense of accomplishment. The class this past week was that basic RF class, the one designed for non-technicians. I will say that it really needs to be updated and re-written. I've pushed for this to be done for years. That statement/thought was always pushed aside by management. I would love to be involved in that rewrite, but it will take months to complete. Plus, that has to come from the Content Developers, not from an instructor, so it's not going to happen. The class itself went well, at least in my opinion. I didn't have the usual training aids though. A co-worker was delivering this class in California, and since they paid to have the training aids there, I didn't have them with me. Once class was done Friday, there were a few touching moments. About half the students stopped to shake my hand, wishing me luck in retirement. The kicker though, was having the support guys, the ones who fix our system when something breaks, stop by and tell me I'll be missed. I know I will be missed, I teach some courses that no one else does, or wants to. Now, they'll have to learn those courses, won't they? One of our Adjunct (Contractor Instructor) also stopped in. That was especially nice because I wouldn't call him a friend. Co-worker would be best, even that stretches it some if you ask me. In the end though, I drove home to Bloomington and will send this week and next getting things wrapped up by May 2nd. The boss is even throwing a farewell luncheon that day, and has invited everyone who is local to attend. We'll see how many instructors show up, few are in town next week. That's it for now. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life!  Jim Dorrell |
| On my first boat (USS Theodore Roosevelt), one of the R12's (Yes, R12, they were never converted to newer cooling (R114?) systems while I was on board (Aug 74-Oct 78). There was a vertical pipe in front of it, about 8 inches from the cover. You get the picture. We needed all 5 R12's operating, else NavCenter overheated (>65F, maybe 70F) I think. It was a burned out main contactor, so we pulled the whole assembly while it was tagged out. We had to, you couldn't pull the main contactor with it installed. Everything was replaced satisfactory, but we had to do a rotation check on the main pump, so the cover was left off. Rotation check was good. I was ordered to put the cover back on, while it was still energized! I was warned not to allow the cover top portion to fall into the controller, since the 440VAC contacts at the top supplying power to it were exposed, and to keep my arms clear of those contacts. (I didn't get shocked at least) Yep, it was a very old assembly. Shades of OSHA! What would they have said? You can guess what happened next. The thing is, I have no idea how I teleported about 10 ft. back from the controller. I was told a Fireball flew out out the switchgear in ERUL (Engfine Room Upper Level) across the narrow passageway and over the floor of Maneuvering where it dissipated against the equipment there. Needless to say, it was briefly tagged out to get that cover installed. |
| Submarine Reactor Startup I wrote an entry in my other blog, "Memories. Ahhh Yes, Memories of My Life"  , about starting the Submarine's Reactor. With this blog no longer about trips I take, I thought that I'd expound on that a little tonight.First, a little about our duty sections. There weren't that many men in a duty section. Maybe 10-11? I don't recall really. Most were under 30 years of age, new Nukes would be 19-21 or so. But, Electricians (EM's) and Electronics Technicians (ET's) stood watches as a Shutdown Reactor Operator (SRO), and Shutdown Electrical Operator (SEO). One EM had to be qualified as Battery Charging Electrician (BCE), one ET had to be qualified as a Reactor Operator (RO) during underway periods. After completing my qualifications, I ended up being the EM and BCE, as well as an SRO. One of the ET's was also SRO qualified, as well as RO underway. Why was this necessary? Let me explain. Each duty section needed an RO so a Precritical Checkoff could be done before the Reactor was started. He would also perform the Daily Shutdown Checkoff. Each duty section also needed a BCE so the weekly Battery Charge could be done. Yep, we charged the battery weekly, even when in port. Since there were generally six ET's/EM's in a watchstation (IF we were lucky), you would think that 'Heck, y,all were in 3 section watches, even if we were on Port & Starboard duty sections'. Port & Starboard. One day on duty, one day off. If it was a watchstation, then 6 hours on watch, 6 hours off (6-Noon, Noon-6, 6-Midnight, Midnight-6). So yeah, think again. The crew turnover is not really high, but it was enough that generally there would be at least one or two people qualifying for one watchstation or another. I spent more time on Port & Starboard Duty Sections and Port & Starboard watches than I care to think about. Are you getting the idea that we didn't have a lot of chances to rest? Yep, but somehow we kept things going. Eventually it came time to head to sea. The Duty Section had a lot to do in order to make the Engineroom, and Reactor ready to go. The Machinists Mates (maybe 5 in a Duty Section) had valve lineups to do on both the Reactor Plant, and the Secondary Plant, as well as drain the Steam Generators (if needed) to the Operational Level. These tasks took a lot longer than you might think. The ET's had a Pre-Critical Checkoff to do. Us EM's? Not a lot, other than support Watches. One thing that was done sometime during the refit period was Control Rod Checks. These took hours, I do mean hours, to do. You might find one man on watch (the Senior ET), while the SRO qualified EM was off. If there were 2 EM's qualified SRO, we were lucky. The SRO Qualified ET would be relieved by an SRO qualified EM so he could perform the Rod Checks. Yep, a junior ET would be present also, so he could learn how to perform this. The Rod checks are different from a Pre-Critical Checkoff in that each Control Rod was pulled to the top of the core, one at a time. Therefore, an Engineering Officer Of The Watch (EOOW) was in Maneuvering. Normally he was the Engineering Duty Officer (EDO), now he was the EOOW. The Pre-Critical Checkoff was done by 2 ET's, that was a requirement. So us EM's were on watch. I forgot what all was done during a Pre-Crit, but it took a good 4-5 hours to do. As Nuclear Trained Personnel, we took tasks like this very seriously, even if we goofed off a lot at other times. So, once the Pre-Crit was complete, valve lineups were done, the EDO would inform the Engineer of this, he would get permission to commence a Reactor Startup. The duty Section now manned underway watchstations. Another thing done though, was the Estimated Critical Position (ECP). We had to know when to expect the Reactor to become Critical. If it became Critical too soon, something was wrong, most likely in the calculations. (Yes, the EDO and Engineer would review the calculations before the startup was commenced.) Conversely, if the Reactor became Critical too late, something was wrong. You get the picture. A Reactor startup was then commenced. It would take almost an hour just to reach Criticality, depending on how long we had been shutdown, as well as if we were in what was called Hot Standby, or Cold Wet Layup. Eventually, the Reactor would be Critical, and then the 'fun' part starts. Heating the Primary Plant (if needed) as well as the Secondary Plant. This would typically take another hour or two. Once the plants were warmed properly, the Main Engines would be warmed by the Throttleman, and the Ships Service Turbine Generators would be warmed and started. Now the Electricians had their moment, the removal of Shore Power. This sound simple enough, you just unplug the boat from the pier It's a bit harder than it sounds though. Imagine trying to lift a cable that weighs 60 lbs/foot! Yeah, they were heavy. There were 3 of them each one capable of carrying 400 amps. If we were lucky a crane was available and could lift the cables for us. If not, we manhandled those cables. Around the time we were warming the plant up, the Forward (Non-Nuclear) crew would come aboard and about that time, we'd be ready to go to sea. Oh such fun it was! Are you concerned at all that the greater majority of men & women operating a Submarine Reator were (are) less than 25 years of age? Not only operating, but performing maintenance, and generally keeping the plant going. Even the senior most Enlisted man was less than 40. The Officers (EOOW's & EDO) were not much older, maybe 23-25 years old. Yes, if I could do it all over again, I would. Most definitely I would. Until next time, Be good, treasure those you love, and Write! Jim Dorrell |
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Still keeping you in prayer! And your friend Mark. Have you heard from him? 
