Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I Had a Plan

I always insist on having a plan, but my senior year of college was half over and I still had no idea how to pay for law school. Sitting in my mother’s house during winter recess, I wondered if the armed forces might have a program that would fund my education. So I spent a day visiting the local recruiting offices near my home in Massapequa, NY.  The Navy recruiting office was my last stop, but like the other service branches, they had no need for lawyers. They were looking for warriors. As I was walking out the door the recruiter asked, “Hey, what’s you major?”

“Physics and philosophy,” I replied.

“Come back here and let me tell you about our nuclear power program.”
– – –
Four months later I was sitting in a room at the Department of Naval Reactors in Crystal City, Virginia, taking tests in calculus and physics. These were followed by technical interviews with three staff engineers. This was all just a prelude to the only event of the day that mattered – my interview Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the father of the U.S. nuclear powered Navy. Rickover, a four star admiral and the longest serving flag officer in our country’s history, interviewed every applicant who aspired to serve as an officer aboard a nuclear powered vessel. His interviews were notorious and his techniques often bizarre. A candidate’s technical competence was assessed by his staff, but Rickover wanted to personally gage how a potential officer responded under stress.

I walked into Rickover’s office escorted by a commander and took a seat in front of the admiral’s desk. There were no introductions. He wore a dark blue business suit; he seldom donned his uniform.  At eighty one years old, Rickover looked like a pale, skin covered skeleton.  Gaunt and fragile, he sat dead still in the leather chair behind his desk, peering into a folder, studying, or pretending to study, its contents. Without lifting his head, Rickover began the interview.

“A philosophy major?” 

“Yes, sir.” My double major was unusual and an obvious target for Rickover, so I planned several responses, but when he turned to look at me he immediately shifted to a new topic.

“Don’t you think your hair is too long?” 

“No, sir.” I replied. 

“Well, would you cut it if I let you into my Navy?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jumping to his feet, screaming and pounding his desk, Rickover exploded. “God damn it! If it’s too fucking long for the job, then it’s too fucking long for the interview. Get the fuck out of my office.” 

The commander yelled for me to rise and we departed. The entire ordeal lasted less than 30 seconds. He led me down a hall and left me seated at a small school desk surrounded on three sides by filing cabinets. We were encouraged to bring reading material to kill time between the day’s events. My choice of Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil turned out to be quite prescient. The commander returned 45 minutes later to prep me for my next session with Rickover.

“Do you know what you did wrong?” he asked.

“I contradicted myself. I said my hair wasn’t too long and then I said I would cut it.”

“Okay, let’s talk strategy.”

“Why don’t I just get a haircut?”

“The admiral didn’t tell you to get a haircut.”

“It’s only hair. If I get in it’s going to be a lot shorter, and if I don’t, it'll grow back.”

After getting my hair butchered, I headed back to my holding cell between the filing cabinets. Before I could take my seat, a woman starting calling out, “Where’s Mr. Cereola? The admiral wants to see Mr. Cereola again.” My escort appeared and we returned to Rickover’s office. This time I didn’t even get to sit down. Rickover was already on his feet and pointing his finger at me as I crossed the threshold.

“Hey! I remember you; I remember you. You look almost human now.” Rickover was clearly in a better mood.

“Thank you, sir.”

“So, how do you like your new haircut?”

“I like it a lot.”

“Tell me what you like about it?”

Rubbing the short, bristly stubble on the back of my neck I told him that it felt much cooler.

“Okay, you can go,” the admiral declared. I had just passed through the doorway on my way out when Rickover decided to have a little more fun with me. “Wait. I want you tell all my secretaries how much you like your new haircut.”

Outside Rickover’s office sat four women. At the time, I thought they were geriatrics. In hindsight, I recognize that they were probably about 50 years old, which doesn’t seem so ancient today. I stopped and addressed the ladies.

“You know, I just got this new haircut and I really like it a lot.” The women rose as group and surrounded me. They began stroking my hair and commenting on my new buzz.

“He looks so handsome,” gushed one of the secretaries. The others were making similar comments but I wasn’t processing any of it because Rickover was still yelling instructions.

“Tell them how cool it feels,” demanded Rickover.

Obligingly, I announced, “You know, it feels really cool, too.” The ladies continued praising my coiffure and tugging at my hair while the admiral asked one last question.

“Makes you want to wear a hat, doesn’t it?” 

“No, sir.”

“You will.”
– – –

With Rickover’s final words, I knew I had passed the interview. Two hours later I was in the Navy. My new plan was to complete one four-year tour of duty, leave the service, and then use the GI bill to pay for law school. That’s not what happened. Instead, I stayed in the Navy for almost 30 years. I never became a lawyer, but I did get to command two nuclear powered submarines, the USS Ohio and the USS Alaska. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan.
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I'm submitting today's story toYeah Write and Dude Write.


Dude Write




50 comments:

  1. Great story. Life seldom goes as planned. I wonder if you have regrets not becoming a lawyer.

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  2. Wow, what a character! I took my 8yo son to see the Growler in NYC last week. It was so fascinating, but I don't think I could spend any time under the water on a sub. So claustrophobic! Seriously though, it's a much better cocktail conversation to say you captained nuclear submarines vs saying you're an attorney! Very nicely done.

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  3. The journey chooses you.... you don't choose the journey.

    That's one of my favorite quotes. No idea who said it but since I'm a sucker for honesty I have to share that it wasn't an origination of my brilliance.

    My Grandfather was in the Navy. He liked to tell people he was the screendoor operator. Most didn't catch that. :D

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  4. one of the best. Not because you left the wife out of it.Because it was completely about you. great insight

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  5. This this and more of this. I knew you had these stories in you. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thanks, Erica. I recognize that much of what I write doesn't always conform to your writing guidelines, but this time I tried as best I could to meet all the criteria. I even cleaned up the blog by eliminating a sidebar and discarding several distracting widgets.

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  6. I am just copying and pasting this first part. Sorry ... I promise you will only have to endure it once. I'm Angela -- new to blogging and new to yeah write. But, not new to writing. Until becoming unemployed this June (effin’ Scott Walker ... oops!), I taught high school English and Creative Writing was one of those courses. So, long story short: I will always have lots to say. Feel free to curse at me if you don't want to hear all my feedback. If you want more, let me know that too. I will glady offer even further feedback, but I’m not interested in pissing anyone off my first time on the grid. Now, on to your post ...
    The dialogue was very nicely done and contributed wonderfully to your characterization of Rickover. You didn't need to go into an unnecessary back stories and lots of physical descriptors for your readers to paint a mental image in their heads. That's a great skill set -- for your reader to have an image of your character appear while reading your story. Life is funny sometimes, but I think it all works out in the end.

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    1. Thanks, Angela, feedback is always appreciated, especially when it's positive, and even more so when it's constructive. Thanks for catching me on a good day.

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  7. Jesus mary and Jose, this is fantastic. I love this and cannot believe you are old enough to have been in this situation. YOu gotta give us more of this. The stories you must have. My hubs does work with the Navy and some of those characters...NUTSO. This is fantastic. If there was still voting, this would get all three of mine.

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    1. Thanks, Outlaw Mama. Sadly, I am old enough. This took place on April 24, 1981; there's no way I could ever forget the date.

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  8. What a bizarre start to what sounds like a great career. Great story!

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  9. What a funny guy! Great story. So amused that those funny 50 year-old's were ancient. certainly sounds ancient. :)

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  10. Fan-freakin-tastic! I love hearing stories of when life takes an unexpected turn and you end up where you were supposed to be. I also love hearing about crazy cats in the military. Hubby spent his first year of college as a West Point plebe before he decided a theater major wasn't really an option there and the stories he tells about that year blow my mind. Great work, sailor!

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  11. Funny the way life takes unexpected turns and, yet, we end up exactly where we should. Loved reading this story about you and how you found yourself in the Navy.

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  12. Such a great story, Joe! I loved it!
    I would also love to read more stories about your life in the Navy. Amazing stuff!

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  13. Ha! Plans are made for breaking, methinks

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  14. This was absolutely fantastic! I'd love to read more stories like this. Really, really entertaining!

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  15. This is my favorite piece from you so far, Joe. Great writing and fascinating to read.

    What an adventurous life you've had so far! I'm guessing you have a lot more stories to tell.

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  16. interesting read; really came to life with the exchanges between you and Rickover.

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  17. This is such a great story. You are right, sometimes things don't go according to plan. Sometimes life takes us in mysterious directions, and we realize that where we ended up is where we were meant to be all along.

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  18. AH! I flinched when he yelled at you! Ha ha! Great post!

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  19. Crying laughing at this Joe. I can't believe you saved it from us all this time.

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  20. I laughed. Loudly. It kinda echoed in my office. :) It was when he yelled at you out of nowhere!!! Love this post from you, Joe. Best laid plans... I say life takes us where it wants to go. I'll just enjoy the ride.

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  21. Now that is quite a tale, and a well told one at that. You never disappoint.

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  22. More, more, more! I'm blown away - I had no idea of your background and this story is perfection. Loved every word.

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  23. I loved this Joe. Simply fantastic and as so many have said- I want more.

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    1. Thanks, Jack, but the writing has been very slow as of late.

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  24. Rickover's quite a character. Did you see more of him since? Any similar stories?! Fun story!

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    1. He retired later that year and I never had the opportunity to meet him again.

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    2. Sucks, he probably would've provided material for more stories!

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  25. Joe, this was a great story. I really enjoyed reading it. And might I say, for what it's worth, I'm quite impressed with your military service (and thank you for that). I'm guessing you have lots of great stories like this one to tell.

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    1. I don't know if I have a lot, but I do have few. Telling some of them could be difficult because elements of the stories involve classified subjects, so I have no plans for another military story anytime soon. I am mulling over how I could extract and convey the human element from some of these tales without turning the stories to mush.

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  26. Well done! How lucky we are when the plans we make as college kids *don't* come to pass. (Although I do sometimes wonder what life would have been like had I actually become a professional beer taster...)

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  27. Great story, Joe. I had heard of the Rickover interviews, but only in passing. This really brought it to light. I think we're all grateful that you didn't become a lawyer, ha!

    WG

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  28. Side note, why don't more women compliment and grope a man's head when they see a nice haircut??

    I just got mine trimmed this morning. I demand gropage!

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  29. Wow, there is so much here in this post! First, I am impressed to hear that you commanded two nuclear subs. That is pretty amazing. And as to the story, what a quirky guy! The part where he had the ladies admire your shorn head was really pretty funny. Great job!

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  30. Back in high school, I wrote a report on Rickover and dedicated a section of it to his interview process. He was certainly unique. After a failed attempt at college, I enlisted in the Navy. I too, was accepted into the Nuclear Power Program, and served out my 6-year term aboard the USS Saratoga during Desert Storm.

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  31. LOVE this story and can't get over the haircut/no haircut scene! I wonder how Rickover's...way of interviewing...would stand up against today's youth. There would be parents accompanying their children to interviews and yelling at him for being too mean to their babies--I guess it's good that he lived when he did!
    As for "plans," I find that the only "plan" I ever stick to is the "plan" where I make a "plan..."

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    1. Rickover was certainly unique. His successors have adopted much more traditional interview techniques.

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  32. I would be terrified to go back into that office.

    My life certainly is not going as I had planned it, but I am very glad it hasn't, and it is good to see that you are happy yours also didn't.

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  33. Damn - that's awesome. It must have been amazing to command nuclear subs. I can honestly say that it would beat lawywering. Congrats on the win. I'm just now getting this far. Last week was hell.

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  34. Hey, this was a really neat post. I love the admiral's character! He would have been someone very worth meeting. I wonder if you had any further contact with him after that interview?

    The Navy seems so fascinating - but the ship in particular which I dream to go on one day is an aircraft carrier. And I want it to be an active one... not one of the older ones that have been made into museums. Just sort of thinking out loud here lol... anyway, your post was very engaging :)

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  35. Whatever, this is Lady in Red - I have too many google accounts and they're hard to keep track of.

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  36. This is an awesome post. I though that I got to drive some cool stuff but commanding a nuclear submarine is pretty bad-ass! And to think it all came to be because one guy called you back to ask about your major. Sometimes the simplest things snowball into something amazing.

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  37. I hope you take this as the compliment it is becasue it is truly meant to be a compliment (not a burden!). I nominated you for an award on my blog today http://anothertiredmommy.blogspot.com/2012/10/lovely-blogs_4.html because I want all (both?) of my fans to know how entertaining you are and this opportunity presented itself...

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  38. I love Rickover stories. No one who wasn't there believes that they are all true. BTW, I was the commissioning Communicator on the Alaska.

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  39. That is a pretty great story, guess one interview is all it took!

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