Ears to Hear

Reflections on the time around October 16, 1975

Dear ’30,

If you’re still reading, thank you. I appreciate you.

Maybe you want to know who I am? Good question. I’m still trying to figure that out. But I’m closer to the answer than I was when I arrived in New London in June 1976.

Meet me in a coffee shop and you’d probably think, “Just another old guy.” Hey Boomer. Maybe you might think I’m a little more smiley 🙂 than the other geezers. There’s a reason why I smile. No, it’s not drug-induced. My challenge to you is to keep reading my blogs and figure out where that comes from.

At the Academy, I started out as a marine science major. Then, I switched to civil engineering after I got a “C” in marine biology. It was a good that I switched because engineering came easy to me, and I graduated near the top of the class, at least in academic terms. More on that later.

My nickname at the Academy was Deacon Blues. It’s from a song by Steely Dan, one of my favorite bands. It fit me at the time, but not so much anymore. The song is on our ’80 Chase Hall Soundtrack on Spotify, if you want to check it out.

On billet night, I chose an engineering assignment on USCGC Chase, WHEC-718 (No Challenge Too Great), which was home-ported in Boston. I didn’t have much competition for that billet. One reason I chose it was because I didn’t have a car and didn’t want to buy one. Un-American, I know. Also, my best friend from high school was going to grad school at Harvard at that time.

Fast forward to 2025, and I am still a civil engineer. I hold a professional engineering license in California, Kansas, and Illinois, where I now live. My current role is the general manager of water production for the City of Decatur, IL, a job I enjoy very much.

But is that who I am? It’s a clue. I believe identity is found at a much deeper level, and I hope to share some stratigraphy as we go forward.

Enough about me, though. One of my reasons for this blog is to help you answer that question for yourself. As you read my ramblings, compare and contrast. Would you have made the choices I made? Why? What do you think about how mine turned out?

Also, I would encourage you to write down your reflections in a journal. I’ve done that most of my life. As a cadet, it helped keep me sane. Another reason to journal is that it will come in handy when it’s your turn to keep the Long Blue Line going.

Kind regards,

Deacon