Page 10 - Expert Issue 2015 (2)

Story and Photo Provided
By Glenda Batzer
A Remarkable Navy Love Story

I wanted to share the story of how my military career, and the rest on the base for 24 hours. So, Mark found a civilian job and spent
of my life, were somehow a result of destiny and probably luck. I time riding or fixing his motorcycle. On my days off, we were hav-
was 22 years old and had no luck figuring out what I wanted to do ing fun going to the beach and exploring everything there was to
with my life. I came from very modest means and like so many of explore on Oahu.
my generation, I did not have the financial means to go to college.
So I decided I was going to join the United States Navy. One night only seven months later, Mark took me to La Paloma
Mexican Restaurant for dinner and pulled out a ring and asked
I went to the local recruiting office and in less than a month I was me to marry him. I am sure you are thinking it was a very short
on my way to Boot Camp, in Orlando, Florida. After eight weeks amount of time, but that little voice in my head told me that this
in Boot Camp and an additional 20 weeks training in A-School, I was the one. Now between the fact that I had a difficult work
managed to graduate as one of the top two sailors in our class at schedule and we were so far away from our families, we decided
technical school. This honor meant that I would have my choice to get married by a Justice of the Peace in a simple ceremony at
of duty stations. I listed my top two as, San Diego, California and Iolani Palace, outside on the palace grounds on a beautiful Hawai-
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. My first choice was to be stationed on the ian Saturday afternoon with a handful of friends on December 16,
USS Samuel Gompers, which was home ported in San Diego, 1983.
California. My second choice was Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After
completing my training I went home on leave to see my family and I stayed in Hawaii for my entire Navy career, and when I decided
when I reported back to school, my orders were to report to Pearl not to re-enlist we packed up and moved to the suburbs of Boston.
Harbor, Hawaii. In 2004 we decided to escape the cold and moved to San Diego.

So my adventure continued. I got on an L1011 wide bodied Fast forward to February 2015 and Mark and I are still very happily
commercial airplane to Hawaii. I remember the flight like it was married and have two grown children and two grandsons. We
yesterday. I was young, not quite 23. I was excited and felt as have been married thirty years and two months. It seems like two
though anything were possible. When I arrived in Hawaii it was lifetimes ago but at the same time, I can still picture our wedding
like a dream. Warm tropical breezes, sand and the most beautiful day in my mind as though it was last week. I tell everyone that I
sunsets I had ever seen. The Submarine Base felt nostalgic as feel as though I won the marriage lottery. I believe that destiny
10 I walked around and tried to get my bearings. It had a palpable and the Navy both played a role in me finding that perfect guy.
sense of history. I was assigned a room in the barracks, which Mark, Thank You for being the best husband, father, friend, golf
served as temporary housing for sailors that were new to the base. coach, and spider killer a girl could ever ask for. You are every-
My first task was to find an apartment off base and learn the bus thing and more to me. I will love you forever.
schedules.
All My Love, Your Girl, Glenda
Our Senior Chief would allow us from Monday to Thursday to look
for an apartment off base but on Fridays, we were to actually swab
the decks and paint or anything else they needed because we
were not yet assigned to a permanent division. On the first Friday,
I was sent to the maintenance locker to pick up some cleaning
supplies. Now if you have ever been in the Navy, you know that
they are famous for stripping and waxing to death every available
floor or painting anything that does not move, with battleship grey
paint.

So off to the maintenance locker I went. When I walked in the
door, I immediately clamped eyes on him. He was sitting in a chair
with his feet up on the desk and his white cap tilted to one side.
He was cool. He smiled and asked, “Can I help you”? I smiled
and gave him the list of supplies we were after. After a few flirta-
tious minutes, I found out his name was Mark. He was a Second
Class Petty Officer that had been transferred off his submarine
because he was awaiting orders to leave the island. His tour was
up and he had made the decision not to re-enlist.

I had given him my name and my barracks number. I left the
maintenance locker with my supplies and a skip in my step. So a
few weeks later, we arranged to have dinner at my new apartment.
I was living in a high-rise luxury apartment in Waikiki a block from
the beach. It was beautiful. We had a nice dinner on a Thursday
night and by the weekend, Mark had moved out of the barracks
and into my apartment. He unofficially became a Navy Wife. I
worked in the Radiological Controls Division. I worked long hours
and had three section duty, which meant every three days I stayed