I am a submariner. As I grew up, mechanical things fascinated me. I was raised as many a future sailor, not rich, and an uncertain life of hard knocks. I was always drawn to space and subs, growing up during the race for the moon, and the cold war. I read all I could on these subjects, absorbing the numbers and information like a sponge. 

I had a good Mom, a drunk Dad, and started working early to help support my Mom and siblings. When I hit eighteen, I joined the Navy and volunteered for subs right off. Didn't figure NASA would let me ride the rockets, but still saw my dream in a great metal tube packed with technology. 

I rode the U.S.S.Sandlance,SSN660, for four years. In all my time, I have never felt a brotherhood as close as the boats. I have ridden with truckers, bikers, ex-cons, construction gangs. All fail to have the closeness of our submarine family. We fought together, partied hard, and lived life to a fullness. We cried together in the bad, shouldered up during the rough, and stuck together during the toughest of times. And I learned then, never back down, never give up. Lessons from the Dolphin School of Wisdom. 

I got to live at least a part of my dream. I rode the future. Where else can a poor boy from the hills of nowhere ride and drive a $200 million dollar nuclear hot rod, and live in what just as well be outer space? Hell, I even tried skimmers on a second tour, as a comparison. The difference was day and night! We banded together, and no disrespect, but they just didn't have it together. No closeness, no brotherhood, just a job. 

I never made it far, as I got out. It was the end of Vietnam, the space race we had won, and my life was moving on to other things. I raised a family, and tried for the other dreams in my soul. Now many years have passed on by, and life has many a twist. Two wives and three kids later, in my heart is still on a sub, doing the long, lonely hours of a patrol. 

For myself, I never saw my dreams bloom. But now my oldest son rides the latest of the finest. He asked to join as soon as he graduated, at seventeen. He rides the USS Alaska, 732 Blue. He's an XM-11 Nav ET2. And I'm a very proud man. Because now our future and my dream live on. They live as a second generation Bubblehead, also known as "The General", same as his dad before. And our future never looked better. 

Sn(SS)Jim "The General" Patton