Key West, Day 3

It’s July 24, 2017. I’m on my third day of my retirement vacation down in Key West. I wanted to write during the transit and all, but it was a whirlwind flight down from Norfolk, and I’ve not been letting the grass grow under my feet as it were. The story of my connection to … Continue reading Key West, Day 3

Just Like a Tree

Ok, it’s time to backtrack and fill in the gaps I missed in this travel log due to illness and tragedy. The food poisoning I suffered on May 27 and the tragedy of the fatal parachute accident May 28 gave me more important things to do than write about my travels during Fleet Week. The … Continue reading Just Like a Tree

It Was NOT Suppose to End This Way

It was NOT suppose to end this way, but it did. What was supposed to be (for me, anyway) the final triumph, the final “hurrah” of my career before retirement instead became a very sobering reminder of the dangerous nature of the jobs we do. 2017 Fleet Week New York came to and end tonight; … Continue reading It Was NOT Suppose to End This Way

Start Spreading the News!

Start spreading the news! We’re leaving tomorrow morning from the Navy Public Affairs Support Element East (NPASE East) for New York City. Starting Tuesday the Big Apple is hosting the 29th annual Fleet Week New York, a huge celebration of the sea services that will swamp New York City with enough ships to, well, make … Continue reading Start Spreading the News!

The Great Detachments Begin

I ran my final Physical Readiness Test (PRT) in the Navy today. I ran my first official PRT back in boot camp in November 1997. We ran two during boot camp; the first was to sort of gauge where we were in meeting Navy standards. The second was the official PRT. I passed it with … Continue reading The Great Detachments Begin

The Maturity of Wisdom

So my retirement process from the Navy has sort of been put on hold. Yes, I’m still retiring in September and yes, I’m still freaked out and excited by the prospect of, for the first time in 20 years, not knowing where I’ll be at the end of the year. No, I’m part of the … Continue reading The Maturity of Wisdom

Poetry Night!

The future may feel dark and life overwhelming, but if you can write, if you can put word to paper, you are never alone! Even a simple haiku can break your isolation. Unendurable Nathanael Miller, 30 April 2017 Unendurable. To forever sit alone; The night never ends. *** The Future is Dark Nathanael Miller, 30 … Continue reading Poetry Night!

The Good Times: Finding St. Peter

Oddly enough I find the second in my series looking back on the “good times” of my Navy career to be another moment during my time stationed at VQ-2 in Rota, Spain. Increasing the “coincidence level” is that this moment also occurred during a trip to another part of Europe. I have written in my … Continue reading The Good Times: Finding St. Peter

No Signposts

The unknown frightens; Planning used to rule my life. Now I’ve no signposts. A haiku I wrote titled, appropriately, “No Signposts.” Every military member, regardless of branch of service, shares two unique experiences that civilians will never truly grasp: the moment of putting on the uniform and relinquishing much control over one’s life to a … Continue reading No Signposts

Poetry Night!

No Signposts Nathanael Miller, 9 April 2017 The unknown frightens; Planning used to rule my life. Now I've no signposts. *** Where do I Now Turn? Nathanael Miller, 10 April 2017 Where do I now turn? The captain and chiefs are gone; Navy life is done. *** Freedom is Scary Nathanael Miller, 10 April 2017 … Continue reading Poetry Night!