At our next meeting, James B. Stafford, AJ5BS, will present “The Road to Nuclear Power Operations.”
Here’s what James has to say about his program and himself:
We will discuss:
1. When and how the United States got into naval nuclear power
2. The types of ships that the Navy has used nuclear power on
3. The requirements for a person to get into the nuclear power program, and
4. The road from being recruited to becoming a nuclear plant operator. (Points 3 and 4 will be especially interesting for high school juniors and seniors.)
About me: I graduated from Scottsbluff Senior High School in 1968. In 1969, the United States instituted the draft by lottery program. Rather than be drafted, a friend of mine and I decided that the Navy was our choice, so we contacted the local naval recruiter. He was immediately enlisted and served aboard an aircraft carrier as a machinist’s mate and scuba diver. The recruiter delayed my entry because of my desire to serve aboard submarines, which required me to enlist in the nuclear power field program, and the station had already met its quota for the rest of the year. So on my 19th birthday, September 9, 1969, I was enlisted into the United States Naval Reserve so that I could not be drafted (even though my lottery number would never have been called).
On March 5, 1970, probably a little sooner than the recruiter would like to have seen, I was enlisted into the active duty Navy and reported to NRTC San Diego, CA. I served aboard 5 submarines, one surface vessel, and 3 shore commands before transferring to the Fleet Reserve on March 31, 1990, as an electrician’s mate chief petty officer. My retirement from naval service was finalized on September 30, 1999.
My amateur radio journey began in February 1996, when a friend convinced me to look into amateur radio as a communication option while traveling as opposed to a mobile phone. So, in February 1996, I received my first call sign, KC5SVI, and my no-code Technician license. I then tested for the General license and passed the written exam but not the code and then passed the Extra written exam and the code on the same day, thus going from Technician to Amateur Extra in one fell swoop.
Since being first licensed, I have worked with Tarrant County RACES in Tarrant County, Texas; the Fort Worth Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emergency communication group; Kansas ARES group; the Topeka Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emergency communication group; Sedgwick County RACES; the Derby Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emergency communication group; the Wichita Amateur Radio Club; and Air Force Military Affiliated Radio System. I am an ARRL registered instructor, an ARRL VE, and a Laurel Group VE.