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Darryl Stromberg Since serving on the Exploit (MSO440) '81 - '84, I went to the USNS Rigel (T-AF 58) '84 - '85. The USNS stands for a civilian ship rented by the Navy. The captain and crew were civilian but the communications were run by the Navy, all eleven of us, including one zero. We had two man state rooms, chefs, waiters, and Electronic Techs (ET) stood no duty, ever. We just had to keep the equipment running. A drastic departure from the Minesweep navy. I finished my Navy career taking three month Med cruises spending two months in ports like Naples, Malaga, Palma, Rota and others. We would come back to the US for thirty days and then do it all over again. When I left the Navy in Oct '85 I took a tech job in Norfolk with a local Mom and Pop shop to be near a Fortune 500 head hunter. I got comfortable living at the Beach and finally woke up 18 months later to look for a real job. That's when Dornier Medical Systems (DMSI, manufacture of Lithotripters Non invasive kidney stone therapy devices, Urologic x-ray tables, various surgical lasers, some ultrasound, and now Orthopedic therapy devices for heel spurs and tennis elbow) came along and I started as a Field Engineer in Jan '87 in Columbus Ohio. All of the other techs were ex Navy as well which led to some great sea stories. Eleven months later I was sent to Boston, our old shipyard stomping grounds, to help a struggling district. Pullen and I have always stayed in touch so we got together frequently. Eleven months later I found myself being transferred to Chicago as a District Suervisor where I had up to twelve engineers in up to 23 states. I spent five years in Chicago traveling my tail off, single the whole time, before I was transferred to our home office in Kennesaw, Georgia, just NE of Atlanta. There I met my wife, Pam who has two great children named Ashley and Jason. They are now 14 and 19 respectively. In Kennesaw I served in several positions as Contracts Manager, Service Business Manager, Sales Operations Manager and later Director, and Director of Service Operations. In August of '99 Dornier started a new business / division (called Dornier Therapy Services, Inc. or DTSI for short) and I was asked to head up the Operations for mobile kidney lithotripsy (Non-Invasive treatment of Kidney Stones thrugh shockwaves). This has proven to be very successful, however they missed the operational knowledge on the DMSI side. So in February of 2000 I was named V.P. of Operations for DTSI and Director of Operations for DMSI. Play time has been drastically reduced. I've been with Dornier for almost 14 years and I find it amazing how many times I draw upon my naval experience to manage and train the people in our deparment. I have to say I thought about those days many times. The good times we had, amnesia on the bad times, and I would not trade that part of my life for anything. 
David Pannozzo My Navy career started out in Norfolk, VA where I was stationed on board the subtender USS L.Y. Spear. I spent 2 ½ years on board where the only real trip was to Diego Garcia and a couple of stops to some liberty ports for 6 months which back then there was nothing on that island but coconuts, wild mules, warm beer and cold hamburgers. In 1981 I was transferred on a HUM’s transfer back home to Pittsfield, MA where my mother was undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Well my stay there was relatively short and in 1982 after my mother died I was transferred to the USS Exploit in Newport, RI. I finished out my enlistment there. In 1984 I started to put my Naval training to work with the Government as a communication operator. I stayed there for about 2 ½ years then I moved to Maryland where I started to work for Validity Corp. in Landover, MD which consists of all ex military radioman. This is where my radioman training really came in to play. Validity was responsible for the testing, certification, installation and training for most of the communication systems onboard ships and at shore stations. Now is where the traveling came in. I spent about 10 months on the road a year at various military installations, state side and overseas. I basically filled up my passport by traveling to: Greece, Egypt, Spain, Japan, Philippine’s, Marshall Islands, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Holland, Korea, Diego Garcia (again), Hawaii, Alaska, and the just about the rest of the remaining states that have a military installation. I felt like I was still in the Navy with the exception of better pay and accommodation’s. I continued to work for Validity until 1996 where I became an account manager/consultant with DMR Consulting Group Inc. My testing experience brought me to do consulting work for AT&T. This is where I have been testing ordering and billing systems for 3 ½ years. I enjoyed the traveling with Validity however after 10 ½ years it was time to lay down some roots. I continue to work for DMR and enjoy it however anyone that has worked for corporate America will understand the politics involved. I've seen the computer world go from the clattering of teletypes, patch panels and paper tape to the automation that we have today. I've meet allot of people and made allot of good friends. I don’t regret anything that I have done or the decisions that I have made. All of the above has made me who I am today. Web links http://communities.msn.com/TheHarleyRide
Michael Nestor Since my time on the USS Exploit (MSO-440) from Aug 81 to Sept 83 I wound up being stationed in Hawaii for 7 1/2 years. 4 of which were at FTG Pearl Harbor at fire fighting school where I ran the smoke abietment system to prevent us from adding to the smog. Then at which time I got transferred to SIMA Pearl Harbor for another 3 1/2 years leaving Hawaii in May of 91, but I forgot to mention that I met my wife in Sept 85 on a blind date set up by couple who got sick of seeing me single just before I went to Ca. for 2 weeks of training(which old dogs need desperately). WE have two daughters one which just turned 14 this past Sunday and the youngest who will turn 12 in Nov. We only made two trips back to the mainland while there after marrage one in Sept 87 to attend a wedding and the next was to lay my father to rest in June of 90. I,m sure may of you remember my father as he use to show up an Fridays to Pick me up from the ship. On leaving Hawaii I returned to Great Lakes to attend advance training. My wife and girls spent that time with my mother. After school I got transferred to the USS Manitowoc LST-1180 in Little Creek. That ship got decommisioned in June 93 where I had to go to the L.Y.Spear as 36 I retired from the Navy Jan 96 and started a new carreer as a commercial electrician which only lasted for 7 months. Got sick and tired of low pay and long hours that I went to work for Sperry Marine as a electrician. Again long hours but much better pay that lasted for 9 months as they didn't talk to the right people and had to close shop no contracts. While working for them I used some of my G.I Bill and went to night school for 4 1/2 hours a night 4 days a week for 16 months while working mind you to get my qualiifications to perform HVAC work and graduated in April 98. I worked for two other hvac companies before I finially found one that treated it's people as people and not numbers. I have been working for that same company for 2 1/2 years now and even if I don't have a million dollars yet I enjoy going to work in the morning and can hold my head high knowing that I put in an honest days work. I did forget to mention that I married a registered nurse didn't I oops. We had fun and sometimes we fought but we always got allong when we were off tooo many drunks for us all. Just remember those midwatches in Portland and you will know the truth of a good watch.
George Weiser Served from 1959 to 1961 as a YN3. My wife and I have been married since July 1961 and have one daughter who is a school principal and two grandsons. I am employed by a county correctional facility.
Paul Lineen Married, Living in Decatur, Illinois, email n9ix-paul@insightbb.com, USS Exploit from 1961 to 1966, radiomen, phone 217-875-4087, currently retired but working part time as security officer for a credit union in decatur.
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