In honor of Veterans Day 2019, Lancer Media interviewed local veterans. Sierra Rossman chose Mr. Shane Rossman, her dad. She and Shane talked about his service in the Navy during the Persian Gulf War where he was stationed in several U.S. ports and had the opportunity to travel overseas.

Sierra used the StoryCorps app to record the interview. StoryCorps is an American non-profit organization whose mission is to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs.

Sierra had heard a few stories about her dad’s time in the Navy but found out more through this interview about what his family thought, his roles on his ship, and his favorite moments.

Sierra: What made you want to enlist in the military?

Shane: I grew up in a household of my biological brother and two step-sisters, and, at the time, my two step-sisters had gone off to college. My parents had no financial means to put me in college, so the only opportunity that I had at the time was to join the military. 

Sierra: Why did you choose to enlist specifically in the Navy?

Shane: I specifically wanted to join the Navy to see the world. I thought it would provide great opportunities to see other countries. I looked into the Army and the Marines, and, usually, when you enlist in one of those branches, you’re pretty much stuck wherever you’re first stationed. 

Sierra: What did your family think about you joining the Navy?

Shane: My parents thought I was nuts because there was a war going on at the time, which was the Persian Gulf War, and they tried to discourage me from going in, but it was already too late, I had already signed up and I left for basic training two weeks after high school. 

Sierra: What was your job on your ship?

Shane: I was an air traffic controller. I also worked with the navigation team to steer the ship. We would steer the ship into the wind so the planes and aircraft going off of the ship had enough wind speed to get the proper lift to go off the ship. There were a lot of mathematics that went into the job.

A lot of folks think that all the dumb kids go into the military because all the smart kids go to college, but there were so many bright young men and women in the military. In my air traffic control class, I scored a 97.9 on my final exam and overall grade and I chose my duty station which was the USS Constellation, which was an aircraft carrier out of San Diego, California, and I was sixteenth choice with having a score of 97.6. That says a lot about the folks that join the military. 

Sierra: What’s one of your favorite memories from your service?

Shane: All the different places that I got to visit. One of the best ones was Australia.

Sierra: What is a lesson that you learned while in the Navy?

Shane: They teach you lots of respect. That starts the minute you show up to boot camp, so lots and lots of respect. 

Sierra: What was your favorite port to be stationed in?

Shane: San Diego, California. Summers were 80, and winters were in the low 60’s, so that was a beautiful place to be.

Sierra: What does Veterans Day mean to you?

Shane: It’s a day to honor all veterans and to show them the respect that they deserve. 

Sierra: What do you want teenagers to know about serving in the military?

Shane: That it’s a great opportunity. I wish more folks had the opportunity to join the military. It was the best thing I ever did. It taught me to be a really hard worker, and it taught me lots of respect.

StoryCorps encourages everyone to record the important conversations between family members and friends.