reporting aboard

Greetings, all. My initial DU qual card has been checked as good to go and I've been advised to introduce myself in the DU Lounge; so here I am and glad to be here. I've been lurking for over a decade but decided to make it official a few weeks back. My first presidential election was '72 ( I voted absentee while stationed in GA). Curiously, I ended up making two careers of the military (Army medic and Navy hospital corpsman) for the first ten years then 13 years as a naval officer (surface line). Most vets would read that and say that's unusual and they would be correct; I retired from the Navy in '95. Through it all, I was a proud Democrat (never missed an election) and remain one to this day. I'm glad to be here. I will endeavor to avoid cliques and drama (but I was a Thespian in HS). No whining or rants tonight. Cheers, OSD