Veteran's Reflections: Third-Generation Sailor Recalls Service
(November 30, 2010) |
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John Gainer, a former naval officer, poses for a Surface Warfare Officers' School photo in Newport, R.I. in 1993. Photo courtesy of John Gainer |
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2010 – As a
third-generation Navy man, John Gainer knew what
kind of commitment and dedication it would take when
he accepted a commission in 1992.
“Service to our country is one of the most important
things you can do as a citizen of the United
States,” he said. “It's one thing my father taught
me, and his father had taught him. It was something
that was taught to us through our family -- that
service and dedication to the cause of freedom is
something to be upheld.”
While he was serving aboard a ship in the Persian
Gulf following Operation Desert Shield, Gainer said,
he was reminded almost daily of that dedication to
service as he oversaw maritime intercept missions.
He and his crew were a part of the Mideast Force's
naval blockade in 1994. If an incoming ship was
thought to have cargo violating United Nations
sanctions on Iraq, it was up to them to go through
the ship's hold to find it.
Gainer said some of his most vivid memories come
from long days and nights, watching his crew dig
through boxes and crates searching for contraband |
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“Sometimes we would spend eight, 10, 12 hours out on
a ship, going through crates and boxes, making sure
there was nothing illegal being transported to
Iraq,” he said. “Their dedication to that mission
was most impressive to me.” |
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But the best glimpse into Gainer's own dedication to his
country comes in his humility about it. While some brag and
boast of the great things they did while in uniform, Gainer
said he was just happy to be able to work for the nation
and, as he put it, “the cause of freedom.”
“I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to serve -- to
serve the American people and to defend the Constitution of
the United States,” he said. |
By Ian Graham
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010 |
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