Taking a hint and the lead from fellow blogger, Juliette, I’m going to do a few interviews and will post them here. I’m not speaking to anyone who participates in my blog. Perhaps you will find it interesting. Perhaps not. I’m simply throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks. Since Jules and I move in different circles, the people I pick and their reactions to the questions asked may be different than hers.
Editorial Overview: I met D. D. in the US Navy and we have been friends for (mumbles) years. He is a practicing attorney in California, USA. He’s a character of the first order.
Name: D. D.
Country: USA
Age and gender: 50 something, male
Uniformed military service: US Navy, commissioned officer (0-3), 8 years; Special Boat Squadron 1, Commander Task Force 168.0
Occupation: Attorney
Times married/current status: Once/married
Formal education: University of California, San Diego, BA; University of Southern California, JD
Informal education: Illegally parked car in the cul-de-sac of life.
Times married/current status: Once/married
Children: Two girls, two boys
Do you believe in God? What is your religion?
Yes/Anglican
What is the worst thing you’ve ever done?
Made Russian Spetznaz personnel’s lives miserable while they took their initiation trip from Cabo, up through Baja (Mexico), across into the US and across the US until they left CONUS (Continental United States).
Editorial overview: He did this for several years to Bойска специального назначения/GRU, so it’s accurate, but I suspect that he’s done worse things that he’s not taking credit for – for the purposes of this interview.
What is your greatest achievement?
I’m a father of two sons and two daughters, who have been and remain at the very center of my life. I can’t imagine a life that didn’t involve raising loving children.
Over the past 12 months, what has been your greatest challenge?
My law practice has changed over time as the world has changed. The past twelve months has seen me reinventing myself in my approach to those changing times. It seems to have worked, so the greatest challenge has met with success.
My wife suffers from multiple sclerosis and her declining health has been a source of constant concern.
If you could go back in time to age 20 with your current life experience, what would you do differently?:
I would have been a cop instead of a lawyer. Cops have much more fun. And I would be retired now.
There is a 15 year old standing in front of you. What life advice would you give him/her?
The saddest word of song and pen is simply this: It might have been. Live life fully and live so that you don’t have to regret what might have been.
When you are an elderly person, sitting in your rocking chair and you look back on your life, what do you want to have achieved?
Grandchildren. I have 0. You (Larry) have 7 and are beating me like an unwanted, red hair’d stepchild.
What is the meaning of life?
The journey has value, the end is simply going to happen.
I ran that Cyryllic (Bойска специального назначения) through Google translator, and it came up with Boyska Special Purpose. Which still leaves me clueless, care to dumb this editorial down a bit for the slower goobers, LL?
Special Purpose Naval forces (Spetznaz), Russian SEALs and members of the Russian defense establishment/ministry, called the GRU.
Their graduation task was to land in Baja California (Mexico), make their way without funds across the US Border, work across the US to an East Coast port and from there go back to the USSR.
Sounds like they'll one day chisel CLASSIFIED on his tomb stone, and leave the contents to guess work.
Not unlike your tomb.
Good to kinda meet him. And I'll send a few prayers up for his wife and the family. And ugly disease, that. And coming across the boarder in CA and working their way across the US to the East coast seems easy enough. Thousands of Mexicans do it each year.
MS is wicked bad. Thank you for prayers on his behalf and that of his wife and children.
This is a fascinating series; you're just the guy to be doing these interviews! Goodness knows you've got some very interesting connections.
Thanks, Jenny. I may take a break for a few days, though.
Dang what an interesting man. There are so few around. That he has and does stand by his wife and children speaks highly of his character.
He's a good man.
"The saddest word of song and pen is simply this: It might have been…" don't they say that Hell is characterized by regret?
Such a miserable state. I like your friend's counter advice very much.
He's very wise.
That he is…
You know we're going to have to put a book together 😉
Like his meaning of life answer.
Our friends are different. Equally valid, but different from each other.
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