Within days after graduating from high school in 1960, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy on June 30, 1960, at the age of 17 1/2. Following boot camp, I was assigned to the USS Haven (a hospital ship) stationed in Long Beach, Calif. This assignment was for six months while I was being considered for secret clearance, prior to Nuclear Weapons School training. I attended schools in Great Lakes Naval Station, Ill., and in Albuquerque, N.M. I was then assigned for one year to Naval Air Station, Keflavik, Iceland. I was aboard the USS Independence (an aircraft carrier) and participated …