By Ben Rankins

I am a proud Navy veteran, and when I trace the map of my life, it always begins in Gardiner, Maine—a place where the river runs steady and memories seem to settle in like morning fog. Back then, the world felt both close and impossibly far away. That changed on May 22, 1987, when I raised my right hand and stepped into the United States Navy, trading familiar roads for open horizons.

Boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, was the turning point. It was where I learned that discipline is a quiet kind of strength, built one early morning at a time. From there, I went to NAS Memphis, Tennessee, training as an Aviation Electrician’s Mate. I found my rhythm in the circuitry, in the hum of systems that had to work perfectly every time. Later, at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, I specialized in radar repair and automatic flight control systems, learning the deeper language of the aircraft I would help keep in the sky.

My orders eventually brought me to NAS Norfolk, Virginia, where I was assigned to the USS America (CV- 66), serving in the IM-3 division as a Second-Class Petty Officer. Life aboard that carrier was relentless, a world of steel and motion where every day demanded focus. The roar of jets became background music, and the long hours forged bonds that still hold strong.

Those years carried me across the globe. I walked through the ancient echoes of Egypt, stood at the crossroads of Turkey, and felt the coastal breeze of Spain and Portugal. France and England offered moments of quiet reflection, while the Netherlands and Germany revealed their own stories of resilience. I saw the stark intensity of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, the vibrant pulse of the Philippines and Singapore, and the easy calm of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each place was a fleeting chapter, but together they formed a life I never imagined back in Maine.

Desert Storm marked one of the most defining chapters—nine months where the mission was constant and the stakes were real. In those moments, the work I did as an Aviation Electrician’s Mate carried weight. Every system mattered. Every detail counted. It was a time that tested us, but also reminded us why we served.

On March 22, 1992, I was honorably discharged. Stepping away from active duty felt like closing a well-worn book, though the story was far from over. I spent the next five years in the civilian world, carrying with me the skills and discipline the Navy had given me. From 1995 to 2010, I worked as an Electronic Engineering Technician in flight simulation, first at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida, and later at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia. There, I helped in the design and servicing of F-15 and C-130 flight simulators. In a different setting, I was still connected to the same mission—keeping aviation sharp, precise, and ready.

In March of 1997, I returned to service through the Navy Reserves at NAS Dobbins in Marietta, Georgia, continuing until March 23, 2003. It felt like reconnecting with a part of myself that had never really left.

Then life came full circle in a way I never expected. In February 2009, in Atlanta, I reunited with my high school sweetheart and best friend, Lisa (Campbell) Walby—the same woman I had once been engaged to in our early twenties. Time had taken us on separate journeys, but somehow, it led us back to each other. In 2010, we moved to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, returning to the coast and building a life together.

Sixteen years later, here we are. When I look back, it feels like a story written in waves and wires, in distant ports and quiet homecomings. The Navy gave me more than a career. It gave me purpose, direction, and a lifetime of memories. And in the end, it even helped guide me back to where I was always meant to be.