TALKING WITH LIGHT: Navy Signalman “A” School
In the summer of 1984, a young Coast Guard Quartermaster went to Navy Signalman “A” School in Orlando to learn flaghoist, semaphore, message handling and Morse code by flashing light. He graduated first in his class—and a couple of years later discovered, with a Radioman beside him and the captain waiting, exactly how quickly an unused skill can get rusty.
The Night New York Went Dark
During the 1977 New York City blackout, a 13-year-old in Brooklyn helped relay radio traffic for REACT and the NYPD—an early glimpse of the role emergency communications would play throughout his life.
These journal entries are written with assistance from ChatGPT.
The thoughts, experiences, and final editorial choices are my own.