About Us

Rick and Linda met in Lemoore California in February 1972 while Rick was stationed at Lemoore Naval Air Station attached to VA-164. Linda was going to College of the Sequoia’s and working in a shoe store in Hanford. Hence, the romance began! We moved to Beeville Texas in 1972 while Rick was attached to VA-24 as a Second Class Aviation Ordnanceman. 1974 We moved to Memphis Tennessee where we met our life long friends, Bob and Gloria Paavola.  Rick and Bob were attending Aviation Ordnance “C” School which was a 6 month training program.  Upon completion, we headed to California for our next assignment aboard the USS Ranger where Rick worked first in the Flight Deck Shop, then the Elevator Shop, then in Aviation Ordnance Control Center AOCC, where he made First Class Petty Officer. In 1978 Rick was selected as the Sailor of the Year for the Ranger, followed by selection as Sailor of the Year for all aviation units in the Pacific.  In 1979 Rick was selected for a commission as a Limited Duty Officer and promoted to Ensign! Now lets not forget Linda during these 4 years.  There were two 8 month  cruises where she stayed behind to fix the car when it broke, keep the kids in school and on track, fix the washer when it broke, paid all the bills, balanced the budget and basically made our lives work smoothly.  Oh, I forgot in the middle of this tour, we had a 1 year move to Bremerton Washington.  We actually loaded our cars and families on the ship and they rode the Ranger up to Washington and back down a year later. Complete household moves. 1979 we again moved to Pensacola Florida where Rick had to attend “Knife and Fork” school.  Enlisted to Officer, had to learn which spoon to use and how to sword fight. Upon completion of this 6 month school, we moved to the Naval Air Station Cubi Point, Philippines, where Rick was assigned as the Torpedo/AUW Officer.  It was truly paradise! We loved it.  1981, Rick is now a Lieutenant  Junior Grade and we are relocated back to California where he would be assigned to Commander Carrier Air Wing Eleven as the “Gunner”.  Interesting part of this move was the CAG was already deployed in the Mediterranean on the USS America.  Rick stayed with us long enough to rent a house in Poway and catch a plane to the Mediterranean.  Linda stayed behind and received all our household goods that came from the PI and re-set the house once again.  Rick promised to buy a house when we returned from PI and when he got back from the Med two months later, we started the search and landed in a home in Santee, California. 1984 Rick detached from CAG, that was now assigned to the USS Enterprise, where he made two Western Pacific cruises during that tour.  Once again Linda remained behind during those deployments to keep the lid on. So finally “Shore Duty CONUS”, as he was assigned as the Assistant Weapons Officer Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, to another life long friend, Captain Ralph Spangler (Ret). Two year shore duty goes by fast, and 1986 Rick headed back to sea duty onboard the USS Independence as the Ordnance Handling Officer, and the ship was in Philadelphia! We decided Rick would go unaccompanied to Philly for the final year of the Ship’s Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) and Linda would remain in SD. Rick came home as often as he could and 1 year later, the Indy was home ported in San Diego.  They immediately started work ups for the ships next deployment and less than a year later he was off to the Western pacific again.  1989, Rick has made Lieutenant Commander and we are headed back to the Philippines where he would be assigned as the Weapons Officer at NAS Cubi Pt. Paradise again!  That is until June 15, 1991, when Mount Pinatubo decided to erupt.  Really big deal that ultimately drove all the US forces out of the based in the Philippines.  (After the Philippine Senate voted not to renew our Forces Agreements) A couple of weeks after the eruption it was determined that all the dependents had to evacuate.  Now before Linda left, she was working for the command assisting with the evacuation of all the Clark AFB dependents that had been evacuated to Subic.  Clark was only a few miles from the volcano. Now the Clark personnel were living in hallways, churches, clubs and anywhere else they could find to sleep and wait.  Linda activated a phone tree,  that would try and place these Clark personnel with Subic Bay/Cubi Point military families that had housing.  One of the enlisted clubs in Upper Cubi was full of Clark personnel.  The conditions were bad, no water, sewer and food limited.  In one day Linda found housing for the 150 family individuals in that club.  That night, the volcano erupted again and all the added ash to what was already on the roof of the club, caused the roof to completely collapse. Heroic effort that definitely saved lives.  Linda’s actions were recognized formally by Commanding Officer NAS Cubi and Admiral Mercer of COMUSNAVPHIL.  Linda was evacuated on the USS Midway and headed to Mactan Island which was an old B52 base on one of the Philippine Islands, where she was airlifted to Guam and then home. Rick remained behind to continue the coordination of the ash cleanup and the return of the base to operation.  8 months after the volcano erupted 1992, Rick detached from NAS Cubi Point and was assigned to COMFITAEWWINGPAC, the fighter wing stationed at Miramar, CA. as the wing Weapons Officer. SHORE DUTY! Rick made Commander while attached here and in two quick years, he was on his way to NAS North Island as the Weapons Officer 1994. SHORE Duty! how did that happen? 1997 he detached from NAS North Island and reported aboard the USS Kitty Hawk as the Weapons Officer from where he retired September 1, 1999. Now during the last few years in the military, Linda started a business, PAK MAIL, in Santee.  When Rick retired, he thought he was going to come to work with Linda in the business.  It was soon evident who the Commander was in that duty station and Rick was summarily asked to find employment else where. Rick went to work for La Mesa RV in 1999 as a driver and promoted as Inventory Control, Internal Auditor, Executive Assistant to the Owners, Director of Operation and then Vice President of Operations. 18 years later Rick retired January 31, 2017. Linda had sold the PAK MAIL and we are now headed into our retired life.