Gary Zaetz

Male

Profile Information:

Your Sailor's First Name (Please Do Not Post SEAL Names)
April
Describe A Little About Yourself (your IP address/location will be checked::
My daughter April (shown in the photo) is a Seaman Apprentice in the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps and hopes to become a US Naval Officer someday, either through the Naval Academy or through NROTC. Her ultimate goal is to become a Foreign Area Officer (FAO), using the language skills she is already developing in Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. As for myself, I've worked as a computer programmer for a large computer company for 30 years and have been very active in efforts to recover the remains of my World War II MIA uncle from his recently discovered crash site in the Indian Himalayas. I've attended many of the Family Update Meetings held around the country for relatives of MIAs by the USPACOM's Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), and traveled to my uncle's crash site in 2008.
What Brought You To This Site:
my child is thinking of joining
What Were Your Feelings When Your Sailor Joined The Navy:
When my daughter told me that she wanted to become a Naval Officer, I felt extremely proud. Although I am not a veteran myself, my family has a distinguished military heritage: my uncle is a World War II MIA, his plane having disappeared over the Himalayas in 1944. My father was a Navy Seabee, having served on Kwajalein and the USS Hornet during World War II.
What Is Your Relationship With Your Sailor
Dad
Please Share: How Did You Find Us?
I did a google search for any organization that might help educate parents of sailors or future sailors.

Comment Wall:

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    Welcome to NavyDads.com Gary! When my daughter enlisted in 2005 and left for RTC, I had virtually no knowledge of Navy life or how the Navy did things. By the time her PIR rolled around, I was starting to get the hang of things and understand some of the language and abbreviations, but still felt like a fish out of water when dealing with most things Navy. When my son enlisted and left for Great Lakes in 2007, I got serious about trying to learn as much as possible about the Navy. Now, several years into my journey, I’m blessed to say I have two sailors in the family - my son Eric (AM2) was on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and recently reported to Helicopter Squadron Light-37 (HSL-37) in Hawaii after re-enlisting last year. My daughter Kat is now a Navy veteran and was stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as a Mass Communications Specialist. She is using her GI benefits to go to school. If NavyDads.com were around in those early days, it would have made my first days as a Navy parent much easier!

    I'm sure you'll find NavyDads.com as useful, educational and informative as I have over the past few years. Click How To Get Started for a guide on getting going in your NavyDads.com experience! Take the time to explore the site and make some new friends. Read the discussions and comments. Browse through the postings in the various groups or start a new one. If you have any questions or concerns about your sailor and what she is going through...be sure to post them! In my experience someone here can answer your questions or concerns or can point you in the direction to find out. And Gary this is a great place to brag as well! So join in, get active, and be sure to let us know how your daughter is doing! Please remember that we talk about the Navy here and we must keep the security and safety of our sailors and the fleet in mind. On the right or starboard side of every NavyDads page is an area we call About This Site. Please take a minute and read through the Operations Security (OPSEC) link for some guidelines as to what we should not talk about in a public forum like NavyDads.com.

    As a parent of a sailor soon to be at Great Lakes or Annapolis you'll have many questions about what April is going through. In the Navy Bootcamp group is a discussion called A MUST READ for all New Navy Parents. Read through this post as it will do a lot to give you some understanding about what your sailor is learning and why. And be sure to check out the videos available in the Bootcamp Group as well.

    As PIR draws closer, be sure to spend some time going through the PIR-Tips, Hints and Helps group- we’ve tried to assemble some tips and suggestions to make your sailor's PIR more enjoyable.

    Play the following video for a brief introduction to NavyDads.com. We've made some cosmetic changes to the site since this video was made, but navigation remains the same.

    Best Regards- Paul

    Mar 2, 2013

  • E.G. - ND's Creator/Admin

    Gary, Welcome Aboard!

    My son served as an ABE aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in San Diego, Ca. and my family and I couldn't have been prouder of him. I created NavyDads when he was in boot camp in hopes that this site would better inform new Navy Dads and Navy Families that followed behind me. I designed, built, and launched NavyDads.com June 18, 2008, two days before his Navy graduation.

    NavyDads provides the best community for learning about Navy life for everyone but particularly the parents. We are a place for sharing experiences with others that have gone through and are going through the same thing as you. We give you real-time information from others going through it, the sense that you're not alone and the opportunity to help another along.

    So jump right in, share concerns, join groups, share info, and show off your Sailor. I hope this site benefits you and your family throughout your Sailors journey in the United States Navy and I thank them for their service. I wish them the best in their travels and I'm glad you've found us.

    Sincerely,
    Elmo Moore

    Mar 2, 2013

  • NavyDads Co-Admin, Gary

    Greetings Gary! When my son joined the Navy I really had no idea nor a clue on what he’s about to partake in besides what I’ve seen on tv and some stories I've heard from friends and relatives who have served in the military.

    However, I'm so honored and very proud of his decision to serve our great country.

    From the start, I’ve perused Navy and recruiter information online and beyond but I felt that I needed more peace of mind to help keep me from worrying too much. I also wanted to hear from real people who've been around the block and others to share knowledge and experience throughout this entire journey.

    That's when I found this website while searching for answers...

    We're all in this together and I hope you too will find NavyDads.Com useful with lots of real shared information.

    Don't forget to check out our Groups section and join a group that shares your interest. Please keep us posted on your daughter's progress via status updates, discussion forums, blogs and photos...

    A Warm "Thank You" from our family to the members of your family who have served!

    Welcome Aboard and GO NAVY! :)

    Mar 2, 2013