These are some photos of the ship I was stationed on during my tour in the Navy, USS Peterson (DD-969) and a few other US Navy photos.   Peterson is a Spruance Class Destroyer homeported in Norfolk, Virginia.  It's original primary mission was Anti-Submarine Warfare (searching for enemy submarines), but now that mission has changed to one of a strike platform.  When needed, Peterson will steam to a predetermined location and release (or strike) on a target a selected number of Tomahawk missiles.
 

I was stationed on USS Peterson for four years.  From January 1996 until March 2000, I was a member of her crew and present for every evolution that she participated in during this time.  Here is a list of places that I have been fortunate enough to visit during this time:  Bermuda, Nova Scotia, Puerto Rico, St. Marteen, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Equador, Panama (including the canal), Spain, Turkey, Portugal, Egypt, England, and Croatia.  These are memrories that can never be replaced.

    Had it not been for the United States Navy, I would have never had the opportunity to visit these places during my lifetime.  I truly enjoyed being underway on Peterson.  That is not to say that dealing with such a diverse group of people as her crew was not a challenge, but I did learn tolerance and patience.

Atlantic Ocean, 15 Oct 1983 . . . A starboard beam view of USS Peterson (DD-969), background, underway near a Soviet Moma-class survey ship and a disabled Victor III class submarine, foreground. Official U.S. Navy photograph, courtesy of Michael Potter, CAPT, SC, USNR

This was the Press photo of the "Proud Pete" returning from her Standing Naval Forces Med. Cruise in October 1999.