In 1834 Richard Henry Dana, Jr. left Harvard College to sail on the brig Pilgrim on a voyage around Cape Horn. He thought the open sea would help his damaged eyesight after a bout of the measles. He returned to Boston from California aboard the Alert. During the two year journey he kept a journal, which he published in 1840 titled Two Years Before The Mast.

December 17th, 2013 marked the end of my six year enlistment with the United States Navy. As a Cryptologic Technician (Networks) I did not have the honor of serving aboard a ship. My service was conducted behind computer screens.

Over the next few weeks I will be telling the story of those six years.