Everybody needs a hero.

Heroes make us believe that people are capable of doing amazing things and give us hope in a world where so many people fail either themselves or us. Heroism comes in many sizes, shapes, and colors. Mine happens to come in a variety of uniforms depending on what year you found her. All are the uniforms of her country.

A long time ago, I was a Division officer on a submarine tender named USS Hunley. The ship was already getting old by the time I got there but I was fortunate to have a good group of people to work with. One of those was a young Machinist Mate named Jeannie. She did a good job for me but made it very clear that the service was not her cup of tea. I have many wonderful memories of that time but when I retired, she also…