Frank W. Cox High School Alumni
Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA)
Dana Henry
Frank W. Cox High School
Class of 1966
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| First Name | Dana |
| Last Name | Henry |
| Graduation Year | Class of 1966 |
| Gender | Male |
| Current Location | Washington |
| Hometown | None |
| About Me | Wished I had paid more attention in English class now. I saw some mistakes here. We received an excellent education at Cox. Compared to what my daughter got in HS in the 1980’s, we were light years ahead of them. I’m grateful for the influences that I carried with me. I wish I could thank Music Director James Ackels for the experiences and exposure he gave his band members. We played on TV and with incredible professional musicians. He spent countless hours with me in the practice rooms improving my musicianship. I tried to find and thank him. A few years after school I was able to hire Jim and several past students to play at a New Years celebration & Dance at a Dinner Theater I was involved in. Ms Pickerell left a positive appreciation for literature. She was a sweet sweet spirit and so kind. Ms Pickerel once said to me “I hope you’ll carry a little bit of Chaucer with you” She’d be happy to know I did. I was one of the few guys on board ship who did understand Chaucer, or cared. Mr. Garrett gave us a deep appreciation for theatre and confidence. He drew me out of my shell. I wish he knew that I built on acting skills he taught us in some of my work. I was a professional actor a couple of times in my life but used the same skills in another field. I never made it back to thank any of them. That being said I couldn’t wait to get out of school. I had a life to live. It’s been fifty plus years and I suspect the only people who would remember me are the staff in the office. They’re all dead. A majority of my adult working years were spent at sea. I very briefly considered working ashore but dismissed that notion after 9/11. I wanted to be involved. I served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 until surgery left me worse off than the injury in 2008. I look back on my career and carry a lot of good memories. Being able to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The honor of serving aboard spy ships. To have walked the glaciers of Antarctica. Dinners with shipmates and friends shared at the finest restaurants around the world. I keep mementos of those nights in a special glass cabinet. People wonder why there are half used cigars in my display case. They were dipped in Brandy in a toast after an incredible meal with the people most important to me. Actually, I’m a nonsmoker and I hated the bird cage taste the next morning. The cigar butts are next to the Saddam Hussein deck of cards from Iraq, my IDs and passes used around the world, mementos from soldiers some of whom were our bodyguards and others who were part of the expeditionary forces. When I’m gone they’ll end up on a yard sale table. One memorable dinner stands out. I became friends with Marine Architectural Engineers while I was in China. I didn’t want to go but it turned out to be a good thing. We were dry-docked there. At our last dinner, before I was set to leave, over a dozen of us went out after work. I made this toast to new friends: “I have traveled around the world and worked with nearly every people from every country and what I have learned is people are the same everywhere, good and decent. It’s governments that suck”. They nervously looked over their shoulders and then raised their glasses in agreement. Parenthetically, I had three marriage offers. I started out my seafarer career as deckhand & engine on Charter and Commercial Fishers. As a Merchant Marine, I sailed Research, Tankers, Cargo, Cable, Car Carriers, (Mil) DOD, MSC, USN, and Spy ships. They were fun. Over the decades, I worked in every ship’s department. Captains never knew what position I’d be filling when I came up the gangway. Engine room to Bridge to Chief Steward. To prolong my days at sea, despite numerous injuries, I took a few years off to attend a French Culinary Institute. I returned to the fleet as a cook. You get beat up less often. I eventually served as head chef for BP’s Flagship. Between cruises, I catered weddings and Microsoft events in Seattle. To meet Coast Guard Manning Requirements ships had me listed working in the deck and engine room departments at the same time I was in the galley. I was endorsed for all departments. You’d think they slip me a little something extra. Nope. When I was young I use to say “I never want to be an old man and say, ‘I wish I would have.........’” I have done about everything I imagined. There were outfits I wanted to join but the opportunity never presented itself. I was always treated cordially by them. They always remembered my name when I phoned and promised ‘if anything opens up you’ll be called’. I look back. The competition for those firms was fierce. Their people never quit. Some were government and some were off book. [I edited the rest of this out]. At least they took my calls. When talking to younger guys I tell them one sign of maturity is humility. Accept that you’re not always going to be the best just do your best. There isn’t much of the world or peoples I haven’t seen. I’ve been to both poles and most of the continents in between. I was frozen in sea-ice at the tip of the world for a week before Coast Guard rescued us. It took two of them. Drifted dead in the water, in the South China Sea current, for a day repairing the engine. That could have gotten real freaky. Flown and jumped from planes, SCUBA/free dived, and again those memorable dinners with shipmates and friends. It was a good life I now miss. You can squeeze in a lot if you don’t have to go home after work. Hard to accept retirement just because some say you’re old because your knees can’t run like a twenty-year-old. I can still parallel park a thousand-foot supertanker, stand watch, or bake a souffle. I’d clean toilets if I could go back. There’s honor in all labor. At a community BBQ years ago some of the guys asked if I missed not being married & having a family. Well, you have to be honest. Not everyone is familial material. I was married in the last century. Whoa, that brought chills. I always believe in being completely honest. Feelings are hurt less often. Two guiding principles in my life; Hamlet Act 1 scene 3 “To thine own self be true and as night follows day thou canst be false to any man” and Lee Marvin who said in a TV Guide interview “Take me as I am or leave me to hell alone.” Always be upfront. For example, whenever I met a woman I’d ask if she remembered the guy her mother warned her about. When she answered yes I’d reply “tell her he’s here”. Marriage reminds me of when I delivered supplies to scientific outposts on sand trap size atolls in the south pacific. Reefs and shoals made it too dangerous for large vessels so supplies were brought to science teams by Boston Whalers towing a couple of inflatables. Waste and junk were removed the same way. You learn how to navigate in and around coral reefs and shoals like you do a street map. You become familiar with bottom landmarks and like a map, you use them to know which way to turn to make it safely to shore. One time I misjudged a twenty-one foot Thresher Shark for a coral reef used to guide me in. Thinking I was closer to shore than I was I cut my engine, raised the prop to protect it from rocks and jumped over the side. It was SOP to walk the boats the rest of the way in. You have to wear boots to protect your feet from the razor blade-like coral on the bottom from cutting your feet to ribbons. You also have on a tool belt, radio and a PFD. Soon as I hit the water I knew I made a mistake. I was in way over my head and surrounded by sharks. Lapse of judgment got me into real trouble. I was sinking due to the weight I was carrying. I lost my polarized sunglasses and couldn't see the dangers around me. There was no way I was able to jump back in the boat so I grabbed the bow line and swam to shore towing the floating train of supplies. That was the mission. I wasn’t going to leave it behind. Besides, that was my ride back to the ship. It was over the horizon somewhere. I still wasn’t sure what happened. It was embarrassing. I thought I knew the waters pretty well. It wasn’t until I made it to shore the people watching told me. “Did you see that 21 foot Thresher out there? It’s just lying, hugging the bottom. We were wondering if you were going to make it”. (Yeah, so was I). The perfect metaphor. Marriage is like not reading landmarks and jumping into something over your head surrounded by sharks on top of which being nice is overrated. All you can do is try to keep your head above water and swim for shore. (Hell, a lot of metaphors here, I should have been a preacher.) Learned two valuable life lessons. You don’t need to jump from a perfectly good boat into shark-infested waters or get married more than once to know when something’s not good for you. I got over swimming with sharks but still have PTSD from the other. It wasn’t my choice to end the marriage but after I got used to it I’d never go under harness again. I Cor.7:27b paraphrased; ‘have you been loosed from a wife don’t seek another’. In the words of Sgt. Rick Hunter, “Works for me”. My life blossomed and was made richer. Out of chaos came peace. When you’re handed lemons make lemon-aid. One other thought. Like any business, arraignment marriage is a contract. Make sure you’re both on the same page and you’re equally yoked. II Cor.6:14. Now, for the offering. Getting back to the BBQ, since I didn’t miss house, picket fence, two point five kids, and a dog (well, maybe the dog) I answered the guys honestly and without thinking. “I have lived a life you guys only fantasize. No.” The only thing I honestly miss is someone on the other end while building fence or just holding the other end of whatever. That would be nice. My mother lives with me so she can remain on her own and be independent. She had overheard me and later said; “you just pissed off a majority of the guys and ALL the wives”. I said I wasn’t thinking. It might be the reason why we haven’t had any more BBQ invitations. A combination of injuries and age prematurely (I’m only in my 70’s) retired me to a mountain raising bees and a small orchard. Lots of wilderness for me and my dog to hunt, fish, and hike. I’m an amateur Ham radio operator. Incongruous for a guy who hunts with black-powder and bow. I have a dozen antennas and no neighbors to complain. I serve as comms and relay for state, county, national and international emergencies. I helped relay emergency messages from Puerto Rico to the mainland during Hurricane Maria. I also monitor Seafarers' network and relay messages from sea to shore. We have so many radios, antennas, and solar-powered surveillance equipment I answer our phone “Echelon Lite”. In my free time, I study natural healing, medicinal herbal compounding as well as Western Medicine. I’m incorporating natural compounds into our own honey in salves etc. I’m not optimistic about our country’s future. I believe in being self-sufficient. Our mountain has a commanding view of the valley below and every species indigenous to North America is our neighbor. We live in a zoo we’re the ones in cages. Quite serendipitous, every one of our neighbors are also former LE, Mil, or DOC every single one. We’ve all contributed to our security. We build, maintain, and plow our own roads. Cipher lock gates and surveillance cameras pepper the properties. Just a few families own the mountain. It’s a “back to back” community. I went to investigate a possible B&E of an absentee neighbor’s home when one guy’s wife said “wait, let me go get my gun”. She also said that in a crash she’s hoarding toilet paper and wine and that we’d all be coming to her. I love it. It’s been a simple life. I don’t have buyer’s remorse. I didn’t set the world on fire or get rich. I am rich in memories and the people I had the honor to meet. I am not in a rocking chair saying “I wish I would have....”. I don’t even own a rocking chair. I do wish I could have been a better student in school. I wouldn’t trust the education of a child to any public school today. Tell your kids to Home School and your grand-kids to study hard. There are no do-overs. Get it right the first time. My legacy is a wonderful, precious, extremely brilliant, daughter who holds five patents, owns her own business, and loves her dad. I thank God for her every day. I had an HS girlfriend who once said to me, “The best thing we can do is leave behind God-fearing children”. I took her advice. I thank God for His generosity. He’s allowed me to be blessed with continued good health and strength. He’s kept me out of (serious) trouble and safe. As a boy, I use to have to ask permission from an owner to play in their woods. God has given me my own forest. Since I no longer have to go off to work I have been able to spend every day, all day, in quality time, the past ten years, with my dog. She wandered down from further up the mountain. She’s independent like me. Ours is a very strong bond. She’s taught me to understand Canine. She has my back in the forest as I do hers. Rarely do I not know what she wants. I speak to her conversationally and she knows what I want. Never once has she woke me up to ask what I was thinking. God has given me the resources to keep my mom in an environment of peace, safety, and comfort. I kind of get offended at the commercials for “A Place For Mom”. It’s called home! Plus, no one watches out for family like family. Our house is like a ship. She’s up forward in her stateroom and I back aft in mine. Amidships is common area, galley and living/dining area for ship’s crew. She has time to write, play her piano, study natural healing, and be a mentor to younger women. She retired from Academia, and again just a few years ago from teaching dance in her own studio. She’s well respected on our mountain and is also a Ham radio operator. That about sums up fifty plus years. I tried to get through life leaving as little wake as possible. I didn’t do anything brave or noteworthy as some of the guys on here have. When we graduated at eighteen we didn’t know if we would see nineteen. A distinct advantage for guys graduating today. I left out a lot. Private businesses, (honest) sea stories like surveilling hostiles and being chased, scooting for international waters; fighting ship’s fires & pirates from Bangladesh to Straights of Malacca, and some things best shared face to face. [Edited here also] Every Friday night we have what we call “Celebratory Fridays” where we have pizza, Champagne and I bake something special in celebration of our home, health and making it to retirement alive. It’s then we can talk. Stop by. Leave phones in your vehicles. There are still things I’d like to do, like start a Dinner Theater or buy a vessel of my own. (Eclectic interests). I’m still young. Buddies said I should write a book. Nah, but I would have made a fun grandfather. We go fishing and talk story. To write it down? I don’t know. There’s lots of reasons not to. It’s work. They did it too. Why me? Some things you keep close to the vest. There’s also those pesky National Security rules, and shielding mom from stuff she doesn’t know. Plausible Deniability. But most importantly, Statute Of Limitations. There is one story I can share without giving away the store. Remember, under President Bush 43, the EP-3 Reconnaissance aircraft that was forced to land after a Chinese fighter aircraft collided with it? I was not alone in my disgust that the pilot didn’t ditch the aircraft rather than allowing our enemy access to the sensitive equipment, the data on board, and to say nothing of the debrief the crew sustained while in captivity. You sign up knowing there’s risk. Fast forward several years - spy ship. I and our crew faced an almost exact same situation. Time to put money where mouth is. Situation was amped. Weapons were distributed. Evasive tactics were employed and often violent. The GS types destroyed data. The “Secret Room” was secured and prepared for destruction. The Captain mustered crew in Crew’s Mess for orders. Resistance. ‘We were not to allow “them” access to the room at all costs’. There was a better than even chance of being boarded. We got our details. I am not an experienced combat vet I’m just a guy with just enough training/experience aboard Mil ships to get into trouble. I trust my superiors and take orders. We had Force Protection. We would assist if any went down. We anticipated a firefight. It wasn’t anyone’s first rodeo. The Captain said when we’ve delayed long enough to give time to destroy data and equipment we should lay our weapons down and surrender. I said “Cap you know us. It ain’t in our dna. Once adrenaline is flowing that’s it”. I added, “Sir”, just to make it sound respectful. Crew agreed. We weren't surrendering ourselves or equipment. We all agreed to do what I expected of the EP-3 crew. How did it end? We achieved our goals not the least of which included not making the news. Well, in the words of Collin Raye, “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it”. I’ve never made it back to Virginia Beach and since it’s unlikely I ever will I’ll share what I can here. For anyone that doubts this narrative – I have pics. I’ll post them someday as I run across them. I wish you all well. I’m not checking for run-on sentences and punctuation. That was never my job. My job was to make sure you got toilet paper and Toyota's and our troops got bullets and Bradley's. I did my job. PS. Mr. Carroll, I know who painted “We are appalled” on the school and stole all the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel signs. Me and Gordon Liddy ain’t talking. * Ms Pickerel would be pleased. I wrote a twenty-five hundred-plus word essay when I didn’t ha...(read more) |
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Class of 1966 Alumni
→ Reunite with 57 class of 1966 classmates that have joined.
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Class of 1996
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Class of 1966
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Class of 2004
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Class of 1979
Mike Gama
Class of 2003
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Class of 1989
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Phil Casteel
Class of 1966
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Kim Brunnenmeyer
Class of 1968
Susan Ellsworth
Class of 1987
Mike Weirich
Class of 1969
James Hudgins
Class of 1971
Eric Mckee
Class of 1986
Amy Smith
Class of 1997
Marion Lemmon
Class of 1977
Mark Lefler
Class of 1977
Charnetter Jones
Class of 1997
Renee Heathman
Class of 1993
Warren Losey
Class of 1988
John Borum
Class of 2008
Kristina Thomas
Class of 1993
Otis Duncan
Class of 1986
Recent Class of 1966 Reunions
Plan a Class of 1966 Reunion for Free
Barefoot Beach Run/ Walk - Cox High School Team
Invited Classes: All Classes
Date: Oct 12, 2013
Description: Join us for the 1st Annual Barefoot Beach Run. We will be meeting at 17th Street Park at 4pm for a 1 mile run / walk and...(read more)