Virginia Beach

October 15, 2008

David Alan Harvey visits a military family.

His father flew Navy fighter jets. His wife is an airline flight attendent. But U.S. Navy Captain Andrew Johnson rarely sees the blue sky. Challenged and fulfilled by his career in emergency medicine, his 16-year government service has been played out in the halogen light of Navy hospitals.

Melissa and Andrew live a life close to the beach, have a waterfront six-bedroom home, and raise three children, Gracie, 7, Cole, 10, and Critt, 12. Virginia Beach, Virginia, is home to many Navy families and is 15 minutes from the largest Navy base in the world in Norfolk. Alan B. Shepard, a Navy pilot and our first man in space, lived just a few doors down from the Johnsons at about the time both Andrew and Melissa were born.

Captain Johnson figures that being in the military definitely has its advantages. “I might make a little bit less than my civilian counterparts, but I can retire from the military in four years, have government retirement benefits, and then continue on with a civilian career. The Navy paid for my college and my medical school, so it seems like a pretty good deal to me.” Melissa who frowned a bit at this comment says “yes, but in a war time you could be away from home for 18 months.”

Andrew smiled and played backyard quaterback to his son Critt who was running across the yard and caught the pass.

Both Melissa and Andrew agreed that the economic troubles facing most of the nation have little affect on the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. “We will not lose our jobs in the Navy,” Andrew says. Melissa chimed in, saying “the malls look pretty full to me.”