Served in the Navy from 1965-1969 and reached a rank of Petty Officer Second Class (PO2). He started his military career by serving on the USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) and at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. He attended fire control school where he graduated top of his class earning a spot on the USS New Jersey (BB-62) where he served as a fire control petty officer. During that time, he visited the Philippines, Japan, Hawaii and throughout the Pacific. After he left the Navy, he went on to marry the love of his life and have one child.