Remembering Veterans in Canoga Park
A Navy Hero of a Different Sort: The Act of a True Navy Man (And He Doesn’t Even Need To Go To War)
“Most of the time when things were going on, I was in a different place!” Nathan Maki says with a slight smirk on his face, referring to events like to 1994 Earthquake in Northridge, Calif. He says, when this “tragic” event happened, he was stationed in San Diego, Calif.
Now 54 years old, Maki is a retired Petty Officer of the First Class United States Navy as Hull Maintenance Technician One (HT1). For over 20 years, he been working for Universal Studios Hollywood as a Park Attendant, but he is forever a Navy man. His naval specialty was in Nondestructive Testing and Quality Control in Division RQ (Repair Quality).
He currently lives in Van Nuys, Calif. with his wife, Linda of 16 years and has a total of 11 stepchildren, 33 grandchildren and two great grandchildren, but he says, he has traveled to many different places throughout his naval career.
These places include…
- Guam,
- Japan,
- South Korea,
- Taiwan,
- Hong Kong,
- Singapore,
- Sidney, Australia,
- Bali,
- The Philippines,
- And Bahrain (located in the Persian Gulf).
With each new destination, all he has to say is, “Each (place) is interesting in its own respect.”
Maki says his naval career began at the age of 18. He walked into the recruiters office, mainly due to lack of jobs elsewhere, and said, “I wanna join the Navy. From there, he went to Boot Camp in San Diego and then trained at a school in San Diego, Calif. as well as San Francisco, Calif. that specialized in Hull Maintenance. He was than stationed on his first ship in 1976 in Japan.
He now holds several achievements that come with being a Navy Vet.
They include…
- Humanitarian Service at Sea
- National Defense
- 3 Battle E’s (Efficiency)
- 4 Good Conducts
- Navy Achievement Medal
- Navy Unit Commodations to the Ship
- And finally because of his 12 years of good conduct with no bad marks, Maki can officially wear gold.
After serving for 20 years in the U.S Navy, he says he “still supports the president,” even if he doesn’t always agree with the political decisions. He says, with a smirk, “The Congressmen are the least likely crooks.” Given what he’s experienced, he says he’s not much into politics and religion.