Malcolm X

         Malcolm is a paradigm of the natural thirst for knowledge that most people have.  The difference between Malcolm and those without the drive to learn is that he had a convenient set of circumstances that allowed him to slake his thirst for knowledge.   Circumstances and the necessity that he felt when he spoke about learning whatever he could to help out his fellow black man are similar to my experiences in the navy.  The right sort of circumstances, the desire to strike out on my own and straighten myself out, is what led me to join the navy.  If I hadn’t my life would have turned out a lot different and I wouldn’t own a home or car and would probably have a lot less self-respect.   

        The desire to help out his fellow black man is not so different from the entire reason for the qualifications on a submarine either.  We learn to fight fires, flooding, other ships etc. all so that if the time ever came to actually combat such a casualty we would know what to do in order to save the lives of others.  My narrative will most likely turn out to sound a lot like Malcolm’s especially in the sense of the steep learning curve that eventually seems like second nature.  I don’t know if I can write with the same passion as he, but I hope that I will be able to convey the same sense of accomplishment and purpose.