Meet the Contributors   Pete Bridgeman Pete proudly served in the U.S. Navy for 4 years, from May of 1973 through July of 1977, as a Machinist's Mate on a Nuclear Guided Missile Cruiser, CGN-37 USS South Carolina. Pete has worked for the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service for the past 26 years as a Resource Manager and lives in Vienna, VA.

Judy Silverstein Judy Silverstein works in public relations and as a freelance writer in Tampa, Fla  A long-time reservist in the United Coast Guard, she serves in public affairs. Humanitarian causes, the environment and the arts are her personal passions.

CAPT John G. McCandless CAPT John G. McCandless, USNR (Ret.), is national manager – field operations / corporate communications for Toyota.  He retired from the Navy in 1999, after 32 years of service.

Charles P. McDowell Charles P. McDowell, a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve officer, has writtin many articles and books on medals and has served as a resource to the Navy Memorial Museum, the Army's Institute of Heraldry, and the awards branches of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

Jerome W. Mapp Jerome Mapp is employed as a writer-editor with the Dept. of Defense and also serves as a Navy Reserve mass communications specialist first class. Jerome served with the Marines during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, was an active-duty Sailor for ten years, and also previously worked for a military lobbying group as a writer-editor.

David Larkins Through his one-man company, Quill4Hire.com, David Larkins specializes in writing about history and the humanities. Despite currently making his home hundreds of miles from any body of water bigger than a duck pond, he nonetheless feels well-qualified to write about naval history.

Kevin Bunkley  Kevin Bunkley is an aspiring journalist and history graduate of the University of Michigan. While there he was on the staff of The Michigan Daily, and in the Fall interned at NPR News in Washington, D.C.. Currently he is home in Michigan riding out the job market.

Taylor Kiland Taylor Baldwin Kiland is a former naval officer and a frequent blogger about military and veterans topics. She is also on staff at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.

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