Ops officer to retire with 32 years service

A native of Ft. Lauderdale, Carter enlisted in the Navy in July 1975. After completing Machinist's Mate "A" School, he reported on board USS John Paul Jones, (DDG-32) and was subsequently selected to attend the Naval Academy Preparatory School, Newport R.I. He was commissioned an ensign in May 1981 upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Oceanography.

Carter was designated a naval aviator in November 1982. After completing training with VP-30, Carter reported to VP-56 at NAS Jacksonville where he served as flight division officer and assistant operations officer.

In October 1986, Carter reported to the U.S. Naval Academy as a physical education instructor and head coach of the academy's collegiate pistol team. He led his teams to three national titles and was named Collegiate Shooting Coach of the Year in 1988.

His next tour took him to Oceanographic Development Squadron Eight, NAS Patuxent River, Md., where he served as aviation safety officer and safety/NATOPS department head. He qualified in the RP-3A/D, P-3B Mod and UP-3A aircraft and completed numerous worldwide detachments.

Upon completion of P-3 weapons system and tactical training in December 1992, Carter reported to VP-1 at NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii where he served as safety/NATOPS department head, aircraft maintenance officer and interim squadron executive officer. During this tour he deployed to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch and Operation Restore Hope.

In November 1994, Carter reported to Joint Task Force Six, Fort Bliss, Texas where he served as regional plans and operations division chief. During this tour, he supported various federal, state and local counter-drug law enforcement agencies throughout the United States in planning and executing Department of Defense missions supporting the president's national drug control strategy.

In February 1998, Carter joined the Strategy, Policy and Plans Directorate, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, where he served as chief, Deliberate Plans Division and eputy director of plans. He was responsible for the development, review and maintenance of all contingency plans, as directed by the chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander in Chief, U.S. Southern Command in order to meet national security objectives and support United States political/military policy for Central and South America and the Caribbean.

In May 2001, Carter reported to NAS Keflavik, Iceland as executive officer where he supported multiple base and tenant command requirements and conducted preliminary planning work that was used in the eventual closure of the base in 2006.

Carter reported aboard NAS Jacksonville as Operations officer/Air and Port Operations Installation program director in August 2004. He and his Air Ops team have supported multiple fleet aviation requirements, numerous air detachments, Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster response, Super Bowl XXXIX and the 2004 and 2006 NAS Jax Air Shows.

During his career, Carter has accumulated more than 4,100 hours in different naval aircraft.

Carter was an All-American in Pistol at the U.S.Naval Academy and is the 59th Navy officer to be award the distinguished pistol shot badge. During his career, he has participated as competitor, coach, captain or officer-in-charge of 15 All-Navy Pistol Teams.

According to Carter, all his tours are memorable. "Flying P-3s doing antisubmarine warfare looking for Soviet subs was a great experience. I also had a tour working with law enforcement officials doing counter narcotics. Taking drugs off the streets of the U.S. was a huge motivator for me," said Carter. "I also really enjoyed my tour as executive officer at NAS Keflavik, Iceland. I got to interact with a lot of different tenants and work with some great folks. And, how can you top coming back to NAS Jax. I started here with VP-56 in 1983 and have never been to the same duty station twice. So to be able to close out my career here, working with all these great people, just can't get any better. I joined the Navy to serve my country and see the world and I did, visiting more than 35 countries."

As far as his professional accomplishments, Carter says he credits everything to the "great folks who have worked with me." "Statistics on missions flown or how many illegal drugs were taken off the streets; you can't do that without great people in the field. When I was a mission commander on a P-3, the success of finding an elusive Soviet submarine was the result of the aircrew. When we win, we all win. At Air Ops, there are so many different things we do, but it's the people who keep it all going," he added.

So what will he miss the most about being in the Navy? "I'll definitely miss the people. There is a sense of trust that I don't think any other profession offers. I look at my Sailors when I hold quarters and tell them that I would trust the lives of my wife and kids to any one of them. I will miss that trust, camaraderie, kinship and 'how can I help you' attitude," stated Carter.

As a leader, Carter offers this advice. "I look at my time in the Navy as being an honor to serve. If you wake up every morning and you consider it an honor to serve, you'll be motivated to do your job better. The day you wake up and look at the Navy as just another job, that's the day you should think about getting out," he said. "Waking up and realizing you volunteer to do this job and that people are depending on you, gives you choices. You can do that job to the best of your ability or do it just good enough."

After 32 years of naval service and the constant moves, Carter says he is thankful for the support of this family.

"My biggest fans and supporters are my wife of 23 years, Sue and two daughters, Rebecca and Erica. Every time I got a set of orders, they were ready to go. They never complained and were ready for the adventure. Without their support it would not have happened," stated Carter. "It's been a very rewarding 32 years and has gone by a whole lot quicker than I imagined. It's been great. Now it's time to do something new and different."

In the future, Carter plans to stay in Jacksonville with his family and take a couple months off to work special projects around the house.

"I was very impressed with the Troops to Teachers briefings and am considering going into teaching. I've also been shooting competitively on the All-Navy teams throughout most of my career and will continue to compete and train others on shooting fundamentals and firearm safety. I will also become more involved in my church and local community volunteer efforts," said Carter.