My Story

Thank you for wanting to know more about me!

Right Now

     Well, where do I begin? I guess the present would be the right place. I am currently working full-time and soon will be starting a new position wih the federal government. I have completed an A.A.S. degree at Warren County Community College in Washington, N.J. and was just awared a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Management in July of 2006. I currently am taking MBA Classes and should graduate in April 2008.

     I am also in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Even though I live in New Jersey, I am attached to a command in Norfolk, Va. My administrative reserve office is located in the Bronx. If you're in the neighborhood and you see a sailor on the street near that area, it might be me. As of this past year, I am not officially a journalist anymore for the Navy. My new title is a Mass Communication Specialist encompassing journalism, photography, graphic arts, web design, public affairs and broadcasting. I am staying in the reserves until I retire in 6 years or so.

My Military Background

     So that little bit of information segues into my next part. I am a Veteran of the active military after almost 9 years working as a Broadcast Journalist for the U.S. Navy. I have been stationed at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Ind.; Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory; Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy; and Naval Weapons Station Earle, Colts Neck, N.J. I've also been to many locales such as Lithuania, Germany, Australia, Bahrain, Cuba (Guantanamo Bay Naval Base) and numerous other places I can't even remember at this time. Keep in mind that most of these places I usually spent a few days or up to a few months. I have also been deployed many times on USS and USNS ships, stood duty on a slew of small vessels and have been in numerous aircraft, foreign and domestic.

     I have alot of experience on the radio. I basically did a lot of everything. I've produced, written news/features/sports, edited audio (manual and computer aided), trained junior personnel, programmed daily playlists and news segments and was an on-air "talent" for the majority of my years served. The most memorable radio interviews I had were with rock star Joan Jett (which I still carry in my car to listen to once in awhile) and my weekly interviews with then NSA Naple's Commanding Officers, Capt. Brendan Gray and Capt. J.J. Coyne.

     Concerning television, well I guess you can say I'm a jack of all trades because there is nothing I haven't done or attempted. I've written, produced, shot/edited footage, anchored and trained. I've interviewed well known political people like Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Anthony Principi to base commanders to the man on the street... every angle you can think of. My most memorable was the time I interviewed Jon Bon Jovi for the American Forces Network while he was in Naples. (See pic here). I also interviewed the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, while in Sicily. My favorite interview was with then NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Commander in Chief of the United States European Command, General Wesley Clark right before the war in Kosovo/Yugoslavia. He granted an interview to the press after he met with NATO leaders in Italy and I was very suprised by his willingness to talk to me about the conflict which was brewing. I ended up on the USS Wasp (LHD-1) in the Adriatic Sea in support of the crisis not long afterward to escort the civilian media from Bari, Italy by CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter and to film/report on what was happening for the American Forces Network Europe and my local AFN Naples station. All in all though, I believe my first ever "big" interview was with then Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Boorda while I was stationed in Puerto Rico. It was one I will never forget. After an "All-Hands" call in one of our huge hangars, he approached me and said "You're a journalist right? Come with me so I can give you an interview." Soon after that, Adm. Boorda shot and killed himself while at home. It seems a lot of people, in the press, were giving him a hard time over whether or not he deserved to wear a combat "V" decoration on two of his medals from a previous conflict. The Navy has never been the same since his passing, he was indeed a Sailor's Admiral and started out as an enlisted Yeoman which brought great respect from the "deckplate" or lower level of the Navy.

     On the newspaper side of my experience, I've written, edited, designed, taken photos and published a command newspaper. I have always had a knack with film and took some great photos during my travels. Many of which were lost along with all of my video footage saved over the years during my transition to Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey. If I worked with you during my years active and have video of mine or related to work I did, please let me know. Of the photos I have taken, some include military people doing their everyday tasks in support of our country, but most dealt with the ceremonial side of the service, like change of command, retirement and VIP visits. Adm. Vern Clark, now the Chief of Naval Operations, stopped by NWS Earle while he was Commander of the Atlantic Fleet and I was able to snap off a few of him with our then Base Commanding Officer, Capt. Robert Honey. Of course, I also took many photos of homecomings and awards ceremonies. I do believe that the most fun I had taking photos and doing interviews involved children. You could never go wrong, they always smiled and would talk to you straight from the heart... adults typically are very guarded and try to be politically correct today, I suppose in fear that something will be taken out of context.

     I have excellent communication skills and have worked with the likes of FOXNEWS, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, New Jersey News12, AP, Reuters and many other foriegn and international news agencies, as well as many terrific freelance journalists and photographers from around the world. Most of my experience working with these companies deals with U.S. Navy public relations, but I also worked alongside them in certain circumstances on numerous occasions.

Where I Come From

     I am originally from Kingston, N.Y. which is nestled in the Hudson Valley (Exit 19 off the N.Y. State Thruway). My parents are David and Norma Wolff and I have a brother Matthew who passed away on July 14, 2000 in a car accident, just a couple months shy of his 19th birthday. I also have an older half-brother named Sean who lives somewhere in Tennessee... he moves so much I really don't know where. He is married and has a son, Mark, who is named after a younger cousin of mine who was in a tragic accident a few years back and passed away.

     I attended Meagher Elementary School, M. Clifford Miller Junior High School and Kingston High School, all in Kingston, New York.

     I had a normal childhood and did all the "normal" kid things like have a paper route and play little league baseball. Most of my childhood friends are now married and have children or have just moved away to better themselves in college as I am now doing. When I was young, I was very shy and pretty scrawny. Eventually, I sprouted into a decently athletic boy and was in pretty good shape by the time of my graduation in 1990, still skinny though... lol.. I guess a lot of people "thought" I was younger than I was because of my "boyish" looks and in a way, I guess my carefree attitude back then didn't help either. Out of all my friends, I was probably one of what most would call a "rocker" type of guy... funny thing is, I still love great "Rock & Roll" today and know the genre like the back of my hand. I don't wear the leather coat or have long hair now as you can see in the pictures. I will be posting pictures of me soon when I was younger, just as soon as I can find the time.

     Most of my friends thought I was crazy for joining the Navy, but back then I didn't have money for school and I didn't want to put my parents into debt. Besides, I had no drive or "clue" of what I wanted to do or who in reality I was. I guess joining was a way of "finding" myself and the purpose of my life. I never thought it would lead to all these great experiences and open my eyes to the horrors and splendors of the world in which it had. I originally was going to join the Marine Corps to be a combat correspondent (see Full Metal Jacket), but after they told me that there were no current openings, I opted to join the Navy after they called me with a Journalist slot open. I left for Bootcamp about a month after making the decision so I wouldn't change my mind or "chicken out." Another reason I joined was due in part to the 1993 terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City. I wanted to help try to prevent those types of things from happening again... I really tried to make those in the military understand what we were facing over the years I served on active-duty, but it was tough being in the position of little power as I was. No sense in playing armchair quarterback after 9-11 happened, but I really wanted to go after Al Queda, Bin Laden, and that extremely evil man Saddam.

More Military

     I decided to join the U.S. Navy in 1993 and after much consideration decided on the 5 year enlistment as a Journalist. I eventually extended for 1 year and then reenlisted for another two for a total of 8 1/2 years on active service. I didn't know this until after I had joined, but only about 4% of Americans alive today have ever served in our military. After hearing this I have become a firm believer in National Service of some kind. I don't necessarily mean everyone has to join after high school, but I do think it would be good for everyone to do something to see what military life is all about. It might keep them from turning to a life of crime, or from continued drug use. As I drive around the country today, I see people trying to be tough by selling drugs, carrying weapons, or just acting like they're a gangster or something. These same individuals blame everyone and everything around them for their lifestyle. I'm a firm believer that anyone can do anything in this country if they only make an effort, and mistakes are the best way to learn, I should know, I've made enough in my life so far. And if any of you reading this think I have not suffered a day in my life and shouldn't talk about stuff I don't understand, well let me tell you, I have been through days without food, without somewhere to sleep, and without enough heat to stay warm... don't think for a moment my life is fantastic even today because it's not even close. Just because I have my own webpage doesn't make me rich... I wouldn't wish my life upon anyone, most would have given up long ago if they had to live my life. This is not to say there are those of you out there that have had much tougher lives than I, and I applaud any of you who are digging out of poverty to get an education and make a better life. It's the ones who sit there and collect unemployment, or welfare, and don't try that are bringing this country down. I probably could collect some type of federal assistance today, but I refuse to depend on handouts. I have too much pride to get a free ride. I work hard and try to live as good a life as I can, because that's all I have at the moment... God will point me in the right direction I'm sure. My family has done much for me in recent years and I should tell them how I appreciate their help, but I think they already know.

     Basic training or "bootcamp" as most people like to say was at the Naval Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois. It was pretty cold for March when I got there and I was shoveling snow the 2nd night and freezing my tush, ok ass, off. The physical training was pretty difficult especially when my company screwed up, which was pretty often. The marching, history, traditions, fire fighting, weapons knowledge, first aid and other parts of the training were a lot easier. The most difficult part of the training for me concerned the swim trials, seeing as I was not a good swimmer. We had to jump off this diving board, 30 or so feet up, into a pool, feet first, arms crossed our chest. When I hit the water, I felt like I was a hundred feet down, and I didn't think I would make it to the top, but I did. I didn't believe then that anyone thought I would make it through the training and I was determined to prove them wrong I guess, but it was more of a test of my own will and determination. I really wanted to do something worthwhile in my life and up until now, I really hadn't.

     There were times when I thought of giving up in basic training, just as many had already, but even though I had shin splints and wasn't holding down the bland Navy chow very well, I toughed it out.

     I was an E-1, Seaman Recruit, upon leaving... and thankful to have made it through.

One of the most memorable moments of Recruit Training, getting your seabag.
This is right after another moment we would all like to forget, the haircut!

     My first command was training at the Defense Information School on Fort Benjamin Harrison, near Indianapolis, Ind. I learned basically how to work as a military journalist and then I attended broadcasting school. Take in mind that I didn't have a clue about journalism, broadcasting, public relations, photography or for that matter military life at this point, but I soon realized that I couldn't write, even though I was an English major in high school. Nothing had prepared me to handle these instructors who had, for the most part, a lifetime of experience. Some were DoD civilians while the others came from all the branches of the military. My main journalism instructor was Master Sargeant Murdoch, an Army female. She was a great leader and teacher who I learned much from. We were taught everything you could imagine in a short time frame... like story composition to design and layout (Cut and Paste with glue! We had no "computers" like we have today back then and it sucked!) Amazingly, they were not the "hard-nosed" type of military people that are portrayed in movies. They were professional and upstanding individuals with a dedicated interest in what they were doing, making the best journalists they could for our military. Even today, after a few years of college, I have never been challenged like I was then in academia. The other areas came naturally to me. Photography became one of my favorite classes and Navy Public Relations class was a breeze. Upon entering the Broadcasting phase of the training, I actually was kind of "not into" it. My goal was to become a writer for the military and broadcasting meant being in the spotlight, not behind the pen. I was still pretty shy at this point as well and didn't want to be ridiculed by my peers at school for my lack of talent on-air. Amazingly, being a radio dj was not as hard as I thought for me, and right away I enjoyed the challenge of writing news from the wire, coming up with public service announcements, creating jingles and programming a music show. They called the area we learned in "Radio Row" because it was studio after studio lined up one after another with workspaces on the other side. I learned how to "splice" tape and cue up a record for play. This was facinating to me. I always had great knowledge and love for music growing up, so programming and editing was actually enjoyable. The T.V. phase wasn't very hard... I guessed at that time they didn't consider T.V. very important. I came to find out later in my travels to Diego Garcia that this was not the case... it's just that T.V. is pretty easy, once you get the "feel" for it, and it can be quite fun as well. The fort has been closed down since and I heard it's now a recreational area. All the training now takes place at Ft. Meade, Maryland. I was an E-2, Broadcast Journalist Seaman Apprentice, upon leaving.

As you can see some folks got in a little trouble at A-School.
My favorite was "clock watch" where you had to actually watch the clock for hours on end... lol.

     Then came Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico, a very humid and beautiful place on the East coast. I worked for the Navy Broadcasting Service under Chief Journalist Jon Gagne. My main jobs were as a radio DJ, news announcer/producer/writer, television filmer/editor and later as Continuity Director. While there, the island was hit by Hurricane Marilyn. Of course, I was on the air for the duration of the storm and was thankful that we were able to keep up our antenna for the sake of the local population who had no other way of knowing what was going on and where to seek shelter during the chaos. I also had my own "Sportstalk" radio show on Monday nights which did very well. On some occasions, I did live remotes, one of which earned me an honorable mention in the Chief of Information Merit Awards held annually. The honorable mention was an honor to me considering nobody received 1st through 3rd place that year for the category. They are closing the base down today, as they did with Ft. Harrison. I also came through the ranks and left Roosey Roads 2 ranks higher as an E-4, 3rd Class Petty Officer, and was awarded my first Navy Achievement Medal.

     My next stop took me to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) "Footprint of Freedom" Diego Garcia, 7 degrees south of the equator and smack in the middle of the Indian Ocean (actually, right in the middle of nothing). I worked for the "now called" Naval Media Center and did everything I could possibly do concerning radio and television. I anchored, produced, wrote, shot, DJ'd, programmed, ran a t.v. switcher, trained, read news copy and much more. I worked for the legend, Senior Chief David Lovato who has since retired as a Master Chief Journalist. I also was awarded numerous CHINFO merit awards (see "my achievements") and a Department of Defense Thomas Jefferson Award. After a year there, I left and was awarded my 2nd Navy Achievement Medal.

Diego Garcia, "The Footprint of Freedom"

     I wanted to go somewhere with a larger land mass, so I opted for a position with the American Forces Network, Naples, Italy. This was a true challenge for me, especially working with a large contingent of Army and Air Force personnel within a HUGE military community. I continued to work on the radio and t.v. and became Radio Program Director shortly after arriving. Eventually, I held the T.V. Anchor position and did a lot of traveling throughout Europe. I left there as an E-5, 2nd Class Petty Officer, and was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal, my highest so far.

     If you've never been to Europe, please visit Naples and experience this incredible culture firsthand. Just be careful not to walk down thieves alley or go by the Egg Castle at night. There are some terrific things to see like the Royal Palace and some incredible restaurants nearby the waterfront. Also, if you happen to go, remember that August is vacation month and you'll never see anything then, so go any other time. The weather does get colder but they rarley have snow in the Winter, just flurries. I made some great friends who I miss dearly. If you are in the military and visit the Capodichino base, go to the club there and tell Rusty the bartender that Ricardo from AFN a few years back said hi. I hear he keeps my mug there for me to this day in case I need a beer... lol.

The Capodichino admin complex located by the Naples Airport.

     From there, I wanted to go back to the U.S. and somewhere close to home for a change. I ended up at Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey where I was thrust into the Public Affairs Officer position. You see, my predecessor left the command shortly after my arrival and then the PAO left shortly after that... leaving me all alone with not much experience. I quickly learned what I had to accomplish and met with the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer daily to ensure I did everything I could for the command. I also was in charge of training for the command and ran the command's brief for the numerous dignitaries who visited the base. I also ran their Adopt-A-Highway program and conducted numerous tours of the facility. Between all this and press releases, I put out a newspaper called "The Earle Missile" every month and stood duty one night a week. It was a challenging assignment and eventually they filled the PAO position, but I left there with another Navy Achievement Medal and another chevron on my arm (E-6, 1st Class Petty Officer). They asked me to stay after that, but I wanted to attend school and get a better education so I parted ways with the military.

The 3-mile long pier complex in Leonardo, N.J. where I stood duty.

Wrapping It Up

     Which puts me to where I am now. I currently live and work in Somerset, New Jersey, and am looking for a new job at the moment. If you hear of anything interesting, please email me. I will move anywhere in the country for an exciting job with good benefits. Pay is not really an important issue to me but I would want to live better than I am today. Thanks!

Best viewed at 1024X768 screen resolution