Today, June 24th 2007, as I sit on an airplane headed for the East Coast, I remember thirty nine years ago today, June 24th, 1968, at the tender age of 19, I left San Diego and headed to the US Naval Academy to begin the fulfillment of my lifelong ambition. I was very fortunate. I knew, from my earliest recollection, what I wanted to be "when I grew up," that I wanted to attend the Naval Academy and become a naval officer. Some might think that to be undue parental influence, I believe it to be my good fortune. The two people that gave me that goal at such an early age were my father, Marcus Klein, and Captain E.W. Grenfell. In 1949 when I was born, Captain Grenfell was Chief of Staff for the Submarine Force Pacific (SubPac) and he was my dad’s "boss," stationed at Pearl Harbor.

My dad of course was the major influence and "Co Conspirator." He would often ask me (before I could talk according to my mom) "what do you want to be when you grow up" and "where do you want to go to college?" I knew the response that would please my dad was "a naval officer" and "the Naval Academy." He would also ask" "and you want to be a?" to which I would answer "a submariner" (that goal I never attained). Another response that garnered equal praise was "I want to go to Annie Apolis." These answers gave my father much joy and he would ask me in front of his friends, including Captain Grenfell and I never let him done with the answer. Captain Grenfell let my dad know that when I was ready, he would be ready to lend a hand. As a 3 year old living in the Territory of Hawaii in the early 1950s…with no television and only local radio, I had no idea what the Naval Academy was, but somehow I knew that there was such a thing and such a place and that it was where I wanted to go to school. I owe this and so much more to my dad who realized that the early influence would help guide my life and give me direction and something to achieve, and he was right. My dad was a career naval officer, submariner, and a survivor of Pearl Harbor and 2 submarine war patrols in the Pacific during WWII.

Captain Grenfell was a well know submarine officer who skippered the USS Gudgeon when she was commissioned on April 21, 1941. The USS Gudgeon was the first submarine to go on war patrol from Pearl Harbor after the attack on December 7. Departing Pearl Harbor on December 11, 1941, Gudgeon, commanded by "Jumping Joe" Grenfell was credited with the first Japanese sinking by a US submarine. E.W. (Joe) Grenfell went on to be Commander, Submarine Force Pacific as a Rear Admiral (2 Star) in 1956 and then Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic (3 Star) in 1961. He was the first person to command both Sub forces. Pop served as the Admiral’s Morale Officer and Athletic Director in both of those commands, serving also as the varsity basketball coach of both SubPac and Sublant, where his team won the All Navy Basketball Championship in 1964. Admiral Grenfell never said much to me as I was growing up. I remember how good I felt when on occasion, he would say hi to me when I was with Pop. The Grenfell family always meant a lot to the Klein family and to me, an Admiral was about the most important person in the world. On base in Pearl Harbor, the Admiral’s had their own reserved parking places at the Navy Exchange ("Reserved for Flag Officers). Admiral Grenfell was active as a flag officer when there was a battle going on for the soul of the submarine force in the Navy, and the other side was lead by Hyman Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy.

My flight on June 24th, 1968 was a non-stop from San Diego to Dulles. At that time, as my dad explained to me, Dulles was a pretty new airport and seen by some as an "airport of the future," stuck way out in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. I said good bye to my mom and dad and sisters and boarded the aircraft where I was seated next to a Navy Commander, Don White, who knew my dad, and a young man, Randy Bent, who as I was, was headed off to the Academy for Plebe Summer as a member of the Naval Academy Class of 1972 (many years later, Randy was later one of the very first employees at Qualcomm).

When I arrived at Dulles, who was waiting to pick me up at the airport? Retired Vice Admiral Grenfell, who took me to his home in Alexandria where I spent two nights. During my stay I spent time with the Admiral and his son Steve and daughter Jane (Mrs. Grenfell what out of town at the time). Steve took me into Georgetown one evening and on the morning of June 26th, 1968, Steve drove me to Annapolis where later that afternoon about 1:30 (1330), I was sworn in as a Midshipman, United States Navy, to begin the fulfillment of my lifelong ambition.

On many days, but this day in particular, I think of these two heroes in my life, both of whom are gone now…my dad and Admiral Grenfell. I was lucky to have these men as influences in my life. The ongoing life lesson for me is that what we say to kids can have an impact. I have been talking about the Naval Academy to my granddaughter since before she could talk. I kid about it and talk about her going to the Academy as if she were actually going to attend, like it is a "done deal." To me, the important thing is that I am letting her know that I think she is good enough to make the grade, whether she decides to or not. She has no interest in it right now, and probably never will, but that doesn’t keep grandpa from talking about it. 

Saul

Saul Klein

President/CEO, InternetCrusade