Veteran recognition at the Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce luncheon in June called attention to Andrew Graves, who said it was a no-brainer he would be drawn to service.
“I come from a very strong military background,” said Graves in an interview at the Barn Theatre at Winthrop in Riverview. “Both grandfathers, my father, myself, my brother, we’re very much a military household.”
Off to college after high school, Graves said it wasn’t long before he realized it was not for him.
“Coming from a military family, I’m very much used to having structure,” Graves said, “and that structure goes out the window when you’re in a college dorm room.”
Eleven months later, Graves said he found himself in boot camp with the U.S. Navy, in 2004 at age 19. It was the start of what would become five years of active duty with service aboard the USS Reuben James (FFG 57) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The guided missile frigate appears in the 1990 feature film The Hunt for Red October. It’s an adaptation of Tom Clancy’s 1984 bestselling novel, which was inspired by real events.
Graves said he served as a gas turbine systems technician mechanic. More often than not, his unit was tasked with monitoring and stopping Somali pirates.
With the stimulus checks they received in 2020, as the nation dug deep into its battle with the coronavirus pandemic, Graves said he and his wife moved from Colorado to Tampa Bay. He was eager to leave his post-military career in plumbing and, with his brother’s recommendation, in February became a security specialist for MORSECOM, specializing in cameras, sensors, access control, monitoring and event management.
Graves said people either like or dislike the military, but his focus is on the soldiers’ sacrifice, “basically signing a blank check that can be cashed in for up to their life, or anything in between.” He said he celebrates the soldiers’ “strength and courage for basically standing up and doing something for more than themselves.”
The chamber’s Military Affairs Committee meets bimonthly and is co-chaired by veterans Joe Eletto and Richard Rohde. It serves as a liaison between the business community and the military community, aiming to foster collaboration, support and advocacy for both sectors. The committee at each chamber luncheon recognizes a military veteran. For more information, visit www.riverviewchamber.com.
