Phillip and Nicholas Litfin on Naval Service

Our Program on December 29th featured a brother act - the two Litfin boys talked about the U S Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and active duty service in the navy.Tim Litfin introduced his two sons, Phillip and Nicholas, to the club, and Nicholas started the presentation. He is member of the "youngster" class at the academy (sophomore to you landlubbers), and has just completed the hardest year and a half of his life. A year ago July, he reported to school to start his education and as a plebe had a summer of physical conditioning and training before the school year started. During the year, the freshmen class gets extra attention from the members of the "second class" (juniors) - such things as learning to eat a square meal, brace in the presence of a upperclassman, and always answer questions clearly and in a loud voice. Students at USMA and USNA have year-round education, and do not get summers off. The summer experiences are designed to acquaint students with the wide range of activities done by the navy, as Nicholas has to select his final area of interest shortly: sailing, submarine, aviation, or the US Marine Corps are some of the major options. When he graduates, he will have an engineering degree, a commission in either the Navy or Marine Corps, and an obligation to serve on active duty for eight years minimum. Phillip, now a Lt JG in the US Navy, spoke to our club earlier when he completed his aviation training. He graduated from the USNA in 2007, and I noticed he nodded in agreement with almost everything his brother said about the academy. After graduating, he spent 18 months in aviation training, and most recently has been assigned to a base in Arabia to fly missions in a P-3 aircraft, which many of us know as the passenger plane, the Lockheed Electra. The primary use for the aircraft is anti-submarine patrol, although in current world conditions, their job during a mission is to help maintain security in the volatile seas in that part of the world. The major threat they encounter now are pirates. His plane was built in 1963, and because of all of the electronics they carry, they cannot fly at the rated speed. Each mission lasts from 12 to 14 hours, and the crew of 11 use very sophisticated electronics to scan the area and spot possible trouble. Their ship is armed, but engagement is not their primary mission. A lively question period closed the presentation. We all felt better knowing that our service academies are still providing our country with well-educated, high-quality, personable military leaders. And a pat on the back is deserved by Tim and Yvonne Litfin for raising Nicholas and Phillip. (Story by Tad Shaw)