By Kristin Davis

Lt. David Mosley, USN (Ret), was 17 when he accompanied his older brother to what he thought was an Army recruiting office in downtown Oklahoma City in 1971.

The elder Mosley, a member of the 101st Airborne Division, had already completed multiple tours of duty in Vietnam, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, among other honors. David Mosley had swelled with pride when their mother received and read aloud his brother’s citations. He was also a day laborer in the oil fields who often wondered where his next paycheck would come from. The Army sounded like a fine option.

The brothers realized they’d entered the wrong building that day in the fall of ’71 when an Army captain chewed them out. Fortunately for the younger Mosley, a Navy lieutenant overheard the exchange and offered to take them to his recruiter. The trio was met at the top of a staircase by a colonel, whom they all quickly saluted.

“The colonel looked at my brother, who was in his Army uniform, and said, ‘No son, I salute you.’” Then, “‘What are you doing here?’”

They told the colonel the story. “I’m sure that Army captain had a bad day,” David Mosley recalled. “I’m also sure he probably saved my life. I wound up joining the Navy.”

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So began a fulfilling 20-year career, about half of which he spent on fast-attack submarines. In 1980, he was selected as a chief petty officer while on shore duty in Hawaii, and soon after as a limited duty officer.

Mosley did it all without a high school diploma, which he wouldn’t receive until his name showed up on a list of those who were at risk of losing their VA education benefits some 16 years into his service. When his captain learned his main propulsion assistant and chief engineer didn’t have a GED, he told Mosley to get off the ship and not come back until he got it. So he did.

After retiring from the Navy, Mosley spent nearly two decades working for the North Carolina prison system. He also became a Life member of MOAA. After his second retirement, he moved to Florida and became active in the Northeast Florida Chapter, where he has served as secretary, acting treasurer, membership chair, and webmaster — and what fellow chapter members call “the linchpin” holding it all together. Through his leadership, the chapter has received from national MOAA a Levels of Excellence Award for the past several years as well as a Col. Marvin J. Harris Communication Award.

The Northeast Florida Chapter has provided camaraderie with like-minded people, Mosley said. More than that, it has given him a way to give back to the country that gave so much to him. He loves connecting with other service organizations and helping ensure veterans, servicemembers, and families get the support they need. “Everybody I know that’s involved is very proud of that fact,” he said.

Kristin Davis is a writer in Virginia.