Naval base PIO flies off into retirement

After more than 27 years as Lemoore Naval Air Station's public information officer, local resident Dennis McGrath is finally stepping down to write some poetry, finish a novel and travel anywhere that strikes his fancy.

"It's just time," said McGrath, 65, whose final day on the job was today. "I've been here for a while and I'd just like to try different things. I've self-published a few poetry books and I'd like to get a wider audience for those. I'd like to paint pictures.

"But the work I do from now on will be my own work. My own fun."

McGrath left his home of Philadelphia in 1964, when he joined the Army and left to fight in Vietnam. After spending two years in the infantry, he would leave the service as a sergeant, only to come back later and work in Army Intelligence at the rank of major.

In April of 1981, he would accept his position at the Lemoore base.

"I handled the bad news," McGrath said. "Airplane crashes, major fires, arrests of people for felonies. That's what I do, I give out the news, and it is OK. But It's the good news stories I loved. Like last year, when three sailors protected a woman being assaulted at the mall. Or the sailors just around the corner from me, who work at a local soup kitchen. Those are the things I like doing. Telling the stories that give you warm fuzzies."

During his tenure at the base, McGrath got to experience many epic moments in Naval history.

"Around 1981 or 1982, I got to witness the first dogfight between an F-4 Phantom II and the new F/A-18 Hornet," McGrath said. "Everyone considered the F-4 to be pretty advanced and the Hornet was just the new guy on the block. So, they ran a test dogfight, with the Hornet starting with the F-4 right on his tail, or his six, putting him at an immediate disadvantage.

"He shot the Phantom down in 52 seconds."

The Hornet has been the backbone of the Navy's carrier air wings ever since, only recently being replaced by the newer F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

"Most of the people couldn't believe it," McGrath said. "They said it was sheer happenstance. Just luck. So, they started it again, they allowed the Phantom to get on his tail, and then he shot it down in 45 seconds.

"I guess those few minutes of experience made the pilot do a little better."

But despite his lengthy tenure with the military, McGrath has few plans to keep his fingers in once he retires.

"Whoever takes my place will make their own mark," McGrath said. "The most I'm looking to do is showing them where the telephone numbers are and waving good-bye."

McGrath also recently resigned as Poet Laureate for Life in the city of Lemoore, a position that required him to write and recite poems for numerous city events.

"I got to write poems for programs, buildings, citizen of the year, agriculturist of the year, serious stuff, fun stuff, everything," McGrath said. "I loved that it was part of my job to read my poems at each event, both the serious and the silly ones.

"But, I figure, let me concentrate on retirement right now. There are other poets out there who can do the job."

He also plans to work on his novel, which he teased will be the first "theologically correct science fiction novel."

"Actually, a friend of mine told me someone already beat me to it," McGrath said, laughing. "But, oh well. I'll try to make it controversial enough to sell at seminaries for people to argue about it."

And his remaining goals?

"I hope to work out at the gym and live to be a hundred," McGrath said. "I'll probably take it a day at a time after that, and enjoy life with my young wife."

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(July 3, 2008)