Elizabeth (nick-named Betsy) was born in San Francisco, CA in January 1978 to Meg and Fred. Her twin sister, Vicky, was delivered (Cesarean) only thirty seconds later. Their home in Mill Valley, CA, was built by Fred's father in the 1950's, and remains the family home today. A brother, Nicholas, was added to the family in 1981. In 1989, a month before the "Big Quake," the girls were introduced into the US Navy League Cadet Corps on Naval Station Treasure Island, CA. Betsy and Vicky remained neck to neck all the way through their Cadet careers.
Betsy attained the rank of Ship Leading Petty Officer of the Training Ship San Francisco before rolling over to the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps unit Carl Vinson Division at the age of 14. In 1992 she attended NSCC Boot Camp at Treasure Island, and graduated as the Delta Company Guide-On and Honor Cadet. Moments after the graduation ceremony, she was requested by the Commanding Officer to staff the NLCC Boot Camp, starting that very same day. Staffing Cadet camps became an obsession after that training. Over her Cadet career, Betsy staffed numerous NLCC and NSCC Boot Camps and Leadership Academies, earning Staff Cadet ribbons, Unit Commendations, NSCC Citations, and many recommendation letters along the way.
Fleet Week in San Francisco was a huge affair in Betsy's cadet years. Every October the Carl Vinson Division and several other units from all over California participated in the various goings-on. Carl Vinson's "home port" was San Francisco, so the unit was able to spend a weekend in the barracks at the Presidio and work at Fleet Week events all over the city. The cadets performed crowd control at the Municipal Pier, Pier 30-32, Pier 35, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park, Crissy Field, and several parks downtown. The unit was specifically requested to staff the Navy Ball every year as well. That was where the cadets really shined. Cadets lined the hallways, escorted officers to the ballrooms, checked coats, raffled tickets, paraded the Colors, and later presented the cake in full formal uniform.
The summer of 1994 holds extra special memories for Betsy. She was one of twenty-five cadets nationwide to be selected to attend that summer's foriegn exchange. The Exchange was a two-week training aboard HMCS QUADRA, a cadet base stationed on the island of Goose Spit in Comox, BC. Betsy, along with the other US Cadets, was immersed in Canadian culture and military life. She learned about the Canadian way of marching, rifle drill, sailing, and made many friends aboard QUADRA. The cadets were fortunate to spend a day wandering the city of Victoria, and met some Royal Canadian Air Cadets at their base HMCS Albert Head where they over-nighted before returning to the Q. The cadets were taken on an over-night hike to the Medicine Bowl falls in the mountains across from QUADRA. There the cadets spent the night under the stars after swimming in glacier-water pools carved out by the glaciers and waterfall so long ago.
Late in 1994 Carl Vinson Division was named number one NSCC unit in the nation. Soon after Betsy and LT Joe Jordan, an officer of Carl Vinson Division, transferred out of the unit to found a new one in Vallejo, CA. The new unit, to be named RADM Richard O'Kane Division, was based at NS Mare Island, CA. Betsy was promoted to Chief Petty Officer in May 1995. In April 1996 the unit was commissioned with 25 plank-owners. Mare Island was closed soon after, and the unit was pressed to find a new home. The unit began at the Reserve Center, had to then leave for the cramped, wet, and cold space of an abandoned Marine laundry building, and finally found a wonderful sponsor in the Mare Island Special Boat Unit Eleven. In September 1997 the unit was forced to leave Mare Island for good. Betsy was excited to find out that the California Maritime Academy just across the delta was welcoming the unit with open arms. The unit moved to CMA, and currently drills there now, using three classrooms, the gym, pool, a small supply hut, the Training Ship Golden Bear for over-nights, and the Commanding Officer's home for a permanent Admin office.
Betsy turned 18 in January 1996, and shortly rolled-over to the officer's corp as a Midshipman. Officers were in short supply, and since she was so knowledgable in the ways of the USNSCC, she was billeted the position of Executive officer. After graduating from Tamalpais High School in June 1996, she was able to devote more time to the NSCC. She was unsuccessful in receiving an ROTC scholarship or being accepted the the US Naval Academy, so she enrolled at the College of Marin and obtained full-time employment.
The summer of 1998 held a surprise in hand for Betsy. She was given the opportunity to return to QUADRA as the female escort officer of the US Exchange Cadets. For two weeks Betsy learned so much about the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps and fell in love with QUADRA even more. While at QUADRA, she was able to become a part of the Officer Staff, and met so many great officers, one in particular...
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