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Even after retirement, ‘duty calls’

Archie Nelson, who served more than 21 years in the U.S. Navy retiring as a Master Chief, stands in front of a Navy print in his office Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Miami University Hamilton. Nelson is now director of admissions for Miami Hamilton.

Staff photo by Nick Graham Archie Nelson, who served more than 21 years in the U.S. Navy retiring as a Master Chief, stands in front of a Navy print in his office Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Miami University Hamilton. Nelson is now director of admissions for Miami Hamilton.

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By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer Updated 3:47 PM Wednesday, November 11, 2009

HAMILTON — The U.S. Navy made Archie Nelson a leader. It made him a teacher.

But above all else, it made him proud.

Nelson had no idea where the service would lead him when he joined on Nov. 3, 1970.

He hadn’t done well in college, the job market was bleak, “and I just kind of looked at life and felt like I needed to do something,” he said.

“I would get some kind of trade (in the Navy), get an education. I was a fairly patriotic guy,” said Nelson of Fairfield. But he didn’t really think it through too much.

He picked the Navy because “I like the uniform,” he said. “I didn’t even know how to swim.”

He would retire 21 years, 11 months and 27 days later after achieving the Navy’s highest enlisted rank of master chief petty officer. He would learn cryptology, and visit nearly every country of the world intercepting and decoding messages during the Cold War.

“Some of that stuff is all classified, and we don’t want to go there,” he said, avoiding specifics about his job.

The experiences were invaluable, he said, and included “finding myself, discovering my true value and my ability to succeed,” he said.

And it didn’t just change Nelson’s life. It gave him the tools to become director of admissions at Miami University Hamilton, where he has an impact on young people’s lives every day.

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, he went to Edgewood City Schools to talk to seniors about how to prepare for college. “I want to try to make sure that young folks realize that college is very open to them,” he said.

This is what Americans honor on Veterans Day today: the difference veterans have made — and continue to make — for this country. And it’s a day to thank them for that service.

For Nelson, it’s “a day of reflection about those who are still serving, and those we lost,” he said.

And it’s another day at work.

“Veterans Day this year, I will be at Miami University as in the years past,” he said. “Duty calls.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or jsweigart@coxohio.com.

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