About.

CockerhamOnline, originally, started up in 1999, for the purpose of providing family and friends with up-to-date information about and surrounding us.

The site dropped off the grid in 2005.

CockerhamOnline returned in 2007; thankfully, restored from backup.

The membership base primarily consists of family and friends, but not limited to such.

The site is getting another facelift. The site's look hasn't changed in the past 20 years; It's time.

RSS is available.

Thank you for visiting...

For starters, I'm a Navy Veteran. I joined the Navy in October 1988. As with many military recruits, I entered boot camp at Recruit Training Command, Orlando. While in boot camp, my boot camp class was called upon to march down Pennsylvania Avenue for President Bush's Inauguration (Bush Sr). After boot camp graduation, I began schooling at the Nuclear Field "A" School, in Orlando, FL (before the recruit training center closed).

Then got stationed aboard the USS Portland (LSD-37), out of Little Creek, VA. I met the Portland while it was doing training exercises in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. While aboard the Portland, I went to Puerto Rico, Cuba, Bahamas, Antigua, Panama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, The Azores, Rota (Spain), Madrid (Spain), Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Ibiza (Spain), France, Italy, Greece, Bosnia, Morocco, Israel, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman, U.A.E., Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. While at sea, I started going back to college, a course by instructors, afloat, from the University of Phoenix, toward a degree, but never finished degree.

Then I got stationed at the NOPF Dam Neck, VA (1991). During tour at Dam Neck, I attended DP "A" School, at NTC San Diego.

Then I got stationed aboard the USS Wasp (LHD-1), out of Norfolk, VA. While on the Wasp, I went to Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, The Azores, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, England, Norway, and Israel. During my tour on board the Wasp, I went to several schools: for UNIX, went to NAVMASSO, Chesapeake; for tactical combat, took Shipboard Security Engagement Tactics; other instruction, specifically unlisted, went to NMITC, AIC, and various others. Also, spent a period as a SP (Navy's military police) at PNSY, VA.

Then I got stationed, at the time called U.S. Commander In Chief, Pacific USCINCPAC in Hawaii, overlooking Aloha Stadium and Pearl Harbor. The Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, changed the name to U.S. Pacific Command. I departed the Navy at the end of my obligated service, Honorably, in 2000.

Then moved to Columbia, MD, just south of Baltimore and north of Fort Mead and the NSA, north of Washington, D.C., and northwest of Annapolis. Later, we moved to Elkridge, MD. I signed on as a Government Contractor to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, on Fort Belvoir, in Virginia.

Before I go any further, September 11, 2001, I was on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (I-295), heading south, to work, running late. The sky was extraordianrily blue and crystal clear, the traffic was typically heavy. I rounded onto I-395, through D.C., tired of CDs and turned on the radio. What I heard, at the time, sounded like a War of the Worlds excerpt from Orson Wells, claims of one of the towers being hit by a commercial airliner. I continued to drive, stunned as reports came in. Then the other tower was hit, as I was passing The Pentagon. Shaken, I hurried to work, I needed to know if what I heard was true. Arrived on Fort Belvoir, ran from my car, into the building, everyone was glued to television - local news, CNN, and various other news sources. Then there was a hollow, booming sound, that vibrated the building. We all filed outside, then we saw the plume of smoke, The Pentagon was hit. The saddest day in American history, became the scariest. The agency shutdown. "Everyone must go home!" "Base is going to be locked down." Awe struck, I hopped back into my car, sat there for a moment, smoked a cigarette, thought about what happened. I-395 was shutdown (passes The Pentagon), so I took the beltway. If you know anything about that area, you'd know that, typically, from Fort Belvoir to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, even in heavy traffic, 30 to 45 minutes. On this day, it took 2 hours. Radio stations spoke about other rogue planes flying and potentially targetting major structures. As I crossed the bridge, several jets left, full bore, from Andrews AFB. Anyone familiar with the area would know that, even in heavy traffic, 45 to 60 minutes from Andrews to Elkridge. On this day, it took nearly 4 hours.