
Rob is our Safety Officer in St. Augustine
Who is the greatest love of your life?
The love of my life is my wife Andrea. We just recently celebrated our eighteenth anniversary in May. I have been blessed to have such an intelligent, loving, and independent woman as my wife. She stood by and raised our two wonderful daughters Ciara and Caitlyn while I was off defending freedom and democracy around the world on one of many nuclear fast attack submarines. She would often go months without a phone call, email, or any other form of communication and yet she never complained. She is the best person I know.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Having served in the United States Navy for twenty three and a half years. I attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer, successfully completed fifteen missions vital to national security of the United States of America, trained and mentored over 10,000 junior sailors, and somehow retained my sanity and sense of humor. I had the distinct honor of traveling to the North Pole in July of 2009 onboard USS Providence SSN 719, and commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the first voyage to the pole by America’s first nuclear submarine the USS Nautilus SSN 571.
What is your favorite vacation spot?
Scotland. I have been blessed with the opportunity to go there six times. I enjoy the friendly people, the rich history of the country, and the fellowship of their local pubs over a pint or two. I have visited Edinburgh Castle and had the privilege of watching the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Additionally, I have been to Stirling Castle which commands the landscape for miles around. Stirling Castle is one of Scotland’s grandest castles and a wonderful backdrop for some of Scotland’s most important history. This castle overlooks the sites where William Wallace and Robert the Bruce defeated the English in 1297 and 1314 at Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn. I intend to return to both England and Scotland in 2016 with my wife for our twentieth wedding anniversary.
Who are your favorite writers?
Writers would take more pages than are available here, but my guilty pleasures are a series of books written by St Augustine native Steven Berry. These books are historically accurate and the stories are written in such a way that the fictitious portions of these stories blend seamlessly. The hero of these stories is the one and only Cotton Malone. These include The Templar Legacy (2006), The Alexandria Link (2007), The Venetian Betrayal (2007), The Charlemagne Pursuit (2008), The Paris Vendetta (2009), The Emperor’s Tomb (2010), The Jefferson Key (2011), The King’s Deception (2013), and The Lincoln Myth (2014) which will be taking up some of my spare time in the near future. Additionally, I am looking forward to reading Return to Masada (2002), The Faces of Inanna (2011), The StrathNaver Legends (2010), and Aleister Through the Looking Glass (2010). These books are written by a man I am proud to call my friend the one and only Robert G. “Friar Bob” Makin.
What are three things you will always find in my refrigeerator?
Dezzani Italian Muscato Wine for my wife, Hard Apple Cider for me (preferably my own homebrew recipe), and vanilla ice cream; because life without ice cream is simply not worth living.
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