PRICHARD, Ala. (WKRG) — Terry Williams says he owes the decision to begin a career in the U.S. Navy to one of his older brothers, who gave him a present when he graduated from Vigor High School in 1987.
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“I got home and opened up this box, and there was a suitcase with nothing in it,” Williams said. “I called him and said, ‘What is this suitcase for?’ He said ‘You gotta get out of here. I want the best for you. We’ve done all we can here in Prichard, but we want you to do better than us.’”
So, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Navy. While at Vigor, he had taken welding classes next door at Faulkner Technical School. He put that training to work in the Navy as a high-pressure welder. Williams served in Desert Storm.
He was assigned to the USS Austin, the USS Enterprise, and the USS Pensacola. He also worked on Navy hovercraft, actually patenting a welding support brace for those vessels…