Those "What Ifs" will get you if you let them; I have several that regularly make their presence known to my often idle mind, but I don't let them get me down.

Roger, you're not the only "Swabbie" to never go to sea, I am one, too. Got sent to Helicopter A School at Memphis ( Millington) right out of "Boot" in 1960; drew Shore Duty at O & R at NASNI, San Diego in January 1961 to April 1962; rolled to Sea Duty assigned to HS 8 (they were on a WESPAC cruise at the time and I thought - nay, wished with all that was in me, that I would go join them in Japan, but no dice), and assigned TAD to HS 10, a Training Squadron based at NAAS Ream Field as a maintenance instructor on the then new, and just being put into fleet service HSS/HUS 3 Sea Kings until my assigned squadron returned from WESPAC. Got released from active duty in April 1963, shortly before the squadron started training on the Sea King for deployment again in '64.