I was born in Russia, and as a young boy, I read British and American literature (in translation). The stories inspired me to live a life of adventure as both a sailor and a frontiersman. In 1920 my parents and I succeeded in getting out of Russia and were stranded in Prague for four years. I say “stranded” be-cause life in Czechoslovakia thwarted my boyhood dreams and aspirations—Kipling’s poem “If” became my commandment.

In 1924, determined in my single-minded desires to be a sailor and a frontiersman—and a United States citizen, I managed to get to France and attended National Navigation School. In 1925, I started my career on a British ship—goal #1!

The main obstacle to fully achieving my goals was Kafkaesque bureaucracy, explicitly obtaining a visa. But through luck and perseverance, I finally received United States citizenship in 1940 and a Second Officer’s License. After serving two years in the Free French Naval Forces, I returned to the United States in 1942. Eventually, I achieved the rank of Commander, United States Maritime Service (U.S.M.S.) and commanded a troop ship in the Pacific until 1946.