Lieutenant Commander Gerald L. Pait was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, in May 1946. He was a self-described free-range kid living in a small rural railroad town where everyone knew everyone. He joined the Navy right out of high school and found himself on the open bridge of a diesel submarine in a north Atlantic storm several months later. Before he completed his thirty-year career, Jerry worked his way up to leading sonar technician on his diesel sub and then graduated to nukes where he ultimately became Chief-of-the-Boat before being awarded a commission for his outstanding service. Ashore, he managed test missile launches for the entire east coast submarine fleet and coordinated NASA’s down-range space shuttle launch recovery efforts, climbing to the rank of Lieutenant Commander before he finally retired to a civilian position where he continued to serve the Navy’s and NASA’s needs.
