When True Life is Crazier than Fiction - A Navy Ship's English Professor's Journey Home
- Wendy Decker
- Oct 3
- 2 min read
As a fiction writer, I often draw inspiration from real-life events—sometimes from my own wild adventures. Usually, I spin those sparks into stories with imagined twists and turns. But every so often, real life demands to be told exactly as it happened.
Before I ever stepped into a classroom at my local community college, I boarded a Navy destroyer to teach sailors and Marines their very first college English Composition course. What unfolded could have been the plot of an adventure novel—complete with danger, unexpected detours, and maybe even a hint of romance. But the true version, which I captured in a published essay, is even more gripping.
In just eight weeks, I crossed three continents and five countries, meeting unforgettable characters who still influence my writing today. Yet nothing compared to my final challenge: finding my way home from Djibouti, Africa—alone. Known as one of the most dangerous places in the world, the Horn of Africa tested me in ways I never expected.
I’ve shared this story aloud many times, but never with the depth and detail you’ll find in this essay. Buckle up—you may be surprised at what “little old me” went through and lived to write about.
Here is an excerpt from the true event. If you want to read more, click on the link. Also, consider joining my newsletter to stay informed of my upcoming book and other adventures.
A Djiboutiful Day
I couldn’t have been further from home and still on planet Earth. A female in the military may have been unfazed by my predicament. For me, a middle-aged, retired housewife turned civil servant professor, my gig was up. After successfully scoring a front seat next to the pilot on an LCAC, the Sailors boarded and bid me farewell with a sardonic wink and a smile.
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