T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY U.S. Navy veteran and local resident Karleen Booth is pictured at Hardee’s Restaurant in Marshalltown recently.

“Join the Navy and see the world” was one of the best-known promotions to motivate citizens to enlist.

For Marshalltown resident Karleen Booth, it held true. Prior to enlisting, Booth, a Leon native, was 19 and working at the Hy-Vee bakery in Atlantic.

However, she was restless and looking for a challenge.

“I did not see myself working in a bakery the rest of my life,” she said in a recent interview with the Times-Republican.

Booth had married at age 16 to husband Randal, then 18.

Randal later served in the Navy, having been assigned to anti-submarine warfare and also served a number of years in the Naval Reserve. He was stationed in Jacksonville, Fla., so there was a deep bond with the service branch established by the Continental Congress in 1775.

She enlisted in Jacksonville on Mothers’ Day, 1979, thereby ensuring a place in the T-R’s 2024 “Salute to Veterans” feature.

“My mother was so upset when I told her I enlisted she cried,” Booth said. “But I was determined. I wanted to be a dental technician. The Navy said it did not have any openings when I first applied. I waited three or four months until they did. I do not regret waiting, nor my career. I love my country. I served 10 years and overall, it was a tremendous experience.”

Booth graduated from boot camp in Orlando, Fla. Her advice to anyone wanting to succeed in boot camp was succinct.

“Be prepared to take orders and do exactly what you are told,” she said. “And do not talk back to superiors.”

After dental technician training, she was deployed to Camp Pendleton, a United States Marine Corps base in San Diego, Calif. (The Marines are a branch of the Navy).

“I assisted dentists treating Marines,” she said. “It was a major positive experience.”

In 1986 she was genuinely surprised when she was assigned to the USS Samuel Gompers, a repair, supply and medical ship.

“I was amazed how big it was,” she said. “I remember being at the dockside with Randal and wondering what my experience would be. And I did learn to quickly go down the steep and narrow steps on the ship,” she said smiling.

Her experiences on the Gompers exceeded expectations.

Booth said there were other female sailors onboard, including her chief.

“We were at sea for more than 100 days,” she said. “I remember sailing through the Gulf of Oman.”

It is a gulf in the Indian Ocean that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz.

“I like being out-of-doors and remembering standing at the front of the ship seeing dolphins jumping and jellyfish. I also enjoyed watching the sunrise and sunset while onboard. Both are inspirational ways to start and end your day,” she said.

When the Gompers crossed the equator, Booth and other first-time sailors crossing were referred to as “pollywogs.” They participated in the time-honored Navy tradition “line crossing” ceremony. It is common among sailors to involve skits featuring a King Neptune and other rituals designed to boost morale.

Booth said she and other pollywogs had to drink and eat out of clean porcelain toilets (which had never been used in bathrooms) for the initiation.

The Gompers also made a call to Hong Kong, then under United Kingdom control and the city state of Singapore.

“Singapore was one of the cleanest ‘big’ cities I have ever visited,” she said. “There were signs posted saying it was against the law to spit in the street.”

Booth was honorably discharged in 1989.

She plied her trade in the San Diego area working for a dentist.

In 1991, she and Randal moved to Marshalltown. Karleen had relatives locally and on visits, remembered how attractive the city was with its many trees and courthouse square.

Booth, like many Marshalltonians, were devastated when the 2018 tornado destroyed hundreds of trees in the northwest section of town, where she and Randal reside.

The 2020 derecho destroyed more. Still an avid outdoorswoman, Booth said she enjoys walking in her neighborhood – especially on the grounds of the Iowa Veterans Home and the nearby Iowa River.

“It is so serene by the river … and I feel completely safe there,” she said.

Booth is employed at McFarland Clinic on East Merle Hibbs Boulevard, where she schedules patient visits and relays information to medical practitioners.

“I enjoy working with my colleagues at the new facility,” she said.

Now 65, she expects to retire in one year and join Randal in his retirement. The Booths recently celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary.

But they have not yet made any special plans for their 50th “golden” anniversary in October 2025.

“I do not know what I am going to do next week,” she replied to the T-R in a text message when asked recently. It was followed by LOL (laugh out loud).

She reflected on her Navy career when asked what she would tell a youth or young adult — male or female — contemplating joining the Navy. “I would highly recommend it,” she said. “It made me grow up quickly.”