Goliad Navy veteran continues serving community

Clarence Robinson of Goliad shares a photo of his graduation from Navy boot camp in 1984. He is shown here with his late father, Johnnie, an Army veteran who served in Europe during World War II. (Bill Miller/Victoria Advocate) GOLIAD — More than two decades after joining the U.S. Navy, Clarence Robinson still lives by a lesson he learned while standing watch aboard a warship: Never let technology replace vigilance. Robinson, a retired gunner’s mate who served 22 years in the Navy, recalled an officer checking on him during a nighttime watch and offering advice that has stayed with him long after his military career ended. The officer explained that while the ship’s radar was sophisticated enough to detect enemy aircraft and vessels, it could overlook something as simple as a small wooden boat. “He said, ‘Don’t let the constant twirl of the antenna lure you into a false state of security,’” Robinson recalled.

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