A Granite Bay High School teacher has gone by multiple titles in his life. Teacher, Coach, Rifle Sharpshooter and E-5 Petty Officer 2nd Class. Retired navy officer. 

Dale Mortensen was set on joining the military at the young age of 14. 

His father had sat him down and told him to start saving for college since they couldn’t afford it, but Mortensen was adamant to follow his father, uncles and grandfather’s footsteps in joining the military. He took inspiration from them as they had fought in WWI, WWII and the Korean War. 

“I spent my childhood admiring them, and hearing (about how) as new immigrants to America, we had a duty to our adopted country,” Mortensen said. 

Mortensen took the Pre-Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) at 16 and the ASVAB at 17. The main question he faced was deciding which branch of the military to join.

“Originally I planned to follow my father into the Air Force. But I wanted to explore the world as I had grown up in the same house that I was born in. The Navy met that desire, but also [I have] two uncles who were combat naval veterans,” Mortensen said. 

For his first job, Mortensen signed up for the role of Fire Control Technician (TF), a role responsible for working with and maintaining missiles and all other weapons systems upon the ship. Mortensen had to go through Basic Training, also known as Boot Camp, where he met and bonded with many new people. Together, they formed a singular unit where they did everything together, from marching as one unit to living together. 

“Basic Training (Boot Camp) came first which meant culture shock as I quickly learned the difference between being a civilian and being in the military. Here, I learned a valuable lesson. I was put into a company of 80 men that had never met, looked very different from, had different ancestors (ethnicity), came from every corner of the country, spoke in strange regional accents and called God by different names,” Mortensen said. “The lesson was simple, our greatest strength was NOT our diversity; it was our unity; common cause and common purpose. We entered as strangers, we graduated as brothers.” 

Mortensen also had to go through Basic Electricity and Electronics, a high pressure Navy School where people are taught the fundamental skills and concepts of working with electronic systems onboard the navy ships. Only a 100% on the tests is considered passing; even a 99% grade on a test would be considered a fail. Halfway through the schooling, Mortensen had to face the Academic Review Board after failing two tests in a row; luckily, he had many hours of after-school study logged and was allowed to continue. He continued on to study at the School for Fire Control Technicians at Great Lakes, Illinois. Mortensen graduated top of his class before transferring to Multiple Threat Warfare School in Virginia. 

“It was very intense and fascinating. Basically they would throw inbound threats at you until you died; the better you got the more threats you could handle,” Mortensen said. 

Finally, Mortensen was transferred to the ship USS John A Moore (FFG-19), which was based in San Diego at the time. 

“Once again I would find myself in a place full of different people, now also holding different jobs, but with common cause and common purpose. We were a highly competitive crew that wanted to be the best at everything in the Pacific Fleet. We were tight; they were the finest group of people I’ve ever known. Though some of my best mates have passed away, I am still close friends with many,” Mortensen said. 

Mortensen proceeded to complete two deployments in the Western Pacific (WestPac) and one off of El Salvador and Nicaragua. During his time onboard, he started out as a E2 Seaman Apprentice and left as a E-5 Petty Officer of the 2nd Class. Some of the commendations he earned were: Pistol Marksman, Rifle Sharpshooter, Sea Service w/star, Weapons Div Battle E, Good Conduct and Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist. Mortensen also trained in Deep Sea Pilot Rescue and was a Grenade and rifleman for the Defense and Reaction Team (DART). 

After retiring from the Navy, Mortensen attended Cabrillo College where he enjoyed playing football. 

“That transition I found simple. I was older, more mature and disciplined than most of my fellow students and players. My buddies seemed amazed that I could take 20 units, work, have a social life and always perform academically high. The military had taught me well how to prioritize and manage my time. I also averaged about 4-5 hours sleep a night, and that seemed sufficient; I was young and full of energy,” Mortensen said. 

For Mortensen, the military taught him so much, from being efficient with their time to effecting his teaching career that he brings into his classroom. 

“It taught me that young people will always live up to expectations, be they low or high. My high school had low expectations and boy did l live up to them; the military had incredibly high expectations and I lived up to those as well. Thus, I try to have high expectations of myself and my students,” Mortensen said. 

Since his teaching career started, he has taught multiple subjects for students in 7th to high school grades including but not limited to, 7th grade Core, TechLab/Intro to Engineering, Computer Aid Drafting I and II as well as Electronics I and Il to his current classes of U.S. Military History and World Studies. However, Mortensen hasn’t forgotten his military past.

“To teach is to serve. Now that I have time, I’m getting involved in both the Veteran’s Organization and Tunnels to Towers where I can use some of my construction skills to assist disabled veterans.”