Guest, John H.

John H. "Jack" Guest was born into a Navy family in San Pedro, California, in 1926. In 1944, he graduated from high school and joined the Merchant Marine, signing on his first ship as an acting able-bodied seaman.

In 1948, Jack passed the examination for Third Mate and quickly rose through the officer ranks. When he was 27, he became a licensed Master Mariner. Unfortunately, by that time he was also trying to be a husband and father, which was nearly impossible, since he was on a tanker running between Japan and the Persian Gulf. In 1957, the Coast Guard offered him a direct commission as a