HAYSVILLE, Kan. (KSNW) - Haysville's Micheal Wise joined the Navy in 1973 at the age of 18, but his naval career took a different path than the one he envisioned. "I wanted to be an aviation jet mechanic and work on jets, but they said my eyesight wasn't good enough, but then they said, 'You have welding experience, we'll make you a Seabee,'" said Wise. "Seabee" is a nickname for the United States construction battalions, which build bases, airfields, bridges, and more. Wichita native ‘answered the call’ after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 Wise said he did welding, woodwork, electrical, and plumbing work during his service. "Oh, it made me feel real good. That's why I put 20 years in. It's because I was able to build stuff for other people, and so I said, 'I'm stayin' for the 20 years,'" he said. Wise traveled the world as a Seabee. One of his fondest memories involves the work he did building an island base on Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean. "So we built a landing field there. I helped build the fuel farms, which is three 55,000-barrel tanks. That felt real good because it was right at the end of Vietnam," he said. But as much as Wise enjoyed the welding and the traveling, he says it's the people who really made his service special, especially when it came time to pass on what he learned. "If conditions were the same, I'd do it again," he said. "Because I enjoyed it so much. Being able to help younger kids get through problems that they had, and being able to train them in the construction area." Air Force veteran helped maintain our nation’s nuclear arsenal Today, Wise focuses on being a great father and grandfather, but he says being a veteran in the Sunflower State is a pretty great experience because Kansans of all stripes honor their heroes. "Oh, I get complimented all the time. They say, 'Thank you for your service,' especially from the young kids. I think that is great! Because of my hat and my jacket, they say, 'thank you,' quite a bit," he said. If you want to nominate a veteran for our Veteran Salute, send an email to [email protected] or fill out our online contact form!