Jackie and Arthur met in the Navy while on watch on the bridge of USS Ronald Reagan. Arthur made a habit of coming up to Jackie's watch station to tell her a daily (corny) joke. Later on, they were picked to be on the same construction team for the USS Ronald Regan. Boldly, Arthur told Jackie "We are going to become best friends one day." Skeptical, she responded "Yeah, okay...."
We had been dating about a year when we embraced our first challenge as a couple. Three different ships were going to hull swap - Arthur was going to Japan for 6 months; Jackie was going to South America and then back to CA. We didn't want to lose each other so we decided to become a long-distance couple, with all its challenges.
Once Arthur was settled in Japan, Jackie flew out to visit him. The 10 day trip was incredible! His plan for the proposal included a hike with a view of Mt. Fuji. Eventually they arrived at viewpoint overlooking a frosty Mt. Fuji on a January day. While preparing to pose for a picture with Mt. Fuji behind them, Arthur got down on one knee and asked Jackie to marry him. She didn't know it at the time, but one of Arthur's friends had been nearby to capture the whole thing.