John Gradwohl, both a Navy veteran and an artist, prepares to perform for Stubbefest as Professor Bubblemaker outside of the Dils Center in 2018. (Photo provided)

PARKERSBURG – John Gradwohl said some of the skills he uses today, from repairing theater equipment to creating bubble shows with lights, music and projections, trace back to his time in the Navy.

Gradwohl, 64, of Parkersburg, served in the Navy from 1982 to 1992 and left as a petty officer third class, or E-4. He served during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, working as a missile fire control technician assigned to a ship self-defense system.

Gradwohl said he initially joined the Navy because of the technical education opportunities. He had studied some theater and video before enlisting and originally hoped to become a photographer’s mate, but said the Navy assigned him to missile work instead.

“I was assigned to a self-defense system, which means that basically we shoot down the guys that are coming to shoot the ship,” he said.

Gradwohl said that role fit better with his personal outlook because it was defensive and he views himself as a pacifist.

The hat of Navy veteran John Gradwohl where he displays various pins and recognizes his service in Desert Storm. (Photo provided)

“The Navy, or the military, and I think in a general sense, is very good at training people to live, survive, even thrive in difficult situations that most people will never have to encounter,” he said.

Gradwohl said his battle group remained in the region after major combat operations had ended.

“We said we were there for Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Desert Stay,” he said, adding that while announcements were being made about troops returning home, he and others saw the news later “on a ship’s video, sitting in a minefield.”

He left the Navy about four months after returning home from Desert Storm. Gradwohl said he got off a plane still wearing his dress blue uniform because his luggage, including his civilian clothing, had been lost. He went straight from the airport to freshman orientation after applying to return to college.

Gradwohl later used his military experiences in a one-act play he wrote for a college class. He said the play dealt with loss and the way service members can be conditioned not to feel.

John Gradwohl, aka Professor Bubblemaker, performs in the 2019 Parkersburg Christmas parade. (File photo)

After the Navy, Gradwohl continued working in entertainment and technical theater. He has been involved with the Actors Guild of Parkersburg, where he said community theater often requires creativity, problem-solving and making large-scale sets work with limited resources.

“Every community theater that I know of is scrambling to make billion-dollar sets on a nothing budget,” he said.

Gradwohl said the “find-a-way” attitude he developed in the Navy has carried into that work.

“They know that when they put you out in the fleet, there’s not a Radio Shack on the corner to run to,” he said of Navy training. “A lot of that kind of find-a-way attitude probably comes from my naval service too.”

He also worked as a pyrotechnician after leaving the Navy, joking that he “started off blowing stuff up for Uncle Sam” and would later “blow stuff up for the public.”

John Gradwohl, also known as Professor Bubblemaker, performs during the 2016 Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival in Parkersburg City Park. (File photo)

Gradwohl now performs as Professor Bubblemaker. He said the act began after he saw a display of bubble toys while working retail and realized bubbles could become part of his comedy act. Over time, he began performing at street and art festivals, then added theatrical lighting, music and other production elements.

This year, Gradwohl said he is working on a show called “Peace, Love, and Bubbles,” which he expects to preview in the fall. The show will include music, video, projection mapping and moving lights.

He said the message behind the show is to follow dreams, choose peace and love, and stay young enough to be silly.

Gradwohl said he expects to appear at the Mid-Ohio Valley Multi-Cultural Festival and may also perform at Belleville Homecoming this summer.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com.