Raw Magazine-December 2000 For once Al Snow was all American! Snow left behind both HEAD and his vast collection of European costumes when the United States Navy came calling. Snow was sumnoned to Seattle Wa,to administer the oath of office to Sonar Technican Second Class Allen Holtsford,who serves aboard the submarine USS Alaska.Holtsford was re-elisting with the Navy and chose Snow as the man to do the honors. The ceremony took place aboard the submarine USS Ohio.After the ceremony,Snow was given a tour of the Ohio,which made the Lima,Ohio,native feel right at home. Snow was given the opportunity to run the submarine through some computer-based missile exercises. If you're a little uneasy about the prospect of a powerful nuclear sub being operated by a"unique"individual like Al Snow,you're not alone!

Al Visits Seattle Sub Sonar Technician Second Class Allen Holtsford is re-enlisting for five more years in the United States Navy, and he wanted to do something special when he took his oath of enlistment. "I was looking for something unique, something special," said Holtsford, 25. "This is a pretty big point in my career, it's pretty much marking the downhill slide toward my retirement. I thought it would be an awesome opportunity to have a special enlistment." One of Holtsford's collegues and peers, Chief Jim Ruddock, had an idea. Ruddock, one of the many World Wrestling Federation fans at the Submarine Base (SUBASE) Bangor, located eight miles across the Puget Sound from Seattle, contacted the Federation headquarters about having a superstar administer Holtsford's oath. With the Federation in town this Saturday for a live event at Seattle's KeyArena, Al Snow will take the 50-minute ferry ride across the Puget Sound to take part in the ceremony. It'll be a busy weekend indeed for Snow. He'll be flying to Seattle from his home in Ohio - quite an ordeal in itself - catch the ferry, take part in the ceremony, return to Seattle on the ferry, and then wrestle that night at the KeyArena. Snow needs to be in Reno, Nev., for another Federation live event the next day, followed by RAW IS WAR and SmackDown! in Phoenix the following two days. "It'll be a pretty tiring day," Snow said. "But I don't want to pass up an opportunity like that.    The 310 men at the SUBASE are among the most highly-trained individuals the armed services has to offer. According to Chief Ruddock, the crew is constantly training because technology on the submarine is always evolving. Holtsford couldn't talk about any of his missions - except to say he's been to Scotland a few times - because they're classified. The public is not allowed at the base, only certain invited guests, like Snow. The current European Champion will be given a tour of the facilities and get to meet and greet the crew. Camera crews from Superstars, which aired Sunday at 10 a.m./9 a.m. CT on USA Network, will be there, and you'll were able to see footage on the Sept. 17 episode. "I'd say this is probably one of the neater experiences (I've had), and I've gotten to do and experience an enormous amount because of my experience in the WWF," Snow said. "I got to go scuba diving in the Persian Gulf. (I) road a camel. That was just in Kuwait alone. I could just go on and on about the experiences that would basically be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I don't know how many people can say that they got a chance to go on a submarine and take a tour. I can't think of anybody, so I'm really looking forward to it." The crew is just as excited to see Snow as he is to visit them. "The whole crew would like to go, but that's not plausible because we've got to run the ship," Chief Ruddock said. "They're pretty happy, they're pretty excited. Anytime we can do anything outside the norm, the crew gets pretty excited about it. And this is a big deal for them." Added Holtsford, "I am stoked about it to be honest with you." The re-enlistment ceremony comes at an interesting time in Snow's Federation career. Rumor has it that Snow's current reign as European Champion may lead to some interesting situations on Federation television. Asked about those rumors, Snow said, "I'm the champion of all Europa. As always, (fans) can expect just about anything from me. I think my track record proves that. Nothing is beyond the possibility or good taste. I'm not just be the champion of Europa, but I actually represent the people of Europa. I am now going to do that in a different language from a different European country every week. And I will dress as those respective countries too."