I entered the Navy in June of 1968. Boot Camp Co.#511 in San Diego, Ca. Went to VA-22 NAS Lemoore,Ca.attached to USS Bon Homme Richard. I then transfered to B-School in Millington, Tn. Then onto VA-75 NAS Oceana, Va. Beach, Va. & USS Saratoga. I then got sent to NAS Sigonella, Sicily. Then to VR-1 NAS Norfolk, Va. for 6 weeks then reassigned because of personnel cutbacks They gave me orders to Corpus Christie, Tx. but I swapped orders with another E-5 and I went to NAS Key West, Fl. Honorably Discharged in April of 1976. That is it. My time in the Navy were some of the best years of my life and I would never trade them for anything. I met a lot of very nice people while I was in and a lot of them I will remember foreever. I really appreciate what the Navy taught me and I thank them for showing me places that I otherwise would never be able to go. Thanks to all of you vets out there. Kenneth C. Huth ADJ-2.
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Continued from Mini-Mo to 4.0...
As soon as everyone caught wind that I didn't have orders in Orlando, I was shipped out within a couple of weeks to the USS Coontz DDG-40 up in Norfolk, Virginia. The USS Coontz had quite an illustrious career but it was quickly coming to a close.
The Coontz just returned from a Med Cruise with the USS Stark. Some of my shipmates even flew over to the Stark to help keep it afloat. Having talked to a couple of them personally, I'm not sure anyone in the country really knew how horrific the attack and damage was... and how close we came to losing the ship. I got to serve on board the Coontz with some true heroes.
It seemed every time we tried to get underway on the Coontz, we either limped or got towed back to the piers in Norfolk. It was an incredibly frustrating period. The boilers were shot on board The Coontz... and we continued to have major steam leaks everywhere, every time we tried to get underway.
As for me, I was a well-educated third class that had no practical electrical knowledge to actually get any work done. About all I did every day was to track down grounded circuits and equipment (a job that actually proved invaluable as I shifted outside the Navy from electricity & electronics to networking & software). Soon after joining the Coontz, we were told we'd be plankowners and would decommission her in Philadelphia Naval Shipyards.
Right before heading to Phili (our families didn't go), my wife and I found out we were expecting our first child, Bill. I went to Philadelphia for the next 9 months.... it was tough being a weekend husband. My wife started having some drug and alcohol issues during that time as well. I'd often come back from a week in Phili only to head to the pawn shop and get back some of our belongings she pawned.
In Phili, we stripped the ship bare... gave away as much as we could of our inventory to other ships, and quite a bit more found its way to the bottom of the piers at the shipyard.
For the first few months in Phili, I found love in exercise. I was benching 300, running and swimming every single day. I was a rock back then - never in better shape. I soon got bored and figured out, with the rest of the crew, that Philadelphia was quite a party town. For the next few months I partied.
My last few months I smartened up and realized that making E-5 was something I really needed for my family. We were beyond broke back then. I sat up every night and read through Navtech manuals and studied every single chapter of every single manual.
When the tests came for Second Class (EM), no one in E division expected me to pass. I not only passed, I made first increment and was immediately promoted. My division officer and EM1 were startled... they really didn't want me in charge and I didn't want to take on any leadership, so I coasted through to the decommissioning.
Then came orders... to the Gator Navy and the USS Spartanburg County!
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In 1965 with my graduation from high school complete I was looking for something new, something that was out of the normal order. I knew that I wanted to go to college but now was not the time. I was looking for something that would challenge me and give me new grist for the mill.I had always been an avid reader, a surfer, someone who enjoyed new experiences and the Navy seemed to fit that bill.I was seventeen and the war in Vietnam was heating up. My parents were very unsure about my choice but they ended up signing my papers. My father had been in the Army Air Corps and was partial toward the Air Force but I was a waterman and the Navy was always my first choice.I passed all my tests and was recruited into the U. S. Navy.Flying on the airline of the day Pacific Southwest Airlines, from San Francisco to San Diego (the one where the flight attendants called stewardess in those days, wore hot pants and white go go boots) landing with all the new recruits at the old Lindbergh Field was a great start to my new life. I was off to the Naval Training Center in San Diego.This was where and when my "new life" came into a startlingly clear focus!We were all standing out on the curb waiting for the bus to take us to the Naval Training Center. We were all laughing and waiving to the passing girls going by when this CPO came down the ranks and yelled: "attention you maggots", "stand at attention"!Well we knew he was serious, but I guess I did not know quite how serious he was until he was standing in front of me two inches from my face staring into my eyes. I was half grinning and he did not think anything at that moment was the least bit funny.The next thing I know a hand cuffs me across the back of the head, (this was before mothers started writing to their congressmen about recruit abuse), and a loud voice rang out in my ear: "don't you wiggle, don't you move and wipe that grin off your face - do you understand me boy". "Yes sir"I bellowed back. He leaned into my ear and said: "pick a lightbulb across the street and stare at it and do not breathe too loud". My adventure had begun!
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Hello to all my old Shipmates. I was on the USS Berekely from 1973 - 1978 It was the best time of my life. I hope you are all doing well. I have been looking for a bootcamp Navy buddy his name was Bruce Brown and was from Calf. he was on another ship on the west pack cruse. Please email me at admin@acer4.com if you have any info. Thank You
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After we left Vietnam, the Khmer Rouge enacted a genocidal policy that would kill over 1/5 of all Cambodians. After repeated border clashes in 1978, Vietnam invaded Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) and ousted the Khmer Rouge in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War. In response China invaded Vietnam in In 1979. The two countries fought a brief border war, known as the Third Indochina War or the Sino-Vietnamese War.
Leaving Vietnam didn't bring peace, it brought death and instability to the region. The country remains one of the worst in the world, ranked 142nd out of 157 countries for economic freedom, 155 out of 167 for freedom, 111 out of 163 for corruption. 58,000 of our own military gave their lives in the defense of freedom - and we failed to honor their sacrifices by keeping Vietnam free and prosperous.
For 30 years, our military has studied Vietnam and the impact of politics on the military. We KNOW there are going to be administrations and political forces that will seek to undermine any military action. That said, what did our current military leaders learn from history? I don't think we've learned enough.
We should not be surprised at the actions of the Obama administration or the ACLU. We know their vision of the world. We know that they believe in peace in passivity rather than force. Our military leaders know that history provides us with proof that this ideology is wrong. But we can't change that right now.
What we can change is our tactics on the battle field. Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib must not happen ever again. Our military knows that politicians and political groups will exploit every possible angle on how the military operates.
As a military leader, my message would be simple to my troops... take no prisoners. As an American fighting soldier, my logic would be simple.... I don't want to face the same enemy again that my brothers and sisters died to take prisoner. I don't want that enemy to ever walk on American soil and put my family at risk. I will take no prisoners.
Our military is good at one thing - fighting the enemy efficiently and effectively. We've been at war now for many years, and the precision that our military has executed to destroy the enemy is unprecedented. Our military is the best in the world. They are amazing young men and women that I am so proud to have been a part of.
40 years later and we know our military still sucks at politics. Our military still sucks at being a police force. Our military still sucks at taking prisoners. Our military isn't supposed to have to fight combatants that lack a state, are armed, and don't wear a uniform. They aren't enemy combatants defending a homeland or ideology, they are mass murderers wishing to destroy the very gifts that God provided us - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
They must not be locked up. They must not be allowed a defense. They must not be allowed to go free to kill again.
Let's stop using our military for what it's sucks at and, instead, optimize our training and orders to execute on what we're great at:
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Me and my wife have been den parents to a group of Marines that are currently stationed in 29 Palms MCB and we've been having a great time. My wife cooks up a storm and we all talk about the Marine Corps today and back in the day. We learn a lot from each other and we provide a safe environment for them and keep them out of trouble.Anyway,these guys all carry iphones and turned me on to some of these YouTube videos and I'm sure there are some for every branch of the military. Since i started this thread,I will start with,yes,of course,a Marine video. Feel free to add your videos here. ***Caution: Do not watch if you have virgin ears,lol.
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Posted by Douglas Karr on April 16, 2009 at 8:54pm
Since I helped start Navy Vets, you guys should know more about me. I joined the Navy after high school... basically because I was too lazy to go to college and I wanted to escape the dumb life I was living.
Old habits are hard to get rid of, so I brought my partying lifestyle right into the Navy. In boot camp, my smart mouth got me a 'mini-motivational tour' and quite a few visits to division officers sidewalk - once for trying to beat the heck out of my RCPO. I think Walker and Millhouse, my Company Commanders, were genuinely surprised that I had the chops to make it through and come back and graduate boot camp.
I went in the Nuclear Power program in Florida and made it all the way through Power School only to get my 'graduation' sucked out from under me because I was getting into a ton of trouble drinking.
I was busted from Third Class back to Fireman and worked nights all over the base at Orlando cleaning offices and shining floors. I was also sentenced to level 3 rehab - which I attended with about 50 hard core grunts from the Marine Corps.
For the next six months or so I kept my nose clean and the C.O. of the base reinstated my rank and expunged the bust from my records. (She laughed when I asked for back-pay!)
During this time I got hitched and, when my chit went through to move off base, everyone wondered why I was still in Orlando and not off to sea. It seemed like minutes, but I was shipped off to the USS Coontz within a few days!
More to come....
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By now, everyone has spent a small fortune on the usual goodies for Easter. You know what they are. And it doesn't matter if you have kids around or not. Those usual goodies, consisting of chocolate bunnies, candy eggs, marshmellow animals- bunnies and chicks, jelly beans, etc. Now I know, some are shaking their heads, saying....."Nope, not me" or " That's for kids" but I'm no kid and I love to snarf down those treats because....."Well, I am a kid at heart, dadburnit".And of course, Easter dinner is in work, also. Ham, potatoes, corn, green beans, dinner rolls. Jeez, now I'm hungry.But contrary to all those advertisements on TV and the talk about Easter egg hunts and new clothes and appliances on sale, the real meaning about Easter gets lost. It's a holiday to celebrate Christ raising from the dead. Regardless of your religious beliefs, Easter is celebrated by practically everyone. And there isn't any law about how you celebrate it. That's why we live in the USA. That's why we have defended this country. So we ALL have the choice to celebrate the way that we choose. That would be called freedom. Something that many take for granted. NOT Vets, past or present.Those of us that have been to foreign lands, see first hand what separates the USA from other countries. We see things that Americans say that they can't live without, absent from the everyday lives of persons in other countries. Some places, just having a car is a luxury. And other places, people look at having one as an inconvenience. Can you imagine these same places, having dreams about, new clothes for Easter, chocolate bunnies, "peeps", and ham dinners? Those things don't even cross those persons thoughts. To them, Easter, if their beliefs allow it, is a religious day. Hard to believe, huh? But, it is true.Me, myself......I'm gonna head into the other room and see if there are any jelly beans left, raid the fridge, grab a cold drink, and park myself in front of the TV and wait for wifey to get home from the store. Sunday, I'm gonna stuff myself with ham, potatoes, and other great stuff my wife is going to fix. Afterwards, just veg out. But I do promise this. I will bend a knee, say a prayer for loved ones, friends, and those less fortunate, and most especially, our military guys and gals away from home. And I will say thanks for all that I have been blessed with and promise to not take any of it for granted, or at least..........try. And I will say a thanks for all that paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. Especially Christ. Without the ultimate sacrifice having been paid by them, where would we be?Happy Easter to all my brothers and sisters out there, from my family to yours. If you, too, decide to follow my lead, say a short prayer for my family and me. Just know that you will be in mine. Take care."Dutch" Wegman
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Attention all Hamilton County, Indiana, Veterans ~ Any Branch of Service ~ Anytime Duty ~ Join the Hamilton County Veterans ~ $15.00 annual dues & a 10" HCV patch as shown on our web site: www.hamiltoncountyveterans.com.... Non Veterans Join our Auxiliary ... Join Us !
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Looks as though the concerns of VA benefits being cut may be premature as President Obama released his plans today for an impressive increase in VA healthcare benefits and expansion of the system...
I suppose I'm encouraged that the VA will finally be removed from the chopping block, where it seems to be found every year. On the other hand, celebration of the move may be premature as this may be a move to sell Universal Healthcare to all Americans.
VA healthcare has been lacking since its inception, so the bar for improvement is set pretty low by this move. Anything is an improvement. The real question is whether or not the rest of the country will appreciate a system that 'could be as bad as VA Healthcare'.
I'm actually a fan of universal healthcare - but I don't want it run by my government. Instead, I'd like to see healthcare companies have to compete for our money... and then keep us as customers and keep rates intact regardless of what job we find next or even whether we move to start our own business.
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I have been reading on cnn and fox news news sites about these hijacks at sea from these pirates, the U.S. Government knows where they operate from why don't we do something to these terrorists, I mean we are fighting in Iraq and in Afganistan to end terrorism but yet the political big shots are allowing a small under developed country take over the high seas and do what ever they want. Whats wrong with picture?Marvin R. LucasUSN-RET
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The humor and innocence of the United States Navy Sailor is captured in the unique and sportive tales of a salty master chief set in the final quarter of the twentieth century.Sweepers sweepers man your brooms is a phrase readily recognized by any Sailor who ever woke up on a United States Navy ship. In his Navy memoirs Retired Navy Master Chief Jeff Zahratka, a twenty six year veteran chronicles rich adventures that carry the reader to exotic settings from Karachi Pakistan to Severmorsk Russia. Sweepers Sweepers is a colorful story with uncanny notice of the odd occurrences that take place between the life lines of Navy ships and isolated shore establishments- not a story about bombs, battles, or spectacular explosions, Sweepers Sweepers Man Your Brooms is his story about how people of great diversity coexist in eighty-man bedrooms while living out of devices known as coffin lockers.Consistently found in the effectuation of extraordinary events, theubiquitous American Sailor may be found crawling through garbage in an equatorial Shellback initiation or baring their derrieres at a Soviet aircraft carrier while traversing the Cape of Good Hope. He may be discovered in hand to hand combat, not with a human enemy manned up at a fire control console on an Aegis cruiser, but with a toilet brush in a Greek hotel room, fighting to the death with a mutated species of an ancient Hellenic centipede.The author fails miserably at camouflaging his affection for the city of Pittsburgh and his long time devotion to their high powered sports teams. He provides many insightful moments relating to being a fan from afar through some of the greatest years in Steeler and Pirate sports history.The story is a rich and historically accurate account of a caste ofcharacters from seaman recruits with attitudes honed on tough urban streets, to brown juice spitting good ole boys that learned to love the sea. There are associations and first hand opinions on the actions of young naval officers who today are among the top ranking leaders of the force.Sweepers Sweepers Man Your Brooms is a tapestry of the social morays, historical events, and military technologies that define the character of the Navy for the last thirty years. The reader will experience sufficient history to educate, and an infusion of personal opinion which will serve as a catalyst for debate. Above all; however, the story will remind Americans why they love Sailors, and remind old Sailors of why they love the Navy.
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Posted by Douglas Karr on March 25, 2009 at 3:00pm
The United States Congress designated March 25th of each year as NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY, a day dedicated to Medal of Honor recipients. (Public Law 101-564).
If we have any Medal of Honor recipients on board, thank you so much for your courage and sacrifice to our nation.
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Greetings Everyone,I want to share a little thought with you today. On March 10th I posted a notice of the Assault Craft Veterans reunion in San Diego in May. I have wanted to go to other reunions this group had, but it seemed that I always didn't have the time or money to go.In preparing for this reunion, I thought I would try to get in touch with as many members from my original boat crew (LCU-1481) as possible, in the hope that they would attend and I could renew old friendships. I know some of you have read my former blogs where I told of losing two of my old buddies to cancer last year. Monday I was closing in on finding another one of the crew I served with, Harold M. Cosand Jr. We called him Skip and he was a month older than me. I was online doing a Google search and found a page with his picture. It had a timeline showing when he was born and when he died. I couldn't believe that he had been gone for so long (he died in 1996).Skip was a great kid and we got along very well. He lived in Port Ludlow, Washington. Not that far from me here in Idaho. If I had kept in touch with him after we got out, I could have visited him many times because I went to Seattle almost every year. Now what does this have to do with the title to my blog today?I just want everyone to know that time is so short, I am only 60 years old. Skip only lived for 47, Steve 59, and Lloyd 57 (I think). Now I have lost at least 3 of my very close shipmates. I am going to that reunion in May and I hope I will be able to see some old friends and make new ones. If any of you are waiting for next year or the year after to go to a reunion or even start a reunion of your own, don't wait! Time is running out on us. I know some of you are older than I am and know what I am talking about. Please take the time to make a few calls or get online and find some old buddies. You will be glad you did.Best wishes for all,Kelley
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Posted by Tim Gulliford on March 11, 2009 at 12:47am
Has Obama Snubbed the British Prime Minister?The Brits Say Yes.During Barack Obama's run for the White House; one of his perceived weaknesses was in international affairs. The new President's interactions with one of America's closest allies - the United Kingdom - may be proving the critics right. According to reports in various British media outlets, the U.S. President snubbed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown during his visit to the White House last week.On Friday The Daily Telegraph miffed:"President Obama has been rudeness personified towards Britain. His handling of the visit of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to Washington was appalling."The list of offenses is quite long. First, Obama is said to have cancelled a planned, podium-to-podium news conference with Brown, and also recently removed a bust of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill from the Oval Office. Adding further insult to the PM's visit were the cheap and thoughtless gifts that the President gave Mr. Brown and his family.Brown clearly took care in choosing his gift for President Obama, presenting him with a pen holder crafted from the timbers of the 19th century British warship HMS President. The HMS President's sister ship, the HMS Resolute had previously provided the wood for the Oval Office's desk. Therefore the PM's gift was clearly not a last minute thought.Obama, however, did not take the same amount of care in choosing the British leader's gift - 25 DVDs of American classic movies. In fact, some believe he put absolutely no thought in to it at all for several reasons: Brown could get these movies anywhere himself, and US DVDs are typically incompatible with UK DVD players. Oh, and Brown is blind in one eye.The First Lady's gifts to Brown's children - Fraser and John - have also been labeled equally as offensive as the gifts the President gave to the Prime Minister. Michelle Obama gave the two boys toy models of Marine One, one of the President's helicopters, that the Times of London says were likely pulled from the White House gift shop at the last minute.In contrast, Brown's wife Sarah came with much more thoughtful gifts. She picked out dresses and matching necklaces from the trendy UK store Top Shop for Obama's girls, Sasha and Malia, as well as a selection of books by British authors.Other British papers have been quick to point out that this simply shows that the once "special" relationship that the UK and US shared is no longer all that special.THE POINT IS:Great Britain is our greatest ally. Their troops have been fighting & dying side by side our troops.Without them who would we have??? Canada? If you would like to write to the British Embassy to apologize for our fumbling president & his wife who are rapidly taking our country down the road to ruin, please write to:British Embassy3100 Massachusetts Ave, NWWashington DC20008.
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Posted by Todd Wilson on February 26, 2009 at 5:00pm
I've been involved in trying to save Ewa Field for a while now and I would love your help also. Some members here expressed interest and you really can make a difference.Someday,we could be taking our kids and grandchildren to an air museum here and be apart of saving WWII history.Subject: SCR 24 Passed Today - Goes to Full SenateFrom: (Add as Preferred Sender)Date: Wed, Feb 25, 2009 7:38 pmTo:Cc: deleted personal infoHi Friends of Ewa Field,The SCR (resolution) was passed unanamously by bothcommittees and now goes to the full senate for a vote. I believeit will pass, based upon the general reaction I got from thesenators.Thanks to all of those who submitted testimony. The full recordshould be available in a couple of days on the "LEDG" website,and then there will be available a committee report explainingsome of the amendments.The resolution won't have any real TEETH to do anything, butwill be another nice political step that "might" help influencethe Navy and Hunt. Maybe we can get the Governor and Inouyeor Akaka to say something helpful once this passes.I read the attached one page doc aloud at the hearing, and then,surprisingly the senators made up of two committees, asked me alot of questions about Ewa Field history- so I went on for at leastanother 30 minutes or more about how I felt about everything, etc.We did talk about the importance of other military sites and thatmuch more should be done to save them and promote HeritageTourism to these places that mainland visitors would especially enjoy.They were actually pretty nice to me and seemed genuinely interestedin Ewa Field history, how it could be saved, etc. I kept my spiel fairlypolite and didn't say anything bad about the Navy or Hunt!Nancy McMahon was also there, but didn't speak for SHPD- but shedid say that they submitted testimony supporting it.Also- Rep. Sharon Har has introduced ANOTHER House resolutionversion of SCR24- named HCR49, and testimony will come up next week forthat.SO- if you would like to submit testimony- you KNOW the drill.I may also go down and speak again next week- because it was actuallykind of fun. Also- once you know the deal of getting to and from the Capitolparking area, it's pretty easy- on/off the freeway is a snap from there.DATE: Tuesday, March 03, 2009TIME: 9:45 AMPLACE: Conference Room 312http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2009/hearingnotices/HEARING_EBM_03-03-09_.HTMJohnSave Ewa FieldTESTIMONY: SCR 24COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGYTo: Senator Carol Fukunaga, ChairSenator Rosalyn H. Baker, Vice ChairCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND MILITARY AFFAIRSTo: Senator Will Espero, ChairSenator Robert Bunda, Vice ChairFrom: John Bond, Save Ewa FieldI, John Bond and Save Ewa Field, fully supports SCR 24 to have Navy Region Hawaii fulfill their lawful requirement for a factual and accurate Section 106 Historic Survey, as required by US Federal Laws and Statutes.Save Ewa Field believes it is very imperative that significant histories of land, buildings, structures, especially those relating to the hugely important World War II Era, be accurately noted and cataloged so that they may be preserved and studied by future generations and historians.We do not believe that the survey information that Navy Region Hawaii is using for this land transfer is accurate or defensible, and therefore they should be required to fulfill their obligations under preservation laws passed by the US Congress and as furtherdirected by the President of the United States under Executive Order 13287: “Preserve America”.Losing these important details and records means a loss of our shared National Heritage. Since many good people paid the price in blood and tears for the freedoms we enjoy today, we cannot allow a real estate transaction to wipe away forever important historic sites and buildings that are the symbols of America’s hard fought and valiant sacrifices in the Pacific War.The MAJOR HISTORIC POINTS about Ewa Field...Ewa Field is one of the first Airfields in Hawaii, hand carved out of Kiawe and Sisal Forest in 1925 and is currently 84 years old, as of 2009. Much of the work was done with picks, shovels and machetes- and only a very few mechanized tractors and dirt haulers.Ewa Field was the designated mooring site for the U.S. Navy’s Dirigible Program of the 1930’s, and later its mooring mast was converted into an air traffic control tower- one of the most unique at that time in aviation history. Ewa Field was considered “High Tech” in its day.4 U.S. Marines: Sgt William E. Lutschan, Sgt Karolo Micheletta, PFC William G. Turner, and PFC Edward S. Lawrence, were killed defending Ewa Field, against the direct enemy action of the Empire of Japan’s armed Naval Air Force. 2 civilians: Yaeko Lillian Oda (6 years old) and Francisco Tacderan (34 years old), residents from Ewa Community, were also killed as a result of the attack.Over Ewa Field was the widely depicted in films air battle between US Army P-40’s and Imperial Japanese Navy fighter-bombers. Pilots Taylor and Welch arrived from Haleiwa Airfield, still wearing parts of tuxedos, aloha shirts and armed only with light 30 caliber ammunition, and engaged an overwhelming number of enemy planes, shooting some down and dispersing the rest.Ewa Field was very likely the first place attacked on December 7 because it was the major USMC fighter base standing in the way of the air attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack on Ewa was so well coordinated and precise that it was clear that the Japanese Navy had spent considerable time and effort on taking out what they considered a very key tactical military fighter air base.Ewa Field Marines were the one’s send to Wake Island a week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. These Ewa Marines fought a heroic one month resistance against an overwhelming Japanese Invasion and it was the first time in history, for both the US and Japan, that a sea invasion force was successfully repelled by US forces. The Wake Island battle, where even Ewa Marine pilots fought in hand to hand combat, inspired the hugelyinfluential 1942 film “Wake Island”.Ewa Marines again rose to great WW-II fame and destiny during the Battle of Midway, when they conducted suicidal air missions against superior Japanese forces, losing their lives, but causing the needed distraction of enemy forces and resulting in the crucial sea battle tipping in the favor of the US Navy. The US Marine aviators were basically America’s Kamakazi, by knowingly flying to their deaths in completely out-classed planes in this epic air-sea battle.During 1942-1945 MCAS Ewa was the major Marine Aviation Headquarters in the Pacific during World War Two (WWII), a staging and transit point for all Marine Aviation assets moving into combat against the Empire of Japan’s Air, Naval and Ground Forces. The famous and decisive island invasion tactics of the Pacific War were largely concieved and developed at MCAS Ewa.MCAS Ewa is the birth place of Marine Fighter Squadron 214th, known as ”The Blacksheep”, including many other famous Marine Aviation units, and also where many famous USMC Aces were trained or formed into fighter squadrons.In July, 1944 MCAS Ewa was visited by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz.During 1944-45 MCAS Ewa was the predessor of today’s Camp HM Smith Pacific Command Headquarters- for then USMC General HM Smith.MCAS Ewa Field should be considered for National American Battlefield status and be placed on the list of National Historic places as a National Landmark, and made into a National Monument, for American citizens and visitors from around the world to see and remember when they come to Hawaii.The December 7, 1941 attack on Ewa Field was witnessed by three still living EYE-WINESSES from Ewa Village... Joel Fujita and his wife Francis, who both witnessed the December 7th attack on the Ewa Field main gate. Joel later served with the famed 442nd in Italy where he saw fierce combat and friends killed. Ramsay Hishinuma, who now lives in Aiea, was at Onelua Beach, Ewa Beach on December 7th and witnessed several US Navy and Japanese planes shot down and crash in the ocean or in the Kiawe trees around and near Ewa Field.****************** EWA FIELD MOVIES *****************The hugely influential early 1942 Classic film “Wake Island”...The US Marines that were featured in one of the greatest and most influential war films ever made were from Ewa Field! The movie was “Wake Island”, released within months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and it is credited with so many mass public enlistments in the military, especially the Marines, that military recruiters set up branch offices at nearly every theatre where the film was shown, signing up tens of thousands of recruits.MCAS Ewa was a major inspiration for “Flying Leathernecks”John Wayne and Robert Ryan co-starred in “Flying Leathernecks”, a intense WW-II Pacific Islands movie produced in 1951 by RKO studio chief Howard Hughes, which featured thrilling air combat footage and some actual scenes shot at Ewa MCAS, which was the hub of USMC Aviation in WW-II.*******************************************************************Ewa Field Historic Park - Pacific War History Museum, Ewa FieldThe Ewa-Kapolei area has an enormous opportunity to be the location of a major visitor attraction- The Pacific War History Museum.Imagine actor Tom Hanks lending his name as an Honorary Chairman, helping to raise money for this cause, and possibily director Steven Spielberg also appearing for a fund raising effort. It could happen... There is no Pacific War History Museum in Hawaii, yet Ewa Field has the land and the actual history that would make it the perfect location.It is entirely possible- if we can work together, to make this happen. The fact is, Ewa Field and the adjoining area, would be perfect because there are numerous interesting and very authentic WW-II quonset huts, aircraft hangers, fighter plane revetments, and of course, the authentic site of the actual December 7, 1941 attack, visible in the concrete ramp which was strafed by Japanese Zeros.The most significant air combat dogfights and air battles of December 7 all took place over, or adjacent to, Ewa Field. Ewa Field and the grounds that became Ewa MCAS are more directly tied into the History of the Pacific War than almost any other single location in the Hawaiian Islands.There is also a major air logistics history involving Ewa MCAS and the most classic of all airplanes, the C-47 transports, which still fly today in many places around the world. Among Marine pilots flying these Ewa planes was then very famous film actor Tyrone Power. Virtually all US Marine Pacific War planning and operational support was conducted through Ewa Field and Ewa MCAS, including most major fighter aircraft training and logistics support.It is extremely rare to find a still completely intact 1941 airfield, especially one that was attacked in the very first minutes of the greatest war mankind has ever witnessed! The real historic value of this is really astonishing- for people to actually be able to go out and SEE and touch the actual 1941 airfield. They can actually SEE the bullet strikes and cannon fire marks made by attacking Japanese warplanes on the morning of December 7, 1941. Still very visible are extensive concrete spauling from intense fuel fires as shot up planes burned up. This has NOT been paved over! Its still there, and an honest Section 106 historic survey will document this!Millions of visitors would greatly enjoy seeing this actual historic treasure. The millions of visitors to the USS Arizona prove that this is a very viable attraction concept. How dumb would it be to destroy an original American battlefield and site of great history for a shopping mall? Possible uses for an Ewa Field Historic Park would be as a location for filming movie and television scenes, hopefully including a major motion picture project and perhaps a regular television series. There has already been plans discussed for a Movie-TV Sound Stage at the Kapolei Business Park which would be a counterpart to the State’s Diamond Head studio facility.There are several buildings- Quonset Hut structures, Revetments, and a medium sized 1943 Aircraft Hanger which should be saved and which would make ideal structures for various historic preservation groups to display aircraft, vehicles and various other historic artifacts of a museum quality. These could also be the places where Historic Military Re-Inactors and groups with WW-II Era themed sets could have their offices and meetings.This would facilitate also their involvement with movie and television production organizations that might use the airfield.With some of this resolved hopefully, we can then move towards the next part of the process which involves the official creation of an historic park site, perhaps called Ewa Field Historic Park. The Historic Park could be the location for a variety of known local historic interest groups, including possibly now a Hawaii Military Vehicle Preservation Association group which is quite substantial and active on Oahu. Also nearby is the Hawaiian Railway museum which will soon have a fully operational steam locomotiverunning on several miles of restored and operational track.I think that based upon the land that the city will be conveyed, this could be joined together, with their consent of course, into a larger historic park concept. I believe it is fully in the City’s interest to do so, as what we can do then is utilize the National Park Service’s offer of a federally funded National Battlefield Protection grant to do the necessary survey work. Also there are other NPS grants also available for Heritage Tourism and ”Preserve America” grants which could actually be quite substantial, based upon other similar cases. Nearby Ewa Village is already a federally listed Historic District and the adjacent Oahu Railway line is also on the National Historic register.With proper historic preservation and an accurate historic look, the Ewa Field Historic Park could become a major international visitor attraction where people would come to see the historic WW-II December 7th airfield, see historic aircraft, vehicles, viewre-inactments with possibly even fly-overs of vintage WW-II aircraft that would be based on the old Barbers Point NAS side of Kalaeloa. It can all work together to be a very substantial theme attraction and employ many people in interesting and creative work opportunities.The really important aspects for the West Oahu community would be a new Ewa Field Historic Park with an aviation and WW-II Era military history theme providing a range of interesting and creative employment possibilities, but which could also be enjoyed as a public park facility with walking trails, bike trails, archery, baseball field, etc.We need to have a standard, and virtually ALWAYS done Historic Survey, called a Section 106 (Federal Preservation Law Statute) for this property, which consists of 150 acres of Public, Tax Payer purchased Federal Land, under the administration of Navy Region Hawaii, which is part of a BRAC Land Transfer. Normally, as has often been thecase, land like this would have been transferred to the Department of Interior and administered as National Park lands- which is what virtually everyone has wanted with the 150 acres called Ewa Field.The ENTIRE original 1941 airfield attacked on December 7, 1941- the concrete and asphalt-tarmac still is there! It has not been re-paved since the base closed in 1952! The airfield was greatly EXPANDED, and the Navy later built their golf course over the later base expansion. But- since the base closed in 1952, to this day, you can clearly see in Google air photos (really good USGS air photo data), that the original 1941 airfield was NEVER touched or re-developed- EVER!WHY is it that the original Navy Golf Course developers, the engineers who re-aligned Geiger Road, and the engineers who constructed the FAA beacon facility ALL carefully avoided the ORIGINAL 1941 airfield? Was it because they had RESPECT for the SACRED HISTORY of the 1941 airfield?Sincerely,John BondSave Ewa Field - National Monument - American Battlefield
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Well, today is my first day at this site and I'm truly having a blast remembering old commands and finding old pals. I am happy to see that vets that have an honest concern for other vets are doing something so we can keep in contact with treasured memories. God Bless you guys, this is great. BZ to creator of this site.
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Thanks for the Welcome! There are other sites I have tried to link into, but instead of getting shipmates back together, all they want is the money....I think I served enough time (13 yrs) to say we should not have to pay to reunite. If monetary funds are needed for some reason, then donations should be requested. Anyway, again, a sailor of 13 yrs in the Yeoman field. Semi retired (no benefits - get out or chance of getting kicked out in '92) and done it for the wrong reasons. Had a military wife that spent time in Iraq as a Corpman; spent 6 months there and found someone else she rather spend time with (damn Seabee); tried the separation thing but after 6 months, had a girlfriend that both ex and girlfriend dispised each other so I just decided to get away from it all. Wound going back to homestate of Georgia and starting new.Wow, on your website seen talk about bootcamp....how in god's name can anyone as old as we are remember that far back? I can remember being the greenhorn of the Navy. Mind you, I had a father that was a drill sargent in the Army, got treated like recruits do at home, so going into service was "scary" for a 19 yr old. Yea, those time were hell for someone that never ran or worked out before; but to be in Orlando with a female sister company...it had perks...I only wished I had pictures, but with 3 exwives since being in and after I got out, alot was lost...Had a great tenure though....After struggling with boot camp and getting set back 2 weeks for not knowing my officer ranking/ensignia's, I became part of the group that serviced officers...Yeoman.. Once I got into my first command (USS Mt Whitney LCC 20), I soaked up as much information as I could; sorta like a sponge...Command needed a Legal yeoman so after a year, sent me to school in Rhode Island and that was another experience. Loved the legal field though...it carried with me throughout my semi-career, especially at Aviation Schools Command where I was lead enlisted at YN2....Oh, stories to tell there....interesting to see if anyone else may have been stationed there at same time I was - '83 thru '86...maybe one day.I eventually got stationed onboard a carrier - Coral Sea - which went into decommissioning stages 6 months after arriving, so that was an experience within itself...I stayed through decommissioning, taking care of paperwork for officers and enlisted until scrap day.....My next duty station was requested for advancement purposes, but went to a Cruiser as Ship's Secretary. That was a job that was rewarding. Went there as YN2, billet was for YN1, another shipmate came in after I did (he was already YN1), so we sorta shared the responsibilities. About 3 months later my results came in from testing and I made YN1, so my life became better. First class lounge was one break we all looked forward to.....Well, enough blabbing for now...of course we all have stories to tell and I can conjure up enough to keep everyone interested, but will savor the excitement for now....I look forward to conversing to other shipmates (boy I miss the comraderie) and possible getting to know my long lost shipmates. Again, thanks for welcoming me and look forward to an interesting "recalling the memories"...Sincerely,William BarronSemi retired YN1
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Posted by Douglas Karr on February 2, 2009 at 12:09pm
Someone left me a bit of a cryptic phone message that they were getting SPAM from NavyVets.com, or perhaps, phone calls. We don't request anyone's phone number, nor do we release any of the private information you've supplied on NavyVets.com.
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Doug
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