You need to be a member of Navy Veterans to add comments!

Join Navy Veterans

Comments

  • Hi David thanks for answering back. I was a B. T. 3. On board the coral sea 74. 79. Involved in evac of Saigon and rescue of tbe ss. Mayagriez in camboda. Went to boot camp san Diego. Ido miss it.
  • Hey David. I am 33 years old and in the US Coast guard. I am looking for N old navy vet named Bob Horton. I know he was stationed in the Great Lakes in 1984. He was a machinist mate. I have been trying to track him down for a while now to tell him something extremely important. 

  • Thanks for the welcome, David. Actually, Ibamvan Instrumentman (sister rate to opticalman); but was mothballed years ago and did not apoear on the dropdown list, so I couldn't select it.

    IMs often  were referred to as "Precision Instrument Repairman", and only served on repair ships, normally. (Howrever I had heard but never verified that we were sometimes assigned to aircraft carriers.) The sleeve symbol was a simpke caliper as were normally used by machinists to measure turnings.

    This was in the mid-sixties (pre-digital instruments). We repaired typewriters, mechanical calculators, various engine room  guages and tachometers, some mechanical navigation aids, and (my specialty) mechanical clocks and watches. I served aboad the Isle Royale, AD-29 from the fall of 65 through the fall of 67 - a two year reserve active stint, during which time we made two WESTPAC cruises out of our Long Beach home port.

  • Thanks for the photos. I have them other I took myself. I saw another on the Internet - a closeup of me tagged "Unknown Sailor." I laughed, since my son came across it and actually recognized me a 20-year-old.

  • Well David, I would certainly appreciate you checking out my backlist if you wish. Simply go to www.hoffmanhousepress.com and click on whatever interests you. Books are shipped to you directly from my affiliate store, Books Revisited here in St. Cloud, MN. Like you, I waited too long before writing "the Vietnam story" and I suppose there are pretty common reasons why many of us did that. But now that it's complete, I hope to release it next year and see what happens. I'm I little tired of all the Vietnam stories and movies featuring soldiers and marines. After all, the Navy launched the largest operation of the war - Operation Market Time. Most people never heard of it. So I hope change that. Meanwhile, if you wish to read a great nonfiction account of that operation order Thomas Cutler's book "Brown Water, Black Berets." (I've still got my black beret.) - Jim

  • David, Thanks for your welcome. Yes, I am an "older" Navy vet - 1964-1967 and two tours in Vietnam: 1st with the Riverine forces in DaNang and the second aboard USS Hoel, DDG 13. After my enlistment was up I went to college on the GI bill, studying English and Journalism and after a few years of teaching I became a newspaper reporter in Alabama, then an editor here in Minnesota. Reflecting often on my years in Vietnam and the lack of much good fiction featuring sailors, I made my sixth book of fiction about the Navy in Vietnam. The first sailor killed there was a friend of mine. Slept in the rack below me. But I've noticed that most of the literature/fiction about the war neglects the Navy's roll. So next year look for Red Sky at Morning, and I promise you it's a great Navy story that I think will appeal to all the old sailors - and maybe just in time since we aren't getting any younger. - Jim

  • Basically that's all I have.  I need the name of the ship he was on.  He was stationed at Barbers Point HI. Anything is appreciated. 

  • Thank you Dave.

  • You want stories you say....Hmm lemme think here...

    Ok for starters....My joining the Navy WAS NOT INFULENCED by alcohol.

    Me and some friends were at a local hang out...cannot remember the name but the owner WOULD NOT allow alcohol anywhere on the property.

    Got a little on the warm side one night...so several of us went outside for a smoke and some cooler temps...just sitting around BSn and one of the guys says "Hey lets go join the Navy...fast forward...spent the night at the friends house...next day (the only time in my life I ever skipped school)went to the Recuiters in Marnion Ill...he asked us WHY and I still don't know why....So after taking a written test we were told a couple of us would need parents permission(I didn't)So after all that I finally go home.Naturally Mom was worried and got really P Od when I told her what I did.She called the recuiter and he told her since I was 18 it was MY decision and unless there were medical reasons there was nothing she could do.1-2 of the other guys were told they needed parents permission and a couple just changed their minds.When I got home that day and told my Mom what I did she first got teary eyed and said she was gonna call the recruiter and when she did he told her since I was 18 it was my call and she could do nothing ...1 week later went to St Louis for the physical spent maybe couple of hours walking around butt necked and finally finished the physical...I passed with no issues..some of the others didn't due to medical issues...and some never showed up in the first place.2 weeks later I'm on a train headed for Chicago...got there in March and there must of been 6 inches of snow.2 Shore Patrols showed me and a few others which train the take to Gt Lakes..We walked into Camp Barry @ 1:30 AM March 5,1962 and it started going down hill from there...9 weeks later I was a Seaman Apprentice and got my first duty station.....I got orders to(insert drum roll here)ADCOM SECURITY USNTC GREAT LAKES...I was in BASE SECURITY

  • Actually being sent to VAH 6 was a whole new world to me..Only had to do @ 90 days of mess cooking and that was while I was stationed at NAS WHIDBEY ....Never had to do it again...This whole experience was a fantastic experience to me....I can honestly say during this period I NEVER GOT WROTE UP...well lets just say I never got caught ??

    Only wound up doing 90 days of mess cooking....at the SEAPLANE BASE at NAS WHIDBEY...then was sent back to VAH 6...It was around late 63 when VAH 6 wqs notified it would be sent to the EAST COAST and were stationed at NAS VIRGINA BEACH and then assigned to the USS FORRESTAL...I "DID" have a few pics but "WIFE 1" decided I didn't need them ....which eventually led to the BIG D...

This reply was deleted.