Enlisted or not! This room is for everyone!
All are welcome to join this group!
I just thought there should be a place anyone who served at any time at any command could go and throw out a thought, ask a question or gripe!
Time in rate
I saw an old post about age requirements to advance.I don't think there was an age requirement.I was a kiddie cruiser.Joined 2 weeks before my 18th birthday.I hit the testing schedule just right.I was a Radioman when they were rating at 100% during the Cuban missle crisis.I made RM2/E5 in less than 3 years.
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I remember a little about the mess decks on the Big E. We shared our meals with 500 lb. bombs resting in those caddies, (not sure about the technical term for them), positioned right next to our tables. And ordnance technicians working on arming devices just a few feet away.
Bombs and Breakfast. Interesting way to start each day. I also seem to recall an old juke box somewhere in that area too, that had a very dated collection of records in it. Those were the days. That song by Mary Hopkin wasn't in the juke box tho. But it should have been me thinks.
In the 80's on the Truxtun we had a library, it was small but it was a library. In those days we had a tv station. My second tour on the Truxtun, the only book I read was my notes for my Surface Warfae Qualification, in the process I had to get my Damage Control Quals - like everyone else and I had to become a DC signer.
Now a days they have internet and email! Not to mention DVD movies in berthing compartments.
Times have changed alot since our time David.
In my day, the books like that we had were "The Executioner" and "The Destroyer". Both were a lot of BS, but kept the mind occupied while underway. They tried making aTV series show about "The Destroyer" but it only lasted one or two shows.
I have a question for you old salts from the fifties and sixties. Do any of you remember the old Burns Bannion detective books by Earl Norman (Norman Thomson) from that era? Burns Bannion was a GI that stayed in Japan after WWll to study karate and became a PI to support himself. Some of the titles were "Kill me" in Yokohama, Shimbasha,Yosiwara, Atami,Yokosuka and Rappongi. It is said that Norman Thomson had been Air Force and stayed in Japan. These were fast moving detective paper backs that got passed around from Sailor to Sailor, to pass the time away, between the days the Eagle deficated.. I cleaned this up a bit. ha I never was an avid reader but these thin paper backs got me hooked on detective stories . The books were available at the PX but got passed around until they were shop worn. Guess I wasn't the only one who liked them. I recently remimbered the Series and looked them up on Amazon. To my surprise, One was listed for $100.00 . Seems they are now collectabkes, Maybe we Sailors, from those times, are also collectables now...I would like to think so..
Amen to that Gene - the old saying goes - you get more flies with honey then you do with vinagar!
Mess Deck Story....I always heard the old saying "Don't bite the hand ,of the one that feeds you" but this is a story of "Don't bite the hand of those you feed".We had a 1st class cook on the McKean and he was an unusual dude. A By the book sailor, who, when we would try to get something to eat, on the mid witch, would tell us we were not special and had to wait till moring rats. He was a baker and made the best sweet roles I have ever eaten.and several times we would try to go to the ness deck and get some but no luck. Well he left a pregnant wife in Long Beach and got a letter saying she was having problems just befoe giving birth. He was a mess over this. Way more grumpy than usual. We , in the radio room, decided to try to help him get into contact with her. We hooked him up with KMI Oakland and he got to talk to her several times. The birth went well and his attitude changed. From then on, every mid watch, in the radio room , someone, from the ness deck brought a tray of sweet roles and a couple of cartions of Brick ice cream up. He was the best friend a Radioman could have, for the rest of the cruise.. Never hurts to lend a helping hand ,as you never know when you will need one.
On board the Annapolis, we had the mess hall open nearly 24 hours a day. We had Marines leaving and coming back at odd hours, Nearly 500 radiomen working a floating relay station and multiple shifts, I guess I really got used to the eve shift, because I worked after the navy the 4-12 shift for nearly 15 years and loved it.
FYI,I read Outback is giving 10% discount from now till July 4,on all meals.
And if anyone shops at Yankee candle,I found out today they are giving 10% discounts on all purchases.Don't know if it is year round or not,Just saw a little sign by cashier said ask for dscount,
Now if only Petsmart would have 10% discounts,my cats wouldn't leave the store.
I never had midrats my first time on the Truxtun, we had a 1st class mess. I never had midrats on that tour, mainly by the time rats was served I was in my rack. The mess was lucky to get a couple of loaves of bread, some mustard and one of those two foot long thong og bolonga. When I went back to the Truxtun in 85 the 1st class mess was gone, they took it out during the 82-84 overhaul in Bremerton. I came back as a chief and I thought that was a slap in the face to the first classes! I did have rats on my second tour on the Truxtun, I did stand watches as on the bridge as JOOD for my quals for ESWS. On Saturday nights when rats were served in the chief's mess, once those that were going on watch, if there was something left over we got a snack.
On board the USS (GUAM LPH-9) in the First Class Mess, we were lucky, we had left over Alaskan King Crab legs and steamed shrimp, it's I good thing I made some sandwich's, otherwise I would have been mugged walking down to the fire room at midnight!! But I did share my mid rats with the watch team, we steamed those boiler's 24 hour's at flank speed on our to Somalia, during the first GULF War!!
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