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"Arrived NTC Sept, 61 and landed in company 451. Can't remember our CC's name but I know it was a chief who enjoyed hitting us with surprise sea bag inspections. We were on the second floor of the old barracks. One October afternoon I was on watch…"
"Was in Co. 454 starting mid Sept, 61. Our CO was a SMC, but don't remember his name but he was pretty mean. We worked off so many demerits mostly in the drill hall, but sometimes in the snow when he a felt like it. I got pneumonia by Nov and had…"
"In Dec 61, they called the misfits company 'Mickey Mousers' . I remember they gave them all green civilian suits for their trip home. Pretty sad. We had dumpster watches too, but I usually pulled clothesline watch. One of my favorite…"
"I served on the Mahan DLG-11 from 63 to 65. We ran plane guard for the Mighty O, CVA-34 around the Tonkin Gulf for a few months. Lots of liberties in Olongapo, Yokosuka and Hong Kong. Here is a picture of us doing a highline in the South China…"
"Hi James, My nephew is a gunners mate just turned 21 last month also got his GM3 crow on the USS Decauter. He already did a 8 mo cruise to the Persian gulf. Glad he is out of there for a while, that place is about to explode.
He did GL boot camp…"
He did GL boot camp…"
"Right out of boot camp, I was sent to USS Rankin AKA103 in Norfolk for a few months to wait for an opening in FT school. We made one cruise to Gitmo and Caribbean and did a few Condition 1-A's That's unloading the marine vehicles onto mike boats…"
"Yeah, they changed a lot of things over the years. By '61 they must have run low on M-1s, we got rusty Springfields without the bolts to carry everywhere.
They did not seem to care about maintenance on those rifles. Only time I remember handling…"
They did not seem to care about maintenance on those rifles. Only time I remember handling…"
"I started in company 454 in Sept, 1961 but finished last two weeks in Dec. in another company after being the hospital. We were considered an experimental company, 7 weeks instead of 9 weeks. We skipped Service week is all I remember. I don't…"
"I recommend that anybody connected with the USS Alabama read the book ' Wolf of the Deep' by Stephen Fox about the CSS Alabama and how they out manuevered the US Navy during the Civil War. Great story ! …"
"After 6 weeks of boot camp I was having a hard time getting demerits and pushing the piece too much. Then I came down with pneumonia. I was really hurting when I went into the hospital but within 3 days of rest and good drugs, I felt fine again. …"
"Remember getting rousted out at 5am every morning, to line up on the street to march to the chow hall for breakfast. As we stood freezing in line for half hour or so, we could hear Revielle go off in the brig nearby. Wow, we thought, even the brig…"
"FIRST THREE DAYS: Arrived at RTC from NY on 13 Sept 1961 in the pouring rain about midnite. Two DIs were yelling at us to get off the bus and line up. They led us to a barracks and issued ponchos so we could run around in the rain. Next morning…"
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I remember all the ports of call from '57 to '59 all along the Far East all the way down to Melbourne,Perth ,Darwin,Brisbane Pago Pago,Samoan Islands,then across to the East Coast to all the Carribbean Islands,GITMO,Northern Europe...then start it all over again...what a BLAST! Would be GREAT to be able to do it all over again,but A LITTLE DIFFERENT this time.
Hi Mick...being a tin can gunners mate,I recall being the one who fired the shot-line from my ship to other ships to begin the high-line transfer of fuel lines to us to refuel at sea,and for transferring very sick sailors strapped into the "boatswain's chair"for further med.treatment,or to recieve supplies.Sometimes a helo would pick up critically ill sailor,which was much better.