Well gents,I know I should drop by more often and at least say hello, but you know a lot of times I plan on dropping by and just plain forget, 76 years is a lot of years I guess,,I don\'t feel that old,, but I know I am.. A guy down the street was showing us his 8mm film of flight deck operations on the oriskany, right away I was reminded how much I missed the hawk and couldn\'t stop talking about the good times and the other times also,,a bunch of old carrier guys,,the talk is going to be about one thing,,good times and the best friends in the world.
well guys the best to all of you, wish I could do it again. lol
Well my time in the Navy started real early as I went to boot camp at 17 years old. When it came time to get orders I was not eligible for schools so I got orders to a small Axillary Ship the USS Begor APD-127 but it was being put into mothballs and the reason I was there was to do work that even the base prisoners were not allowed to do. More or less I was a slave and just a boot to do all the dirty jobs down in the Boiler Rooms. After about 30 days I was given orders to the USS Kitty Hawk birthed on North Island. I remember
being so awe struck with the eminence size of the ship.
Well I was assigned to B Division and was in #2 boiler room for a while and then I was put into the Oil Lab where we handled the ships fresh water after the distillation process. We also were in charge of the pumping of the fuel oil used in the ships 8 big 1200 pound steam boiler. The testing of the oil and of the boiler water was done around the clock.
I got into trouble and as they say ( if you do the crime you must do the time )I left the Kitty Hawk in Hawaii for a 77 day visit with the Marine detachment. And two weeks later I was reassigned to the sister ship the USS Constellation stationed back in San Diego. And of course I was still in B division and was there till May 1966 the day the hip left for another west pack.
Here is the memory challenge I often tell many stories all true but the time line is where I have problems Ok who was there and remembering on witch ship and with west packs and on both ships I have to keep checking up on the time line.
I know that one special event was on the Kitty Hawk I had lunch with John F Kennedy it was while he was being escorted down the second deck past the chow line he grabbed a tray much to the dislike of the secret service escort and the Marine personal. I and about 9 others were seated at a table in the mess deck and he just asked each of us different questions I was asked where I was from. I have a sharp memory and like telling others the good the bad and fun and excitement of Navy life most civilians just don't understand.
