I started my military career at Bainbridge, Maryland for boot camp which lasted for 12 weeks. After boot camp I reported tot eh USS Tarawa which was soon to head out for a world cruise. The Korean War was just recently over so we embarked on a little clean up duty and had some scary times. That lasted about a year and two months after which the ship went in for some repairs. After the repairs were completed we headed out for Guantanamo Bay on a training cruise and back to home port in Rhode Island.

I then transferred to the USS Forrestal (plank owner #781) for a couple of cruises and then found myself back at Norfolk, Virginia. Next on the ‘duty roster’ we had a thing called the Jordanian Crisis (small war) to deal with. Not long after Jordan there was the Lebanon uprising to deal with.

The USS Liberty was attacked by Israeli fighters and torpedo boats at the same time and the Liberty nearly sank. We lost 34 US souls during that attack.

Onward to better times in 1957 when I shook hands with both Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly in October.

1958, served on the USS Iowa.

1959, served on the USS Saratoga.

After the USS Saratoga I pulled shore duty in Norfolk, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida.

1961, Bay of Pigs.

USS Ranger in to the South China seas.

Shore duty.

USS Forrestal during the well-known fire in the Gulf of Tonkin, 134 souls lost and 161 injured. This was a day that boys became men.

Interesting places I have been:

Panama Canal
North Atlantic
Falkland Islands
Norfolk, Virginia
San Francisco, California
Jacksonville, Florida
Mayport, Massachusetts
Quansit Point, Rhode Island