Land of the Free Because of the Brave

As I pause today to honor those who serve our country, I thought I would share the words of my sweet Daddy. Several years ago, I asked him to write down his memories of his time in the Navy. So interesting to know his perspective as a young adult. Those years shaped who he is and the respect and love he has for our country. I'm grateful for his service, as I am for all that came before and after.

I joined the Navy (to see the world) in June, 1963 right out of high school. For several reasons. First, I had no inclination to go to college; I had been in school for 13 years (including kindergarten) and I wanted a break. Although I graduated with a low-B average from a very good private college prep school, I was not a very good student and did not relish spending another four years in school. Obviously, I still had a lot to learn. Secondly, my other brother Bob had joined the Air Force right after high school, and seemed to be having a pretty good time regardless of having to spend 18 months in Turkey. And finally, there was no sufficient means in my family for us to attend an institution of higher learning, although I surely could have gotten a job and tried to work my way through. Dad was already working many evenings and weekends just to put all of us through the Catholic high schools.

Basic training in the Navy was either at Great Lakes right outside of Chicago, or in San Diego. In the last real choice I had regarding what I did in the Navy, I picked Great Lakes since it was June and I thought the summer would be a bit cooler there. Upon completion of Basic, I was able to go home for two weeks before coming back to Great Lakes training center to go to school for another year (see earlier comment about having a lot to learn)! Anyway, going home was simply great - of course I had never been away from home for more than a week or so, and I wanted my Mommy! Bob happened to be home on leave from the Air Force and we actually double-dated a couple of times. This was totally unheard of, since to him I had always been the un-cool little toad brother. But we were now brothers-in-arms, so some allowances were made.

I went back to school in Great lakes, and later ended up going to San Diego anyway. Ultimately I was ordered to report to the USS Midway, a 20-year old aircraft carrier that was somewhere between the Pacific Ocean, affectionately called WESTPAC. For the unwashed among you, the ship Midway was named in commemoration of perhaps the most important naval battle of World War 2: I was honored. We flew out of California sitting on an Air Force 707 stopping in Hawaii and Guam with the ultimate destination being Subic Bay (largest US Naval base in WESTPAC) in the Philippine Islands.

After spending several weeks in Subic without our ship showing up, we flew to Yokosuka, Japan, home of the second largest US Naval base in WESTPAC. Japan in the 1960's was neat much more civilized than the Philippines and probably nothing like it is today. The people were very cordial to American servicemen and we had a lot of fun. After two weeks in Yokosuka, the Midway finally came in and I got to go aboard the ship that would be my home for the next two years. After cruising around for a couple of months, we went back to our home port of Alameda, California (across the Bay from San Francisco) in early Summer of 1964.

I went home on leave in July 1964 and again for Christmas that year. It was great being home in Kansas and being 18 years old - I could legally drink beer! In August of that year, the Tonkin Gulf incident took place, which was a major escalator of the conflict in Vietnam. However, we stuck to what was our standard training schedule of carrier qualifications for pilots. When I went back to the ship after Christmas leave, a lot of guys had been transferred or discharged, and a lot of new guys were there. One of the new guys was Charlie Morealle, who became my best friend in the Navy and for many years after.

The Midway was due to sail back to WESTPAC in May, 1965. However, another major escalator took place in February when the Marines at Plieku were almost overrun by Charlie (the Viet Cong, not Moralle). The midway crew threw everything together and sailed from Alameda in early March, stopped at Hawaii t pick up the rest of our Air Group, and then sailed for Subic Bay with a heavy training schedule every day. At Subic, we docked for 24 hours and worked around the clock loading up on bombs, bullets beans and butter (old naval slang). then we took off for what was to become known as Yankee and Dixie Stations, the coast off of North and South Vietnam. We spend 60 days at sea, our plans constantly attacking enemy positions up and down the coast. The 60 days was a record. Other than submarines, since the Korean War, the longest any surface ship had been at sea was about 15 days. 

After that first 60-day stint, we did manage to get into port about every 2-3 weeks. we went to Subic most often, since that's where all of the supplies were. However, we did go to Japan and we also visited Hong Kong, which of course at that time was still a British Crown Colony. The contrasts in Hong Kong were amazing. It was and is one of the world's largest financial and trade centers with beautiful homes, office buildings and hotels (Charlie and I stayed at the Hong Kong Hilton and celebrated our 20th birthdays there); yet the majority of people seemed to live in the most abject poverty imaginable.

Being on a Navy ship off the coast of Vietnam did not really seem like being in the war; we were not getting shot at , and we felt pretty safe. Of course the pilots had to fly right into it every day, and a lot of the aircraft came back with a lot of holes shot in them from ground fire. The whole thing was a very sobering and maturing experience for me and I consider myself lucky to have experienced it.

We went back to California right before Thanksgiving 1965, and Charlie's Dad (Morealle, not the Viet Kong) and his best friend were there to meet us. We spent that first night back in the good old USA night clubbing in San Francisco and had dinner at the Top of the Mark (Mark Hopkins Hotel). The next day we drove down to Los Angeles and spent Thanksgiving weekend in Charlie's Dad's new home. Constant party for the returning heroes. His whole family was really great, and I had one of the best times I've ever had.

I went home again on leave for Christmas 1965, and met several new girls! Mom had done a really unique thing for me on my 20th birthday and requested a card shower for me in the Wichita newspaper I received about 30-40 cards (some with pictures!!) and I answered them all over Christmas leave. I met about five of the girls who had written to me. It was really a very fun time. The Vietnam War was just getting in to the public eye, and there was a lot of controversy or curiosity about it at that time. We all had lots to talk about, and a few beers, too. 

Back to the ship - in April 1966 the Midway went into the San Francisco for a 4-year overhaul and modernization. When this happens, the trip is decommissioned and all the crew is reassigned.  At this time I had less than six months left on active duty - I was scheduled to get out on my birthday. Rumor had it that if you had less than six months to go, you would not be sent back overseas since they are required to have you back in the states at least 30 days prior to your last day of service. Someone didn't pay attention, and I was ordered to the USS Pyro, an ammunition ship that was currently in WESTPAC. Here we go again...

I went home for my last leave in April - drove down through southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico with a couple of buddies; they spent a night at our house in Wichita and then went on to the east coast. After leave I flew back to Subic Bay - this time in a commercial airliner with movies drinks, stewardesses and everything! The war was really gearing up. I waited a couple of weeks in Subic for the Pyro, and then spent only a couple of months on her before they sent me back home for my discharge. Seemed like a waste of taxpayer money, although at the time I didn't think much about it.

The trip home for the last time was something all of us had been waiting for. After getting off the ship several buddies and I spend about a week in Subic before we got transportation to California. Didn't have anything to do but wait and party. As a matter of fact, the song 'The Last Time' by the Rolling Stones had just come out and we adopted it as our theme song. It didn't have anything to do with getting out of the Service and going home, but the title fit and we wore it out on all of the jukeboxes. 

One of the strangest moments in my life occurred when we got on the plane to fly home. It was a medical evacuation flight and there were about 20 wounded soldiers on stretchers lining the walls of the aircraft. We were sitting placing the rear of the plane again and at the last minute the dropped the loading ramp under the tail and brought several military caskets down right in front of us. These guys were truly going home for the last time.