March 23rd, 2007, Mayport, Florida.
Let's go back. March, 1968 Newport News Drydock and Shipbuilding Company. Newly graduated from IC-B School, 33 weeks of intensive system training from all disciplines of mathematics to navigation and guidance and internal communication shipboard systems, we were a select group of career Petty Officers, mostly 1st class and one chief. There wasn't anything that collectively we could not do to maintain all the Interior Communications Systems aboard the soon to be commissioned U.S.S. John F. Kennedy CVA-67.
Reporting aboard to a civilian shipyard was a new and unique experience to all of us. It was my second of two pre-commissioning details. The neat thing was that unlike reporting aboard a ship where you were the only new one aboard everyone was new aboard however many of us had been classmates at Great Lakes Naval School Command. Now we were part of Detachment "A".
I could go into deep detail of what we did at NNDSC but I will at this writing condense it to the fact we spent 6 months working along side the Electronic Systems Test Group (ESTG). We spent many 10-12 hour day validating all the systems assuring that everything had been installed and was working properly.
My memories are primarily with the men I worked with. I can say men because at this point in time of the Navy there were no women assigned to combat ships.
There was the Senior Chief J E Brooker who's passion was the 3M program which he wrote. ICC Bob Stutz, my Chief and friend. We carpooled at "B" school. He had a Ford Mustang that did not care for Lake Michigan winters. IC1 Charley Hoyt, who's sister calls him by his middle name Gillom. (sorry Charlie). IC1 Ronnie K Parker. He, IC1 Gary E Sheldon and I carpooled from Norfolk to Newport News each day. Gary drove some on his own in his little Opel Cadet. Ronnie had this '67 Dodge Charger with a Hemi, a real mean street machine. IC1 M. D. Kovacs and IC2 J. E Dean who were attached to the Flight Deck crew and we didn't see them all that much. Then there was the proverbial curse like a sailor IC1 Danny R. Shaw. IC1 Tom D. Larivey lived close to me in Norfolk and we visited some. There were a lot of 2Nd and 3rd class who were more isolated from us on the ship, and we didn't have the bond as those mentioned.
We all started out on the first JFK Med cruise in '69, but Parker and Sheldon left us mid way through the cruise on a COD and went to the FDR. I never saw Sheldon again since, but Parker and I connected in Morocco at Sidi Yahi when I made a technical trip from NAVCOMUNIT London to do some training.
I connected with Chief Stutz a few years back and we have kept in contact and did not meet up again until recently at the JFK Decommissioning Ceremony at Mayport, Florida.
When we were made aware of the De com being closer than expected, Bob began searching for some more of our shipmates. He located Charley who in turn found Ronnie.
We all made it a point to meet up for the ceremony. Ronnie came from Houston, Charlie came from Port Arthur, TX and Bob came from San Diego.
Needless to say the years since we saw each other had caused us to grow if you know what I mean. Bob and Charley I could have picked out in any crowd, but Ronnie who never was over 155 pounds had made up for it. He says retirement did it to him. I just wonder what they thought of me. I never was very big, but I overcame that too.
It was really great to be with them again. The time passed like lightning. When you have served together in the service (the branch doesn't matter) there will be those who stick in your fondest memories. It would have been great for the rest of the gang to have been there and maybe in the future we will be able to include them. I think of the WWII vets who are diminishing and you get a sense of urgency for some reason.
Bob, Ronnie and I both bunked at the same hotel in Neptune Beach. Charley whose sister lives in St. Augustine stayed with her and we met up with him at the ceremony. Bob, Ronnie and I congregated in Ronnie's room. Talk about catching up. I think Ronnie who went on to get into the LDO program and advanced to LCDR making a long 30 year career had the most facinating stories. He and Bob saw each other in San Diego over the years since Bob retired and worked at SupShips.
Ronnie still had some of his little idiosyncrasies or tick. i.e. he has this habit of brushing or smoothing with his hand. As he told some of his experiences he would constantly smooth the bed spread with his hand. Another is when he isn't doing anything he will pick at his finger as if something is there or he is trying to remove his skin. lol. Not to say this is good or bad, but it is some of the trademark things about him.
Bob has this gift of really listening. He will look straight at you and appear to be studying you as if to try to figure you out. Good luck on me.
Charlie is the one who has calmed down and now lives a life that is good. In our younger days Charlie could make a train whistle sound that you thought was a train. He never did that this time and we didn't ask him to.
Well the De Com ceremony lasted about a hour and forty five minutes. Then it was over. All the ships company marched off and the Skipper was the last one. The commissioning penant and the Ensign were lower for the last time and as quick as that she was no longer a Navy Vessel.
Where did the last 39 years go. It went with doing all those things that change us one day at a time. It went with raising children, seeing them graduate from college and then seeing your grandchildren born. Everyday we look into the mirror and we don't see the subtle changes in our faces and hair. We don't notice and those who we are around don't notice it either, because they are changing at the same rate you are. I know 39 years has taken its' toll on me. "I look in the mirror with total supprise at the hair on my sholder and the age in my eyes."
Bob, Charley, Ronnie, it was great being with you for that short time. I guess if we had lived and stayed together over the years we would have thaken it for granted, but just those few hours were precious. Take care my buddies, lets do it a gain.
Let's go back. March, 1968 Newport News Drydock and Shipbuilding Company. Newly graduated from IC-B School, 33 weeks of intensive system training from all disciplines of mathematics to navigation and guidance and internal communication shipboard systems, we were a select group of career Petty Officers, mostly 1st class and one chief. There wasn't anything that collectively we could not do to maintain all the Interior Communications Systems aboard the soon to be commissioned U.S.S. John F. Kennedy CVA-67.
Reporting aboard to a civilian shipyard was a new and unique experience to all of us. It was my second of two pre-commissioning details. The neat thing was that unlike reporting aboard a ship where you were the only new one aboard everyone was new aboard however many of us had been classmates at Great Lakes Naval School Command. Now we were part of Detachment "A".
I could go into deep detail of what we did at NNDSC but I will at this writing condense it to the fact we spent 6 months working along side the Electronic Systems Test Group (ESTG). We spent many 10-12 hour day validating all the systems assuring that everything had been installed and was working properly.
My memories are primarily with the men I worked with. I can say men because at this point in time of the Navy there were no women assigned to combat ships.
There was the Senior Chief J E Brooker who's passion was the 3M program which he wrote. ICC Bob Stutz, my Chief and friend. We carpooled at "B" school. He had a Ford Mustang that did not care for Lake Michigan winters. IC1 Charley Hoyt, who's sister calls him by his middle name Gillom. (sorry Charlie). IC1 Ronnie K Parker. He, IC1 Gary E Sheldon and I carpooled from Norfolk to Newport News each day. Gary drove some on his own in his little Opel Cadet. Ronnie had this '67 Dodge Charger with a Hemi, a real mean street machine. IC1 M. D. Kovacs and IC2 J. E Dean who were attached to the Flight Deck crew and we didn't see them all that much. Then there was the proverbial curse like a sailor IC1 Danny R. Shaw. IC1 Tom D. Larivey lived close to me in Norfolk and we visited some. There were a lot of 2Nd and 3rd class who were more isolated from us on the ship, and we didn't have the bond as those mentioned.
We all started out on the first JFK Med cruise in '69, but Parker and Sheldon left us mid way through the cruise on a COD and went to the FDR. I never saw Sheldon again since, but Parker and I connected in Morocco at Sidi Yahi when I made a technical trip from NAVCOMUNIT London to do some training.
I connected with Chief Stutz a few years back and we have kept in contact and did not meet up again until recently at the JFK Decommissioning Ceremony at Mayport, Florida.
When we were made aware of the De com being closer than expected, Bob began searching for some more of our shipmates. He located Charley who in turn found Ronnie.
We all made it a point to meet up for the ceremony. Ronnie came from Houston, Charlie came from Port Arthur, TX and Bob came from San Diego.
Needless to say the years since we saw each other had caused us to grow if you know what I mean. Bob and Charley I could have picked out in any crowd, but Ronnie who never was over 155 pounds had made up for it. He says retirement did it to him. I just wonder what they thought of me. I never was very big, but I overcame that too.
It was really great to be with them again. The time passed like lightning. When you have served together in the service (the branch doesn't matter) there will be those who stick in your fondest memories. It would have been great for the rest of the gang to have been there and maybe in the future we will be able to include them. I think of the WWII vets who are diminishing and you get a sense of urgency for some reason.
Bob, Ronnie and I both bunked at the same hotel in Neptune Beach. Charley whose sister lives in St. Augustine stayed with her and we met up with him at the ceremony. Bob, Ronnie and I congregated in Ronnie's room. Talk about catching up. I think Ronnie who went on to get into the LDO program and advanced to LCDR making a long 30 year career had the most facinating stories. He and Bob saw each other in San Diego over the years since Bob retired and worked at SupShips.
Ronnie still had some of his little idiosyncrasies or tick. i.e. he has this habit of brushing or smoothing with his hand. As he told some of his experiences he would constantly smooth the bed spread with his hand. Another is when he isn't doing anything he will pick at his finger as if something is there or he is trying to remove his skin. lol. Not to say this is good or bad, but it is some of the trademark things about him.
Bob has this gift of really listening. He will look straight at you and appear to be studying you as if to try to figure you out. Good luck on me.
Charlie is the one who has calmed down and now lives a life that is good. In our younger days Charlie could make a train whistle sound that you thought was a train. He never did that this time and we didn't ask him to.
Well the De Com ceremony lasted about a hour and forty five minutes. Then it was over. All the ships company marched off and the Skipper was the last one. The commissioning penant and the Ensign were lower for the last time and as quick as that she was no longer a Navy Vessel.
Where did the last 39 years go. It went with doing all those things that change us one day at a time. It went with raising children, seeing them graduate from college and then seeing your grandchildren born. Everyday we look into the mirror and we don't see the subtle changes in our faces and hair. We don't notice and those who we are around don't notice it either, because they are changing at the same rate you are. I know 39 years has taken its' toll on me. "I look in the mirror with total supprise at the hair on my sholder and the age in my eyes."
Bob, Charley, Ronnie, it was great being with you for that short time. I guess if we had lived and stayed together over the years we would have thaken it for granted, but just those few hours were precious. Take care my buddies, lets do it a gain.
