Other Memories
Had to be the easiest duty station of my 3.5 year career! As part of the USS Pickaway decommissioning crew, we lived aboard APL-9. My work routine was 5 days on and 2 days off, followed by 2 days on and 5 days off. It was like having a week of leave every other week, and with my home town only 100 miles away, that's where I headed. While on duty my work consisted of waking up the mess cooks in the morning, which they handled nicely without my assistance, and I had to take a head count of everyone passing through the mess line for chow a couple of meals a day. I think most of the crew were short timers just waiting to exit the Navy, so everything was pretty laid back.
Description This Campaign period was from 1 May to 30 June 1970. The allied push into Cambodia during the spring of 1970 brought the SEALORDS forces into a unique operational environment. At 0730 local time on 9 This Campaign period was from 1 May to 30 June 1970. The allied push into Cambodia during the spring of 1970 brought the SEALORDS forces into a unique operational environment. At 0730 local time on 9 May, 10 days after ground troops crossed the border, a combined Vietnamese-American naval task force steamed up the Mekong River to wrest control of that key waterway from North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces.
The flotilla, led by a Vietnamese naval officer, was composed of American PCFs, ASPBs, PBRs, HAL-3 and VAL-4 aircraft, Benewah, Askari, Hunterdon County, YRBM 16, YRBM 21 and 10 strike assault boats (STAB) of Strike Assault Boat Squadron 20, a fast-reaction unit created by Admiral Zumwalt in 1969. The Vietnamese contingent included riverine assault craft of many types, PCFs, PBRs, and marine battalions.
Naval Advisory Group personnel sailed with each Vietnamese vessel. By the end of the first day, Vietnamese naval units reached the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, while to the south the combined force stormed enemy-held Neak Luong, a strategic ferry crossing point on the river. For political reasons, no U.S. personnel were allowed past Neak Luong, midway to Phnom Penh.
Although the American component pulled out of Cambodia by 29 June, the Vietnamese continued to guard the Mekong and evacuate to South Vietnam over 82,000 ethnic Vietnamese jeopardized by the conflict.... More
Description This Campaign period was from 1 May to 30 June 1970. The allied push into Cambodia during the spring of 1970 brought the SEALORDS forces into a unique operational environment. At 0730 local time on 9 This Campaign period was from 1 May to 30 June 1970. The allied push into Cambodia during the spring of 1970 brought the SEALORDS forces into a unique operational environment. At 0730 local time on 9 May, 10 days after ground troops crossed the border, a combined Vietnamese-American naval task force steamed up the Mekong River to wrest control of that key waterway from North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces.
The flotilla, led by a Vietnamese naval officer, was composed of American PCFs, ASPBs, PBRs, HAL-3 and VAL-4 aircraft, Benewah, Askari, Hunterdon County, YRBM 16, YRBM 21 and 10 strike assault boats (STAB) of Strike Assault Boat Squadron 20, a fast-reaction unit created by Admiral Zumwalt in 1969. The Vietnamese contingent included riverine assault craft of many types, PCFs, PBRs, and marine battalions.
Naval Advisory Group personnel sailed with each Vietnamese vessel. By the end of the first day, Vietnamese naval units reached the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, while to the south the combined force stormed enemy-held Neak Luong, a strategic ferry crossing point on the river. For political reasons, no U.S. personnel were allowed past Neak Luong, midway to Phnom Penh.
Although the American component pulled out of Cambodia by 29 June, the Vietnamese continued to guard the Mekong and evacuate to South Vietnam over 82,000 ethnic Vietnamese jeopardized by the conflict.... More
Criteria The Presidential Unit Citation may be awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and cobelligerent nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or aft... The Presidential Unit Citation may be awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and cobelligerent nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or after December 7, 1941. MoreHide
Criteria The Meritorious Unit Commendation may be awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps that distinguishes itself under combat or noncombat conditions by either valorous ... The Meritorious Unit Commendation may be awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps that distinguishes itself under combat or noncombat conditions by either valorous or meritorious achievement which renders that unit outstanding compared to other units performing similar service, but not sufficient to justify the award of the Navy Unit Commendation. MoreHide
Criteria The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspa... The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspace; or, for any period of service during the same time period in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air spaces thereover and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. MoreHide
Criteria The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspa... The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspace; or, for any period of service during the same time period in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air spaces thereover and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. MoreHide
Criteria The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspa... The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspace; or, for any period of service during the same time period in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air spaces thereover and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. MoreHide
Criteria The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspa... The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspace; or, for any period of service during the same time period in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air spaces thereover and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. MoreHide
Criteria The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal decoration awarded to members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard (when operating under the control of the Navy) in the grade of captain (or colonel in th... The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal decoration awarded to members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard (when operating under the control of the Navy) in the grade of captain (or colonel in the Marine Corps) and below who have actively participated in ground or surface combat. MoreHide
Criteria The Presidential Unit Citation may be awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and cobelligerent nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or aft... The Presidential Unit Citation may be awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and cobelligerent nations for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy occurring on or after December 7, 1941. MoreHide
Criteria The Navy Unit Commendation may be awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps that distinguishes itself by outstanding heroism in action against an enemy (but not suff... The Navy Unit Commendation may be awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps that distinguishes itself by outstanding heroism in action against an enemy (but not sufficiently to justify the award of the Presidential Unit Citation). It may also be awarded to a unit that distinguishes itself by extremely meritorious service not involving combat (but in support of military operations), which renders that unit outstanding when compared to other units performing similar service. MoreHide
Criteria The Meritorious Unit Commendation may be awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps that distinguishes itself under combat or noncombat conditions by either valorous ... The Meritorious Unit Commendation may be awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps that distinguishes itself under combat or noncombat conditions by either valorous or meritorious achievement which renders that unit outstanding compared to other units performing similar service, but not sufficient to justify the award of the Navy Unit Commendation. MoreHide
Criteria The Meritorious Unit Commendation may be awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps that distinguishes itself under combat or noncombat conditions by either valorous ... The Meritorious Unit Commendation may be awarded by the Secretary of the Navy to any unit of the Navy or Marine Corps that distinguishes itself under combat or noncombat conditions by either valorous or meritorious achievement which renders that unit outstanding compared to other units performing similar service, but not sufficient to justify the award of the Navy Unit Commendation. MoreHide
Criteria The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspa... The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspace; or, for any period of service during the same time period in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air spaces thereover and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. MoreHide
Criteria The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspa... The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspace; or, for any period of service during the same time period in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air spaces thereover and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. MoreHide
Criteria The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspa... The Vietnam Service Medal was awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served at any time between July 4, 1965, and March 28, 1973, in Vietnam or its contiguous waters or airspace; or, for any period of service during the same time period in Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia or the air spaces thereover and in direct support of operations in Vietnam. MoreHide
Criteria The Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross Colors) was authorized to be worn by units individually cited for service in military operations in support of the government of Sout... The Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross Colors) was authorized to be worn by units individually cited for service in military operations in support of the government of South Vietnam. The actions cited are for the same services that would have resulted in the award of a Valorous Unit Citation by the Army or a Navy Unit Citation MoreHide
Criteria
The unit citation of the Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Medal was awarded certain units by the Vietnamese government for meritorious service during the period 1 March 1961 to 28 March 1974.
Description
Qualify for, but not in official records yet!
Criteria This medal is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who: 1. Served for 6 months in South Vietnam during the period 1 Mar 61 and 28 Mar 73; or 2. Served outside the geographical l... This medal is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who: 1. Served for 6 months in South Vietnam during the period 1 Mar 61 and 28 Mar 73; or 2. Served outside the geographical limits of South Vietnam and contributed direct combat support to the RVN Armed Forces for an aggregate of six months. Only members of the Armed Forces of the United States who meet the criteria established for the AFEM (Vietnam) or Vietnam Service Medal during the period of service required are considered to have contributed direct combat support to the RVN Armed Forces; or 3. Did not complete the length of service required in item (1) or (2) above, but who, during wartime, were: a. Wounded by the enemy (in a military action); b. Captured by the enemy during action or in the line of duty, but later rescued or released; or c. Killed in action or in the line of duty; or 4. Were assigned in Vietnam on 28 Jan 73, and who served a minimum of 60 calendar days in Vietnam during the period 29 Jan 73 to 28 Mar 73. MoreHide
Other Memories
First duty station after boot camp. ACB-1 was comprised of blue AND white stripe Seabees. The blue stripers, mostly steelworkers, built portable causeways for amphibious loading/unloading operations, and we white stripers maintained them and did the actual LST side loading operations to put them to use. I worked in the chain locker, which was tasked with putting together hardware sets of everything needed to side load causeways onto LST's for transport to where a beach assault was to take place. These sets consisted of assorted block and tackle gear for hoisting four causeways onto the sides of each LST, along with logging chains to secure them, and wire cables used to splash them for the assault. I remember slopping a lot of grease to keep those blocks lubed, and learned how to splice eyes into each end of the 1/2" wire ropes. We usually wore a dirty set of greens over our dungarees, as the chain locker was one dirty job! A couple of times a year we would go out to practice side loading, and these war game beach assaults would last about three days. After side loading an LST, we would ride it to our practice beach (Coronado), drop and marry up the causeway sections, push them up to the beach, and unload a truck or two off the LST. We'd then set up a camp with defense perimeter on the beach, and defend it from nightly attacks. During the only war game operation I participated in (I was TAD to barracks cleaning during the first that year), I was assigned the job of setting up and manning an outpost, along with one other seaman, to give an advanced warning of an attack. The first night we dug a shallow hole in the sand outside the wire, and found some 2X4's and a tarp to cover it. We sprinkled sand over it, and buried a phone line out to it. That night the enemy, all two or three of them, almost stepped on us as they walked by, but we reported in and the shooting soon began! The next night I singlehandedly killed two Navy SEALs! As it was uncomfortable lying with our faces in the sand, we moved our outpost out by the highway, and found a depression in the ice plant covered sand hills. We figured we had the high ground and would see the enemy coming in the moonlight from our vantage point. After a couple of hours of boredom, my fellow outpost watch decided nothing was going to happen that night, so he headed back inside the wire. I grew impatient and decided to do a little "scouting" on my own. I hiked north up the beach towards the simulated VC "Dragon" village, as I think it was called. It was about a half mile from our camp, and was on the perimeter of the UDT/SEAL training area across the highway (beach side) from the Coronado base. When about a block south of the village, I heard voices so I hunkered down next to a bush about half my size, and watched two guys walk by about a hundred feet away, jabbering away as they strolled along. The moon was bright that night, but they didn't see me. I continued up to the bamboo village, found it to be empty, and headed back towards our camp. I was probably about five minutes behind the two enemy soldiers, so kept an eye out for them as I made my way south. When nearing my outpost I decided to follow the hills bordering the highway for cover. It's lucky I did, because when I reached the outpost I found it occupied by the two enemy! Their backs were facing me as they looked out at the camp they were about to attack. I told them to freeze, and they turned around in total surprise to see me pointing my trusty M-14 at them. I noticed one of them was a junior officer. To hell with the Geneva convention, and taking prisoners; I pointed my rifle at the sand in front of them, pulled the trigger twice, and said "you're dead". The officer said "no we're not", and the two of them took off running towards camp, blazing away. They seemed to have plenty of ammo, while our side was issued three blanks each, and I just wasted two of mine! For some reason it sticks in my mind that the enemy force was provided by the base UDT/SEAL's, but in hindsight, they were probably from our sister NBG-1 unit, the Beachmaster's.
Other Memories
TAD to base barracks cleaning from ACB-1 for 3 months! Worked with 3 guys waiting for next BUDS/SEAL class to start. All three made it through, with two becoming SEAL's and one ended up in UDT.
Best Moment
Graduation had to be the best moment, but we did have at least one fun "event".
Late one evening, before taps, we engaged a rival recruit company in a friendly water fight. Our company had the ground floor barracks, and they had the second story level above us. I don't know how it all started, but by the end of the battle buckets of water were being flung everywhere. Water ended up running down the stairway and throughout the decks, and a bucket or two were even dumped out the second story window.
Realizing the OOD Chief would be making his rounds on the hour, the war ended and we all pitched in to clean up the mess. We made it, and to our surprise we actually got away with it!
Worst Moment
Of course the whole boot camp period could be counted as a worst moment, but there was the one time we did get caught and punished for having a little fun.
One day our RCPO was marching us on the main grinder alongside a roadway. He happened to notice a female driver coming our way, and as she approached he gave a "eyes left" command. Of course, boys will be boys, and a few whistles could not be held back! The lady turned out to be the wife of the base commander, or some other high ranking officer, so we were busted.
That cost the whole company extra hours of PT as punishment, so we didn't do that again!
Instructors
MMC Charles L. Hancock, a former Marine DI who swapped over to the Navy.
Other Memories
Christmas in boot; whoopy! At least it meant a day off.
Criteria The National Defense Service Medal is awarded for honorable active service as a member of the Armed Forces during the Korean War, Vietnam War, the war against Iraq in the Persian Gulf, and for service... The National Defense Service Medal is awarded for honorable active service as a member of the Armed Forces during the Korean War, Vietnam War, the war against Iraq in the Persian Gulf, and for service during the current War on Terrorism. In addition, all members of the National Guard and Reserve who were part of the Selected Reserve in good standing between August 2, 1990, to November 30, 1995, are eligible for the National Defense Service Medal. In the case of Navy personnel, Midshipment attending the Naval Academy during the qualifying periods are eligible for this award, and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Midshipmen ae only eligible if they participated in a summer cruise that was in an area which qualified for a campaign medal. MoreHide
Had to be the easiest duty station of my 3.5 year career! As part of the USS Pickaway decommissioning crew, we lived aboard APL-9. My work routine was 5 days on and 2 days off, followed by 2 days on and 5 days off. It was like having a week of leave every other week, and with my home town only 100 miles away, that's where I headed. While on duty my work consisted of waking up the mess cooks in the morning, which they handled nicely without my assistance, and I had to take a head count of everyone passing through the mess line for chow a couple of meals a day. I think most of the crew were short timers just waiting to exit the Navy, so everything was pretty laid back.