Previously Held NEC SN-0000-Seaman
9595-GM-Small Arms Marksmanshp Instructor
GM-0000-Gunner's Mate
GMG-9501-Anti-Terrorism Training Supervisor Instructor
Best Friends Darwin McKee, Bob Harris, Joe Dominguez, Gary Sullivan (joined the Navy with me, not at Tien Sha but with UDT overthere),Frank Ramirez (at Tien Sha,also joined with us ),Wilhelm,and other guys that will be added to the list later on.
Best Moment When I celebrated my 23rd. birthday as I was going back to "the World"...For some time I didn't think I'd ever turn 23 years old.
Worst Moment One of them, when I learned that Gary,my best friend and drinking buddy from Chicago,had disappeared somewhere in the jungle...UDT(today's SEALS), will never let you in on the whereabouts of their own...Just to think that he was the one that convinced me to join the Navy with him.
Other Memories Monkey Mountain patrols, China Beach before and after it was considered "secured area",DaNang river and DaNang city, Enlisted Men's Club at the DaNang Hospital.Sneaking into TienSha village at night for some cold ones and you-know-what...before anything on the other side of the wire was considered secured at all...early on in'65.The morter shell explosion that could have put me in a body bag in Jun '66.Well, I still have a couple of lives left...