Grahn, Gary, CWO2

TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, WHAT INFLUENCED HIS/HER DECISION TO JOIN THE NAVY?
I think I was destined to join the Navy, as I had a strong interest in all things nautical and belonged to the Naval Sea Cadet Corps. Short trips to mini-boot camps, and rides on Reserve Force tin-cans, only reinforced the desire to strike out on my own after high school and a short stint in a community college.

TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH HE/SHE TOOK IN HIS/HER MILITARY SERVICE. WHERE DID THEY GO TO BOOT CAMP AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, SHIPS OR SQUADRONS WERE THEY ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS HIS/HER REASON FOR LEAVING?
Destined to be a Radioman . . Bang - boot camp; recruit company commander; basic electrity and electronics; Radioman A school class leader; SERE; NIOTC; River Division 111 Mekong Delta RVN (A-111-7); E-5 Communications Watch Officer, NavSubase NLon; E-5 Technical Control Supervisor, Guantanamo Bay Cuba; E-5 Radioman C7 & ComSysTechSchool; E-6 Instructor Radioman A, C7, Comsystech; E-7 Technical Control Chief, Diego Garcia; E-8 Leading RM USS Whipple (FF1062); E-8 Senior Enlisted Academy; E-8 Instructor SWO School Newport; W2 Technical Control Officer Nea Makri GR; W2 Radio / Communication Officer USS Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN69).

IF HE/SHE PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE YOU FEEL WERE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TO HIM/HER AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY.
1968-1969 with the Mobile Riverine Force, River Flotilla One, River Squadron 11, River Division 111, aboard Assault Support Patrol Boat (ASPB) A-111-7 in the Mekong Delta, Republic of Vietnam during the end of the first Tet, second TET, operation Giant Slingshot - and others while in-country. Even with the many firefights we experienced, we only suffered one direct RPG hit that (fortunately) was a dud. One particular event was the rescue of shipmates off M-111-1 which had been sunk and abandoned. We, in turn, had to call for Seawolf fire support too. In 2010 I met a fellow surviving vet that had been on M-111-1, who had pictures of the same event taken less than 20-30 feet from our position!

FROM THEIR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY PERSONAL MEMORIES, YOU MAY BE AWARE OF, WHICH IMPACTED HIM/HER THE MOST.
Turning our River Division, and the boat that had served us so well, over to the Vietnamese Navy in 1969. Leaving the boat was like losing a best friend, never mind separating from shipmates that had fought together and for each other.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS DO YOU BELIEVE HE/SHE WAS MOST PROUD OF FROM HIS/HER MILITARY SERVICE?
Navy Achievement Medal/ 'V'.

OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES HE/SHE RECEIVED, WHICH WERE THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO HIM/HER AND WHY?
Combat Action because of the significance of being a 'combat sailor' that had taken and returned fire.

IF KNOWN, PLEASE LIST ANY INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM HIS/HER TIME IN THE MILITARY WHO STOOD OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEM AND WHY?
RMC Egan (sp) at Naval Submarine Base New London because he had been a combat sailor too with Beachjumpers. Quiet spoken but we understood each other, and - in hindsight - probably helped each other through some of the undiagnosed PTSD issues we suffered while stationed together from 1969-1972.

ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM HIS/HER SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MADE THEM LAUGH LATER ON?
Funny - and scarey - at the time. In a free-fire zone in the Mekong Delta, on patrol with sister Alpha-boat, we ran aground in the middle of the night. Our sister boat could only approach to about thirty-feet away - too far to heave a line in the dark. Our .50-gunner, SM2 Pye, volunteered to walk the sandbar and take a line to our sister-boat. While he was making progress, we heard a scream in the night, and frantic splashing in the water. He had thought he had been engaged by one of the many water snakes, and had taken off as fast as he could. Turned out, it was the bitter end of the line that he was towing that had become entangled in his legs. :-D

IF HE/SHE SURVIVED MILITARY SERVICE, WHAT PROFESSION(S) DID HE/SHE FOLLOW AFTER DISCHARGE?
I stayed with RF communications for many years after the service, in the form of INMARSAT installations aboard USN vessels. Our mission tasking changed after we ran out of ships, and we supported a prototype computer-based system aboard two Navy cruisers - which was a cradle to grave, three year time frame contract. Those last three years led me to networks and computers, which led to System Administrator / LAN Administrator and the go-to computer fix-it expert. I am a Corporate Information Systems field-services person with CACI now.

IF HE/SHE SURVIVED MILITARY SERVICE, IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU BELIEVE HIS/HER SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY THEY APPROACHED THEIR PERSONAL LIFE, FAMILY LIFE AND CAREER?
Be on time (if not early) and give 110-percent!

IF THEY WERE HERE TODAY, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU THINK HE OR SHE WOULD GIVE TO THOSE WHO FOLLOWED IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS AND RECENTLY ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE?
From President Kennedy: "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

HOW EFFECTIVE HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM BEEN IN HELPING YOU RECORD YOUR REMEMBERED PERSONS MILITARY SERVICE? DO YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE?

TWS and the US Navy

TWS has helped me find long lost shipmates, and find others that I had served separately-together with. As a result, I have met face-to-face with many that I would not have otherwise known.