Aviation Boatswain's Mate Aircraft Handling |
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Service Photo |
Service Details |
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Current Service Status
USN Veteran
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Current/Last Rank
Chief Petty Officer
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Current/Last Primary NEC
ABH-0000-Aviation Boatswain's Mate Aircraft Handling
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Current/Last Rating/NEC Group
Aviation Boatswain's Mate Aircraft Handling
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Primary Unit
1968-1969, Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, CA
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Previously Held NEC
AB-0000-Aviation Boatswain's Mate
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Service Years
1950 - 1969
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1950-1951, USS Princeton (CV-37)
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1951-1952, FASRON 11
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1951-1952, AB-0000, FASRON 11
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1952-1953, AB-0000, FASRON 120
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1953-1954, VR-3
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1954-1956, USS Point Cruz (CVE-119)
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1956-1958, Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) China Lake
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1958-1963, USS Oriskany (CVA-34)
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1963-1965, Naval Aerospace Recovery Facility/National Parachute Test Range El Centro (NARF/NPTR)
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1965-1967, USS Oriskany (CVA-34)
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1967-1968, USS Coral Sea (CVA-43)
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1968-1969, Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, CA
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Reflections on CPO Croft's
US Navy Service
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PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE NAVY.
i HAD RECENTLY TURNED 18 YRS OLD AND WAS REQUIRED BY LAW TO REGISTER FOR THE DRAFT AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A WAR WITH KOREA WAS ON THE HORIZON. mY UNCLE HAD SERVED IN THE NAVY DURING WW ll SO I DECIDED TO JOIN THE NAVY BEFORE I WAS DRAFTED INTO THE ARMY. I WAS SWORN IN ON JULY 7 1950 AND THE DRAFT HAD BEEN RE-INSTATED BY CONGRESS ON JULY 6. JULY 10TH I WAS ON A WEST BOUND TRAIN TO SAN DIEGO AND INTRODUCED TO BOOT CAMP. THEY CUT THE TRAINING TO 10 WEEKS AND I ARRIVED IN KOREA ON DEC. 3RD 1950, BY WAY OF RECENTLY RE-COMMISSIONED AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS PRINCETON CVA37.
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WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BOOT CAMP AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, SHIPS OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
FIRST ASSIGMENT WAS TO USS PRINCETON ( most of my boot company went aboard) AND I WAS ASSIGNED TO GAS CREW ON FLIGHT DECK. WE BOARDED IN EARLY SEPT AND THEY ONLY HAD A SKELTON CREW (MOSTLY RESERVES & BOOTS) ON BOARD SO AS WE WERE GETTING FAMILAR WITH SHIPBOARD LIFE THEY WERE STILL BRINGING A CREW ABOARD. WE DID UNDERWAY TRAING FOR ABOUT A MONTH THEN LEFT FOR KOREA. WE HAD APPRX 65 MEN IN THE DIV. AND ONLY 1 2ND CLASS (RESERVE) AND 2 3RD CLASS PETTY OFFICERS. ABOUT 8-10 GUYS HAD ACTUALLY SERVED ON BOARD A CARRIER BEFORE. THIS WAS THE SITUATION FOR ENTIRE SHIPS COMPANY. WHEN WE COMPLETED OUR TOUR, AUG 1951 AND WAS GETTING READY TO HEAD BACK TO THE STATES (MY 19TH BIRTHDAY WAS AUG 27 1951) THEY ASKED FOR VOLUNTERS TO STAY OVER BECAUSE OF THE MAN POWER SHORTAGE. ABOUT 25 OF US DID AND I WAS ASSIGNED TO A FASRON SQUADRON IN ATSUGI JAPAN. i WAS THEN ASSIGNED TO AN AUGUMENT SQUAD THAT WAS SENT ALL OVER, SHORT TIME AN KIZARAZU JAPAN (AIR FORCE BASE) RUNNING LCM ACROSS TOKYO BAY, THEN TO OPPAMA JAPAN TO SEAPLANE SQUADRON, THEN TO IWAKUNI JAPAN AS BEACH-MASTER ON AUSTRALIAN BASE, LATER TURNED INTO AIR FORCE BASE, BACK TO OPPAMA AND RETURNED TO THE STATES SEPT 1953, LITTLE OVER 3 YEARS IN THE NAVY AND ALMOST ALL OVER SEAS. I HAD NOT EVEN HAD ANY LEAVE NOR BEEN HOME BECAUSE THEY STOPPED THAT BECAUSE OF THE MAN SHORTAGE. cAME BACK TO MOFFETT FIELD,CA. AND WAS ASSIGENED TO VR-3, A TRANSPORT SQUADRON.
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