Service Photo |
Service Details |
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Current Service Status
USN Retired
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Current/Last Rank
Petty Officer First Class
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Current/Last Primary NEC
HM-8472-Biomedical Photography Technician
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Current/Last Rating/NEC Group
Hospital Corpsman
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Primary Unit
1983-1988, HM-0000, US Marine Corps (USMC)
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Previously Held NEC
HN-0000-Hospitalman
HM-8404-Medical Field Service Technician/FMF Combat Corpsman
HM-0000-Hospital Corpsman
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Service Years
1966 - 1988
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Official/Unofficial US Navy Certificates
Cold War
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1966-1967, HN-0000, Naval Hospital Annapolis, MD
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1967-1968, HM-0000, US Naval Academy Annapolis (Faculty Staff)
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1968-1968, HM-0000, Naval Station (NAVSTA) Annapolis, MD
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1968-1969, HM-8404, 1st Bn, 5th Marine Regiment (1/5)
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1969-1969, HM-8404, Headquarters, NSA Danang, Vietnam
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1970-1970, HM-8404, Naval Support Activity Charleston, SC
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1970-1970, HM-8472, National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) Bethesda, MD
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1970-1973, HM-0000, Naval Hospital Great Lakes, IL
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1974-1978, HM-0000, Naval Hospital Agana, Guam
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1974-1978, Naval Hospital Agana, Guam
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1983-1988, MCB Camp Pendleton CA
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1983-1988, HM-0000, US Marine Corps (USMC)
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1986, Military Order of the Purple Heart
- Assoc. Page
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1990, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)
- Assoc. Page
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1998, American Legion, Post 264 (Member) (Dorchester, Nebraska)
- Chap. Page
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1999, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), Post 4959, Blue Valley Post (Member) (Crete, Nebraska)
- Chap. Page
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2000, Fleet Reserve Association (FRA), Branch 276 (Member) (Omaha, Nebraska)
- Chap. Page
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Reflections on PO1 WITTMUSS's
US Navy Service
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PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE NAVY.
My high school class graduated in 1965, I spent that summer working road construction. I helped lay a few miles of the interstate highway system (I-80) near Milford. At that time I had been notified by my local draft board that I had been classified 1-A (fit for military service) and I now had to decided whether to just wait and be drafted by the Army, or volunteer for one of the other services. I had a cousin in the Navy at this time, on a destroyer, making a Med. cruise, which sounded pretty cool to me. I also talked with my dad who was a WW11 Army veteran, about military service. He suggested that I join the Navy as he had heard Navy food was better than Army food (his experience) and that you always have a warm bunk to sleep in. Besides that, most of my uncles had seen military service in WW11, plus a few more relatives during the Korean War, so military service seemed to me to be a required obligation. December of 1965, I decided to do something about my military service, I drove to Lincoln, to the Federal building where the service recruiters were located and had a long conversation with the Navy guys. ( I thought their Navy dress blue, bell bottom uniforms looked pretty sharp). I spent all afternoon with them, took some preliminary tests, filled out stacks of paperwork and by the end of the day had signed preliminary enlistment papers. One of my frist gripes with the Navy had to do with bootcamp training. They gave me a choice for recruit training, either San Diego or Great Lakes. I always wanted to visit California so I chose San Diego. I was a bit miffed a month or so later when I received my travel orders and found out the Navy was sending me to Great Lakes, Il. instead! The recruiters response to this was basically T.S.! He quoted the needs of the Navy, etc. etc. etc.. March 7, 1966, I boarded a passenger jet in Omaha (my first ever airplane ride) Destination: O'Hare airfield, Chicago, and eventualy NTC, Great Lakes, Il.
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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?
Enlisted in the US Navy March, 1966. Basic HospitalCorps A school right after boot camp, followed by tours at Navy Hosptial, Annapolis, Md, Naval Academy &, Naval Station, Annapolis Maryland. Field Medical Service School, Camp Lejeune, NC (Nov 68) Vietnam tour of duty (Dec.68 - Dec.69) Spent 6 months with Charlie Co. 1/5, 1st MarDiv. Last 6 months in country with 1st Hospital Co., Da Nang. Honorably discharged from Navy, Dec. 1969. Reenlisted US Navy, March 1970. Naval Station dispensary, Charleston, SC. Naval School Health Sciences (Medical Photography tech. School) NRMC, Bethesda, Md. (1970) Naval Hospital, Great Lakes, Il. (BioMedical Photography Lab) 1971-1974. Naval regional Medical Center, Guam, MI. 1975-1978 Naval School Health Sciences (Instructor duty, Biomedical Photography Tech. School) Bethesda, Md. 1978 - 1983. Naval regional Medical Center, MCB, Camp Pendelton, Ca. 1983-1988.
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IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
Numerous combat operations in the Quang Nam Prov. area of South Vietnam.Dec. 68 - July 69. Our company (C 1/5) operated in the An Hoa basin located about 24 miles west of Da Nang., around the Marine Combat Support base of An Hoa, in an area we called the "Arizona Territory or Arizona Valley". After all these years only one combat action stands out in my mind, that's when my platoon leader, 2nd. Lt. Hartman, USMC, was KIA while our platoon was engaged in an ambush firefight with an NVA unit. He was killed outright by enemy gunfire and as a corpsman there was nothing that I could do for him. I almost didn't survive that action, I had two canteens shot off my left hip by enemy gunfire. Also had another Marine critically wounded at that time, our platoon RTO (Woody or Woodward?) received a bullet wound to left side of his head. Managed to medivac him out by helicopter despite heavy enemy fire. Heard later that he survived his wound.
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OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
I liked the island of Guam, and the Naval Hospital there a lot. My tour had been for two years, but I volunteered for a 3rd year. We had some really good staff at the Naval Hospital, The island scenery was like a postcard, swaying palm trees, white sand beaches, deep green ocean water. From Guam you could get hops to nearby islands, Tinian (where they loaded the 1st A bomb aboard the Enola Gay . Also Saipan. Guam held a lot of old relics from the Pacific War, old rusted Japanese gun/emplacements, tanks, etc.
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FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
Treating my first seriously injured Marine who was wounded by a booby-trap explosive device while our platoon was sweeping the MSR between An Hoa and Liberty Bridge, sometime in Jan. of 1969.
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WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
No.
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OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
My Purple Heart and Combat Action Ribbon, I think they sum up my tour in Vietnam.
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WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
My Marine platoon commander in Vietnam, he tought me a lot about leadership under difficult conditions.
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WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
Although I was trained as a biomedical photographer, I did not follow that profession after the Navy. I spent about 10 years living a sort of free life style, living off my navy retirement checks, living in Carlsbad, Ca.. While there, I connected with the Vietnam Veterans of America, San Diego Chapter. I joined and did a lot of volunteer work with them. Myy life changed again in 1998, both my parants passed on, I moved to Nebraska because I inherited the farm on which I grew up on and had to take some responsibility for that. I took up photography again as a hobby, also, about 2004, I went to the Omaha VA, had some PTSD interviews, also evaluations on my hearing problems and other things and ended up receiving a disability rating of 70%, which I am now in the process of upgrading because about a year and a half ago I was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. (Agent Orange?) I am retired now from just about everything. My hobbies keep me busy, I build large 1/16 scale model tanks that are radio controlled; I also collect replica black powder (percussion, cap & ball) revolvers of the 1840's-1860's style. My best friend is my black Lab "Susie".
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WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
I've been the post commander of the Crete VFW Post 4959 for about seven years now. Also belong to the Dorchester American Legion 264. Was their vice commander for a couple of years. Also a life member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (still belong to the Ca. chapter). Also the VVA (member at large) and Omaha branch of the Fleet Reserve Association. Have a lot of close friends in the Legion and the VFW, not active in the MOPH, VVA or FRA. so much.
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
My military service has shown me that I can do things that I had thought impossible by using determination and applying myself to whatever needes to be done.
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BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE NAVY?
Stay in as long as you can. I've read in the Navy times that it will be much harder for a sailor to maintain a career in the service (personnel reductions, fleet drawdowns, etc.) You have a lot more hurdles to leap over than my time in the service. One of the best moves I made was deciding to make it a career. Can't tell you the many former sailors that I have met over the years who have all told me that they wished they had gone career (20 years or more). There had been some bad times for me, but a lot more good times in my 22 year career. I Don't regret any of it.
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