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What are you doing now:
I am a retired Speech-Language Pathologist who worked with adult neurogenic patients in hospitals all over the DFW area for twenty-five years. I have also spent a lot of time in the classroom, both as a student and a teacher, and acquired a BA, MA, MS and the coursework for a PhD. Not much of this was the result of planning, but of just taking advantage of opportunities when they arose. Since my retirement I have written articles for The American Thinker (3), Human Events (1), Touchstone Magazine (1) and Speakfree.co (3).
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1964-1964, 00E, HQ, RTC (Cadre/Faculty Staff) San Diego, CA
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1964-1965, TDV-0000, NATTC (Staff) Millington, TN, Naval Air Technical Training Command (Staff)
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1965-1967, TDV-0000, Detachment 3, Fleet Airborne Electronics Training Unit, Pacific (FAETUPAC)
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1967-1967, TDV-0000, Fleet Airborne Electronics Training Unit, Pacific (FAETUPAC)
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Reflections on PO3 Johnson's
US Navy Service
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PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE NAVY.
That letter that began, "Greetings, your friends and neighbors have selected you..." After high school I entered college, but since my parents still had two children at home I was self-funding my education. As a result, I was unable to be a full time student and was working my way | A little time for father and son. |
through school, which made me low hanging fruit for the draft board. In December of 1963 the head of the draft board in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma told my dad that I was going to get the call in January. With this in mind, when I came home for Christmas break, I made a bee line to the Navy recruiter's office where I found BMC Clovis F. McKee, who was more than willing to administer the necessary tests and show me where to sign the forms. I would be remiss if I didn't say that Chief McKee was completely honest with me about the Navy and didn't try to shade the truth in order to get me to enlist. He told me that I would hate boot camp, but that once I got into the fleet I would enjoy my time there. He, of course, was right. After I made it through boot, he asked if I would be willing to talk to some potential enlistees about it, with the additional instruction: Just tell them the truth. I had three people ask me about it and I told them the truth, and that they could trust Chief McKee, but I don't know whether they joined or not. Another thing that influenced my decision was input from my dad. He had fought on the island of Cebu during the liberation of the Philippines and was part of the occupation force in Japan following the war. Knowing a thing or two about jungle warfare, he strongly advised against following the path he had trod. He tended to favor the Air Force as a choice, but when I told him I had decided on the Navy, he was pleased and quickly voiced his approval. On the day I had to go to the induction center in Oklahoma City he drove me the 100 plus miles from our house to the center. We didn't talk much on the way there, but at one point he said "Son, no one will ever be able to say that you didn't do your duty, and I'm sure you'll make us all proud." For my dad, who never seemed to have a serious moment, that was high praise indeed. When I arrived at the induction center I was given a chit for a room at the Hotel Black, which had been a fine establishment in its day, but its day had long since passed. It wasn't exactly a flop house, but it would do until one came along. I was also assigned a room mate, which is the only example of the Navy actually pinching pennies that I can recall. My room mate was a draftee who had no interest in being a soldier, and had been told that if he drank enough coffee and ate enough bananas his blood pressure would be too high and he would fail the physical. So, while I tried to get some sleep, he spent the night brewing coffee and eating bananas. When the physicals were finished I found him and asked how he fared. He said that the doctor took his blood pressure three times, and then remarked that although his blood pressure was a little low, he was just the kind of recruit the army needed. He was one disappointed draftee! Before the physicals began we all had to fill out a medical history form, where we could check a box for various and sundry problems, surgeries, accidents, and the like. While my form was just a bunch of N/A notations, one of the guys in our group, who was also a draftee, and had no interest in being a soldier, had checked every box, including the ones for issues that only applied to the classification of individuals known as "Females." The doctor took one look at the form and remarked that he had never seen an individual with so many medical problems. The reluctant soldier quickly agreed, and said that he had been sickly for his entire life, but when the doctor remarked that he had checked the box indicating appendicitis but didn't have a scar from his appendectomy, the guy replied, "Well, doc, it sort of comes and goes." Needless to say, he was declared fit for service and was among the number of those who raised our right hands and were sworn in just before boarding a plane for boot camp. When I was officially a "boot" we all were marched over to the barber shop to get our initial Navy approved hair cut. I'm sure that the barbers were racing to see who could shear the most heads of hair in a day, and there was a guy in front of me who must have been a surfer Joe type of fellow because he had a really big, thick, blonde "bushy, bushy, blond hairdo" and was obviously dreading his turn in the chair. When he was seated and had the barber's apron in place, the barber remarked as to what a great head of hair the kid had. He then asked him if he would like to keep his hair, to which the kid replied with an enthusiastic "Yes!" The barber then told him that he would be glad to let him keep his hair, and all he had to do to keep it was hold out his hands. Then he proceeded with the shearing job. Lesson learned: be really careful what you ask for or agree to in the Navy.
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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?
I joined with the intention of volunteering for sub school, (I had watched too many episodes of "The Silent Service" on television), but thought better of it and changed from black shoe to brown shoe with a preference for aviation electronics, which resulted in my being sent to NATTC Millington for AFU "A" school, and then TD "A" school. I still believe that was the best job in the Navy, but before I separated from service the scuttlebutt was that our rate was going to be turned over to civilians. This turned out to be true, so I gave no further thought to making the Navy a career. Since the most I ever made in the Navy was $300 per month, I still doubt the wisdom of the Navy's decision to kill the TD rating. Like Henry Fonda's Chester Nimitz said in the movie In Harm's Way: "Now, we all know that the Navy's never wrong, but in this case they were a little weak on being right."
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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?
Looking back, all of my duty stations, including RTC, bring fond memories to mind, but Barber's Point, Hawaii, is by far the best. For the most part, the base operated in the spirit of Aloha, and was very laid back and pleasant. Some of my comrades there spent every day looking forward to getting back to the mainland (in Hawaii, if anyone says they are "going back to the states" it is cause for a declaration of war), and rarely left the base. One of them, who hailed from Colorado, bought a little palm tree and took excellent care of it. I was a little confused by this since he just hated Hawaii, and couldn't wait to get back to the mountains, so I asked him why he would take something home that would remind him of the islands. His reply was :"So I can plant it outside my window and watch it die when winter comes." It took me no time at all to enjoy everything about living in paradise.
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FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
Having grown up in a small town in Oklahoma, my view of the world was very provincial. The Navy provided a great education in that it allowed me to see other places and get to know a wide variety of people and their ideas. By and large, I served with truly good and dedicated people, and I was privileged to know them.
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WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
I guess, first off, being named Outstanding Recruit in boot camp. It was an honor that was completely unexpected, but greatly appreciated because it came from my shipmates in basic training. Doing well in school at Memphis and making TD3 on my first try were also very gratifying.
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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?
Outstanding Recruit, because it was conferred by my shipmates and CPO Crenshaw, and was based on my performance and interaction with them.
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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?
The recruiter, Chief McKee, for his assistance and honesty, ENC and company commander Crenshaw, who made me understand that his job was to make us the best sailors we could possibly be, and became a friend as well as a shipmate, and my fellow TDs who made life interesting, to say the least.
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LIST THE NAMES OF OLD FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH, AT WHICH LOCATIONS, AND RECOUNT WHAT YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THEM. INDICATE THOSE YOU ARE ALREADY IN TOUCH WITH AND THOSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH.
The only person I served with and have been able to contact is Danny Lawson, from FAETUPAC Det 3. I would like to hear from anyone I served with during my time in the Navy.
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CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
When at NATTC Millington, we had a number of inspections where the brass would come through and inspect us, in our dress uniforms, as well as our lockers. On one occasion, a guy named Ludwig, who had the rack above mine, had found a photograph of this unbelievably homely woman and had it hanging in his locker. When the inspection party came through a LTjg saw it and broke up laughing. When he regained control of himself he asked Ludwig where he got a picture of such an ugly woman to which Ludwig replied, "That's my mother, sir." The jg's face turned white and he apologized profusely while Ludwig put on his most crestfallen face. I still laugh about it today, as does everyone who hears the story.
For some reason, many inspections produced really funny stories. During an admin inspection in our dress whites, one of the guys who was about five sailors to my left in the formation apparently didn't have any regulation socks and had put on a pair of bright orange ones, thinking that they couldn't be seen through his trousers. He couldn't have been more wrong, and when the Admiral got to him he leaned over and whispered something to him, which caused the orange socked sailor to stiffen a bit. The Admiral immediately went on with his inspection, but when we were dismissed I found the guy and asked him what the Admiral had said. "Tell me son. Do those things glow in the dark?" was his reply.
At a unit inspection while stationed at NAS North Island, there was a PO1 whom I will call "Smith." He was way overweight and his neck was so thick that the square knot of his neckerchief only had about three or four inches of neckerchief sticking out from it. When the CO came to Smith, he stopped and asked, loud enough for everyone to hear, "What happened Smith? Did your neckerchief shrink?"
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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?
After leaving the Navy I went to work for Control Data Corporation and, after tech school in Minneapolis, was sent to Dallas as a Field Engineer for their line of computers. Presently, I am a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist who works with adult neurogenic patients.
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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?
Take advantage of every opportunity that arises, and never forget the oath I took when I became a Sailor.
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BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE NAVY?
The Navy I was in was very different from the Navy of today. I really don't have any advice for today's Sailors.
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
| TWS and the US Navy |
It gives me the best chance I will have to connect with old shipmates, and to share my experiences with others. DS 2/14/17
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