Hammond, Leonard, LT

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE NAVY.
I was attending Texas Tech part time one semester while working full time. When I arrived back at my apartment I checked my mail to find that infamous letter from Uncle Sam welcoming me to my draft notice. I immediately returned it to my mailbox and headed downtown to the Navy recruiter. Their office was adjacent to the Army recruiter’s who “magically” appeared while I was waiting to talk with the Navy recruiter. He said, “I bet you go to Tech and got your draft notice.” I told him that was correct. He replied “Have I got a deal for you.” I asked what that was and he said he was going to make me Helo pilot.
This was in 1965 and the war in Viet Nam was just heating up. I told him I read the newspapers and that helo pilots in Viet Nam didn’t seem to have a very long life expectancy in that theater of operations and I wanted to live a little longer than that. So, I joined the Navy and after boot camp I received orders to SK (now LS) school after shortly before finishing the course I received my PCS orders to, you guessed it, Viet Nam. As an SK I was ordered to the Naval Support Activity in Danang, RVN. While waiting for my port of call, myself and others waiting were sent through the requisite training for those going to Viet Nam, SERE at Warner Springs and weapons training at Camp Pendleton. In January 1967 I arrived in Danang and was assigned to the Fiscal Office at the Naval Support Facility. When I reported to the office I was greeted by one of my instructors at SK school, SKC Teece. He had found out I was reporting to the command and had requested my assignment to his office. Initially I was assigned as a supervisor in the civilian payroll section with one other SK an 25 Vietnamese civilians. 23 young Vietnamese ladies and two Vietnamese gentlemen. During my two years in that job one of the men, the oldest, Mr. Phu, was arrested by NIS as a spy, an NVA Lt. Col.. About 20 years later I was watching a documentary called “Vietnam, the 30 Year War”. They were interviewing Vietnamese who had worked for the US military as spy’s for North Vietnam. I heard a voice I immediately recognized as a lady who had worked for me as a pay clerk in VN civilian payroll. Not only was she a work colleague, but I had attended her wedding. She married the interpreter for the Naval security office and apparently was also a spy. You just never know a person’s true character regardless of how long you work together with them.
Many years later after I had retired from the Navy and was living in Athens, Georgia. When the twin towers were attacked there were several Mid-Eastern men living in a house two blocks from us. Later I found out from a neighbor who had been attacked by one of the men’s dogs. She had gone to court for compensation for her injuries. The owner of the dogs was Mohammed Atta, one of the pilots who crashed the planes into the towers. You never know who your neighbors might be.

Len Hammond, LT, SC, USN, Ret.

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?
In 1965 I received my draft notice, I was going to school part-time that semester and had lost my 2-S deferment. I went to the Navy Recruiter to enlist. He happened to be at lunch, while waiting for him the Army recruiter stuck his head in the door. He looked

First Retirement on the Saratoga

at me and asked if I had lost my deferment. I replied that I had. He said "Have I got a deal for you." I should have been suspicious since it sounded like a line from an encyclopedia salesman. He said "I'm going to make you a Warrant Officer and teach you how to fly helicopters." At that time the survival rate for a helo pilot in Vietnam was not very good. I told him I read the newspapers and wasn't interested. After boot camp I got orders to SK-A School in San Diego. Upon completion as fate would have it I received orders to Vietnam where I spent the next 3 years.
I wound up spending almost 30 years in the Navy in Supply. The first 20 years I was enlisted. When I was an SKCS I applied for the Warrant Officer program in hopes to improve my chances of making E-9. That year the E-9 board convened first and I was selected, the WO results came out and I was selected. Due to a stipulation of accepting WO I was removed from the E-9 list and was commissioned. I liked the Warrant rate, you were considered a technical expert in your field and had a lot of influence. However as a Supply WO I was pretty much destined to be restricted to "large deck" vessels. I preferred the camaraderie of small ships and decided to apply for LDO. I was selected and after a tour as an instructor at the Supply Corps School in Athens' Georgia I tried to get orders to a small ship as Supply Officer. Again fate intervened and I received orders to the USS Saratoga (CV-60) in Mayport, FL. I spent 2 and a half years on board and decided that it was time to go home and spend time with my family. I applied for retirement and was given a retirement date of July, 1993. While I was home in Athens, GA on terminal leave I received a call from my detailer in DC. She told me they had mad an error in my paperwork and I would have to remain on duty for another 9 - 12 months while they straightened it out. Fortunately they sent me orders to the school at Athens. My wife had covertly arranged a retirement ceremony the next week. I called the CO and told him I needed to cancel the ceremony. When he asked why (with great consternation), I told him I would be reporting for duty instead. That was my career. Six ships, four overseas tours and two stateside tours.

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?

Fiscal Office NSA Danang

Three years in Vietnam was the singular most life changing time in my career. It was my introduction to the world and many fond memories and great friendships.

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?

Grandsons Evan and Sean

After I retired I worked for an large animal pharmaceutical as both logistics management and Health/Safety/Environmental Manager. When offered the opportunity to return to work for the Navy as a civil service logistics instructor at the Navy Supply Corps School I left industry and returned to DOD. I served in Civil Service for the next 10 years teaching logistics management and primarily the certification courses for the transportation of hazardous materials. In those ten years I taught at the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, GA, for DOD at Fort Carson, Colorado, and finally for DOD as the lead HazMat instructor for the Pacific region. In 2011 I retired from Civil Service and now live in Ewa Beach, Hawaii spending time enjoying our two grandsons who live just two blocks from us.

WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
Life Member of both the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Military Officers of America Association (MOAA).

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?
Never take the easy way, always accept the challenging tasks that no one else wants. You will enjoy and learn from that challenge, it will make you stronger in your chosen paths of both your personal and professional lifes.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE NAVY?
LOOK, LISTEN, and LEARN from those who are your seniors.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
I have found many old shipmates and enjoy checking on my old duty stations and ships. Unfortunately for those of us in my era all those ships are now decommissioned.