How Many Remember.................

[Lawreston]

......... that today is the anniversary of the day our hostages were released of their captivity in Iran? However, I can't remember the year -- 1981?
Thank you, veterans and current services personnel.

It's easy for me to remember because it's the day my new Luders-design sloop came from Rhode Island, on a flat-bed truck. The marina owner was heard to say, " It's the first G**-d***** time I ever got up at 6 o'clock in the morning, at 10° below zero, to get ready for a boat delivery. All the cradled vessels were on a sloped area on which the asphalt was snow/iced-over; so, he moved two vehicles out of his residential driveway and my new toy was off-loaded onto his driveway where it sat until Spring.

HR

 

[Ghery]

1981. Right after Ronald Reagan was sworn in as POTUS. A wise move, I suspect, on the part of the Iranians.

 

[CowboyPilot]

......... that today is the anniversary of the day our hostages were released of their captivity in Iran? However, I can't remember the year -- 1981?
Thank you, veterans and current services personnel.

HR

I remember.

We were sitting on an a/c carrier in the Gulf of Oman, listening to Reagan's inauguration. We had a preset amount of time from the moment our newest President took his hand off the Bible before we launched into Tehran to retrieve our citizens.

Our orders were to "terminate with extreme prejudice" anything that moved, walked or talked that wasn't an American citizen on our way to getting our people back.

The Syrians and Jordanians were frisky, the Israelis were ready to start punching the magic buttons, the Soviets had MiGs buzzing overhead like mosquitos and the Chinese navy had mobilized.

I just knew we were about to see the beginning of WWIII.

At least for ONCE in the history of the world, the dumbass Iranians LISTENED. . .

Thank God.

-JD

 

[gkainz]

I remember.

We were sitting on an a/c carrier in the Gulf of Oman, listening to Reagan's inauguration. We had a preset amount of time from the moment our newest President took his hand off the Bible before we launched into Tehran to retrieve our citizens.

Thanks, JD. Some months earlier I was also sitting on a carrier in the Gulf of Oman when they loaded up some Sea Stallions borrowed from HM-16 and flew north. We provided radio relay for what started off as a rescue mission, but turned into a sad tragedy in a sandstorm in the middle of Iran. God bless the souls lost at Desert One that night in April, 1980:

CAPT Harold L. Lewis Jr. USAF EC-130E A/C Commander
CAPT Lyn D. McIntosh USAF EC-130E Pilot
CAPT Richard L. Bakke USAF EC-130E Navigator
CAPT Charles McMillian USAF EC-130E Navigator
TSGT Joel C. Mayo USAF EC-130E Flight Engineer
SSgt Dewey Johnson USMC RH-53D Crewmember
Sgt John D. Harvey USMC RH-53D Crewmember
Cpl George N. Holmes USMC RH-53D Crewmember

Operation Eagle Claw/Evening Light changed a lot of things...these men did not die in vain.

 

[tonycondon]

Im pretty sure my parents werent married yet.

 

[JohnR]

I just knew we were about to see the beginning of WWIII.

You were right.

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

I remember.

We were sitting on an a/c carrier in the Gulf of Oman, listening to Reagan's inauguration. We had a preset amount of time from the moment our newest President took his hand off the Bible before we launched into Tehran to retrieve our citizens.

Our orders were to "terminate with extreme prejudice" anything that moved, walked or talked that wasn't an American citizen on our way to getting our people back.

The Syrians and Jordanians were frisky, the Israelis were ready to start punching the magic buttons, the Soviets had MiGs buzzing overhead like mosquitos and the Chinese navy had mobilized.

I just knew we were about to see the beginning of WWIII.

At least for ONCE in the history of the world, the dumbass Iranians LISTENED. . .

Thank God.

-JD

You might not have known it at the time JD, but we ( USS DRUM SSN 677)had your back.
I too was near the gulf, in a Nuclear Submarine, two subrocks and one of the then new tomahawk nuclear tipped cruise missiles loaded in the tubes just waiting to hear "shoot". (Submariners do not say "fire"!)

I was there Oct '79 when the problems started as well, We were at battle stations for days not knowing if WWWIII was about to start or not.

Little did Iran know, we alone, could have turned the whole country into a glass ashtray...Hindsight being 20/20 I regret we were not allowed to do so!

 

[flyersfan31]

I'm a little younger, but I remember riding the school bus and telling other kids, "We're all going to be drafted into a war with Iran." Better than dying in a nuclear cloud.

Kids today don't know what it was like to live under the omnipresent fear of nuclear immolation. Even I kind of forget the sense of desperation with which we lived -- "why bother, we're all going to die in a nuclear inferno?"

We used to think the world was an unstable, scary place back then.

Now we know better.

 

[KennyFlys]

You might not have known it at the time JD, but we ( USS DRUM SSN 677)had your back.
I too was near the gulf, in a Nuclear Submarine, two subrocks and one of the then new tomahawk nuclear tipped cruise missiles loaded in the tubes just waiting to hear "shoot". (Submariners do not say "fire"!)

A few days before Christmas 1980, the Ike had returned home after being at sea for nine months; they went five months without a port-of-call. Reagan was coming into office after my dad voted for the last time before he died and I voted the first time for president.

After my dad died, I was given my choice of whatever duty station with an open billet for me. I wanted P-3's at Navy Jax. The only option was Brunswick, Maine (We had 6" snow on the ground in St. Louis, I wasn't interested in another three feet). So, I went to Cecil Field (Jacksonville) to a squadron that had just returned on the Ike. Those guys were worn down and with good reason. I don't know what support they provided during that time but it was important enough to keep them at sea for a very long period considering we were "not at war."

By the way, the squadron was VS-31 flying S-3A Vikings, submarine killers. But, we affectionately called them "War Hoovers." When there weren't any Russian subs to play with, we bugged our own.

 

[gkainz]

The Nimitz was at sea for 144 straight days with no port call, after being pulled out of the Med on January 3, 1980. Nimitz, Texas and California, an all-nuke battle group headed around the cape of Africa and pulled into the Gulf of Oman and took up patrol around Gonzo station 3rd week in January. Nimitz has a published speed of 30+ knots, and for most of that trip, the nav info on the public tvs was blanked out. We were haulin' ass.

From January until May, we patrolled the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman. 16 hour work days, 7 days a week, doing the same thing, over and over again really took their toll. We flew every day we were out there, with the exception of just a few stand-down days, as I recall. Identifying and tracking ships, monitoring shipping lanes, intercepting and escorting Badgers and Bears as they ventured out to check up on us, dodging suicidal Russian "trawlers" (bristling with electronic sensors and antennas) as they attempted to pull between us and supply ships as we performed underway replenishment. Always on the lookout for Iranian PT boats that had supposedly been fitted with the latest in Soviet anti-ship missles. A lot of monitoring, posturing, flying and maneuvering.

We would make regular high speed runs deep into the Gulf of Oman (later we realized that this was to set the stage for launching our part of the hostage rescue mission - looked like just another maneuver we had been doing for months.)

The Ike relieved us on station the first week in May 1980 and proceeded to not only break, but shatter the peace time at sea records. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Dwight_D._Eisenhower_(CVN-69) Poor guys - not a record I would want to ever try to match.

 

[Tom-D]

I remember.

Thank God.

-JD

So do I, USS Indepencence CVA 62 80/81 cruise VAQ 135 (Double ugly snoopy) 209 day cruise 205 at sea. Yeah I remember

 

[CowboyPilot]

You might not have known it at the time JD, but we ( USS DRUM SSN 677)had your back.
I too was near the gulf, in a Nuclear Submarine, two subrocks and one of the then new tomahawk nuclear tipped cruise missiles loaded in the tubes just waiting to hear "shoot". (Submariners do not say "fire"!)

I was there Oct '79 when the problems started as well, We were at battle stations for days not knowing if WWWIII was about to start or not.

Little did Iran know, we alone, could have turned the whole country into a glass ashtray...Hindsight being 20/20 I regret we were not allowed to do so!

I was on a TDY to Reese Air Force Base, Lubbock, Texas in September of 1979, giving a pre-brief to the new UPT student pilots about what to expect down the road after graduation in terms of SERE school, survival, etc.

The next day, the infamous parade-turned-protest happened on a major thoroughfare in Lubbock. The Iranian scumbag students from the local univerversity were marching and demonstrating agains the Shah's son (Prince of Iran) being at Reese AFB for UPT.

I went down to the protest with a couple of OSI guys. Distinctly remember one of the (expletive deleted) students asking us if we knew the Shah's son. When I said "Yes," this Iranian punk student spit in my face.

I beat him to within an inch of his life before the Lubbock police could get over there through the crowd. Something like two months later, the sierra-heads overthrew the Shah and stormed our Embassy.

In 1981 when we were sitting in the Gulf along with every single blankethead the military had waiting to annhilate Iran, the SEALs told us that there were subs all over the place down below, in the Indian Ocean and in the PG.

While it was never confirmed to us, we highly suspected that once we got the hostages free and clear that the subs would be given green light to shoot and that Iran was going to cease to exist.

What a huge difference 55 minutes makes.

Thanks, JD. Some months earlier I was also sitting on a carrier in the Gulf of Oman when they loaded up some Sea Stallions borrowed from HM-16 and flew north. We provided radio relay for what started off as a rescue mission, but turned into a sad tragedy in a sandstorm in the middle of Iran. God bless the souls lost at Desert One that night in April, 1980:

CAPT Harold L. Lewis Jr. USAF EC-130E A/C Commander
CAPT Lyn D. McIntosh USAF EC-130E Pilot
CAPT Richard L. Bakke USAF EC-130E Navigator
CAPT Charles McMillian USAF EC-130E Navigator
TSGT Joel C. Mayo USAF EC-130E Flight Engineer
SSgt Dewey Johnson USMC RH-53D Crewmember
Sgt John D. Harvey USMC RH-53D Crewmember
Cpl George N. Holmes USMC RH-53D Crewmember

Operation Eagle Claw/Evening Light changed a lot of things...these men did not die in vain.

I, and a number of others, was at Desert One just in case something like what happened did actually happen.

Thank you very, very much President Carter for all the support you didn't give us on that mission.

I knew Sgt. Mayo. He used to be the loadmaster on our Hercy-bird for Central American and South American ops. He was one of the first guys chosen from MacDill to join the new Special Operations Command.

God rest his brave, patriotic and unselfish soul.

-JD

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

While it was never confirmed to us, we highly suspected that once we got the hostages free and clear that the subs would be given green light to shoot and that Iran was going to cease to exist.

What a huge difference 55 minutes makes.




-JD

Confirmed...
What is really ironic is that Mr. Carter was the Commanding officer on a sub long before he became Pres!

 

[Merf]

"was on a TDY to Reese Air Force Base, Lubbock, Texas in September of 1979, giving a pre-brief to the new UPT student pilots about what to expect down the road after graduation in terms of SERE school, survival, etc."

We were in Lubbock at the same time...I was out of the Marine Corp in '75 and went to Texas Tech to learn Med Techin' (worked at Methodist Hospital off and on for 10 years). (Came back in 85 for my engineering training.) My buddy and I rented an upper room from a little old lady in one of those big ol' houses on 21st street accross from Tech. The Shah's son lived 3 or 4 houses down. Only saw him once....

My more famous story....the day Reagan was shot, they kept flashing this suspect accross the page. I told my wife "man, that guy looks familiar". "Yea, right, Merf...you think you know everybody!" Later on they flashed a pic of some apartments I lived in Lubbock..."Man, that guy looks familiar" "Yea, Merf, sure Merf..." Later that evening, the phone rings, "Mr Kaufman, this is the United States Secret Service." All I remember was it was a very small apartment complex, everyone knew everyone and we were always cooking out together etc, but this guy was very quiet, and never participated...when he left, the manager said there was food and trash wall to wall.

Lubbock Texas...now there's God's country!


Merf

My son (a current Tech student) bought me a new T-shirt

The Tech Emblem is on the front with the quote:

"Who's you Daddy?????"

On the back...

"Bobby Knight!!!!"

 

[Lawreston]

Merf:

You've been absent for too long; nice to see your return.

 

[Henning]

The Ike relieved us on station the first week in May 1980 and proceeded to not only break, but shatter the peace time at sea records. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Dwight_D._Eisenhower_(CVN-69) Poor guys - not a record I would want to ever try to match.

Weenies, I've done more than that on a freaking tug boat (286 days). We went around the world twice in that time and was never in port for more than 20 hrs.

 

[KennyFlys]

Weenies, I've done more than that on a freaking tug boat (286 days). We went around the world twice in that time and was never in port for more than 20 hrs.

Okay, lock up 6,500 men on a carrier barely a quarter-mile long for months on end. Your sleeping rack is 6' long, 2' wide and you have 2' above your head. Most of your hours are spent at general quarters. When you're at your duty station and not launching aircraft, you're with the rest of your shop in a space normally about 8'x10' and sharing it with 6-8 other guys.

And, how much space did you have for yourself on your boat?

 

[Henning]

Okay, lock up 6,500 men on a carrier barely a quarter-mile long for months on end. Your sleeping rack is 6' long, 2' wide and you have 2' above your head. Most of your hours are spent at general quarters. When you're at your duty station and not launching aircraft, you're with the rest of your shop in a space normally about 8'x10' and sharing it with 6-8 other guys.

And, how much space did you have for yourself on your boat?

Lets see, boat is 127' but most of that has no useable human space.

You have 6 guys who live with a lounge&galley area 12'*12 with small cabins 7*4 (smaller than required for a prison cell) that hold 2 people Captain and mate get their own cabin. You are at general quarters full time. Much of the time you cannot go out on deck because it is awash with the sea breaking across it (freeboard of 6" to 3' depending on the fuel load). Not to mention the ride is attrocious and often the deck leaves from under your feet and the cabinside comes over to smite you. Then there is the joy of waking up on the ceiling and landing on the leeboard of your bunk breaking your ribs if you're lucky. Normally you tie yourself into your bunke with blankets run under your mattress, but sometimes you forget. Sorry, I've been aboard the Nimitz and the JFK, they're luxury cruise ships in comparison to an Invader class tug.

 

[KennyFlys]

Sorry, I've been aboard the Nimitz and the JFK, they're luxury cruise ships in comparison to an Invader class tug.

Okay, you win! Except for those times...

If anyone thinks an aircraft carrier can't push well past 40 kts... you should "feel the vibe!" Occasionally, the skipper would get an itch for reasons unknown. It makes rough seas inviting.

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

Okay, lock up 6,500 men on a carrier barely a quarter-mile long for months on end. Your sleeping rack is 6' long, 2' wide and you have 2' above your head. Most of your hours are spent at general quarters. When you're at your duty station and not launching aircraft, you're with the rest of your shop in a space normally about 8'x10' and sharing it with 6-8 other guys.

And, how much space did you have for yourself on your boat?

that is luxury compared to my sub. try 90+ enlisted and 15 officers on 290 feet long(Overall ) x 35 feet beam. the crews racks were three tall, (74"x20"X<16"on a 2" thick mattress)you could not even turn over with out getting out ! The E3's and below had to hot bunk often, for there were not enough racks when we had "special"visitors aboard. In the 3.25 years I was aboard, were were at sea (submerged)for over 75% of that time. Longest time deployed was 9 mos. As far as Duty, On a sub, a day is 18 hours. 12 on,6 off .. 12 on, 6 off...... During general quarters it went to two section duty (port- starboard 12 on, 12 off.) try that for 88 days in a row, as we had to do during the "Iranian crisis" Dont get me wrong, I am a gluten for punishment, I loved every minute of it...Well, almost every minute. I did not really like being a pollywog during the King Neptune Ceremony And I still have the puncture scars on my chest where the Cap'n pinned on my dolphins.
I was proud, but it hurt like hell!

 

[KennyFlys]

You guys had to stay submerged. The War Hoover's would get ya if you didn't!

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

You guys had to stay submerged. The would get ya if you didn't!

Nobody was going to get us, we were the steely eyed killers of the deep!!

 

[Henning]

Okay, you win! Except for those times...

If anyone thinks an aircraft carrier can't push well past 40 kts... you should "feel the vibe!" Occasionally, the skipper would get an itch for reasons unknown. It makes rough seas inviting.

We'd make 12 kts hammers down, and thats how we ran full time WOT Flank speed 9000hp pulling a 730' three deck RoRo barge. If we weren't doing 12, the company wanted to know why "Cause we're in the middle of a freaking Hurricaine you twit, don't you track the weather?" Now while a hurricaine on a sub is a non event, and a carrier has to cancel the volleyball and shuffleboard I have to try to keep from breaking my 2 1/2" wire. Sometimes that means letting everything back up. On a tug, you move about by strategically hopping in a direction as the boat leaves from under your feet, deflecting yourself in the direction you want to go off the overhead (while trying not to let it upset you or break your neck) and land where you want. Plotting your position on the chart is a hazardous experience as you get thrown across the wheelhouse with sharp implements in your hand. When you're in the trough of a wave, you look up at a 45*+ angle to see the tops. Green water frequently covers the boat and there are no radar returns. The helm seat bolts require frequent tightening, and when something starts to come apart, you need to weld it now. Oh yeah, eating doesn't happen outside of coffee with lots of sugar in travel mugs and a bit of dry cereal. I won't even get into what changing a power pack in an EMD engine is like under thos conditions, but suffice it to say, you have to climb into it.

 

[KennyFlys]

Nobody was going to get us, we were the steely eyed killers of the deep!!

Afraid to mention "War Hoover" in your post or is it bad karma? Hmmmm?

 

[jshawley]

The Nimitz was at sea for 144 straight days with no port call, after being pulled out of the Med on January 3, 1980. Nimitz, Texas and California, an all-nuke battle group headed around the cape of Africa and pulled into the Gulf of Oman and took up patrol around Gonzo station 3rd week in January. Nimitz has a published speed of 30+ knots, and for most of that trip, the nav info on the public tvs was blanked out. We were haulin' ass.

Hey, Greg! You guys relieved us! (Ranger, of course, had complemented us a few weeks earlier.)

Bainbridge and some frigate were attached to Midway, and we were the first to report to Gonzo. We had been in Perth/Freemantle, had left there on the way to Mombasa, and about a day and a half out, while standing Feed Control Watch (as an Electricians Mate?) I noticed the ship's rolling changed, and could clearly see us start making a lot more turns on the screws. Next morning, Capt. Almstedt gets on the 1mc and gives us the hot skinny.

Next night, we change course again, slow down to a standard bell again, and steam on to Mombasa any way. 'Twas the start of a period of three months of do nothing (of course, we'd already been out some three months any way, but...). A lot of sailors were incredibly frustrated (I'm sure the old man was, but orders are orders).

Thanks for the memories. Perhaps it might be different now had the Iranians not listened, J.D. Perhaps a lot of things would be different. No way of knowing for certain, but instilling abject fear in one's neighbors is one way of keeping them from borrowing Boeing 757s and 767s...

 

[gkainz]

It is a small world after all, isn't it? Continues to reenforce the 6° of separation theory, doesn't it?

There was a posting floating around on the net, and may have been posted here at one time, trying to describe navy life that was pretty funny - paint everything you own haze grey, live in a refrigerator box in your front yard, stuff all your possessions in a duffel bag, etc. I can't find it right now, but it was pretty funny and accurate.

Even though the carrier cruises were an awesome part of my life way back when, I don't think they're something I would ever want to repeat. My Norse Viking genes were aroused for a short time and sea duty was exciting. But, my land-lubber cowboy mountain man genes soon rose up in revolt and I couldn't get away from the sea soon enough after that. All the posts above pretty much sum up that no matter how bad things may seem, they could always be worse.

Cruising on the Nimitz did have it's "luxury" features, hot meals, hot showers, a gym, library, chapel, bowling alley (ok, kidding on that one). But then I could compare it to the cruise my wife and I took on Holland America last year for our 20th anniversary. Hmmm, no, on second thought, I guess I couldn't. Standing on the fantail of the Nimitz, the swells were barely noticeable, but the Texas and California following us in trail where taking water over the bow. Those poor sods earned their sea pay. Bow way way up... slam down hard... under water... break back up again... later, rinse, repeat for months on end. Yuck! About the only thing that kept me going out there was I got to get off the boat almost every day, even though my view of the world was an 18" radar scope and the reprieve only lasted 4 hrs a day, or 4 hrs a night, or one of each... it was still flying, and it was awesome.

Anyway, life on the Nimitz was better in general than on the Constellation. For example, nuke boats manufacture more fresh water than they can use, so no water restrictions on the Nimitz (within reason). The Connie was better than the Ranger, as the Connie had just come out of SLEP (Service Life Extension Program... a "pimp my boat" rehab, refit and nearly rebuild). All 3 were better than what I saw about life on the smaller ships, way better than Henning's description of life on the tugs. Ever see that Discovery channel program on the crab boats off Alaska? No thanks, this land lubber is staying ashore. Regardless of how bad or tough any of those cruises seemed like, it was a walk in the park compared to the troops on the ground, tho. You guys have my respect.

Ugghhh, starting to break out in "haze grey and underway" hives...

 

[KennyFlys]

Standing on the fantail of the Nimitz, the swells were barely noticeable, but the Texas and California following us in trail where taking water over the bow. Those poor sods earned their sea pay.

I was on the Ike six different times when we headed back into Norfolk. We'd be pushing to make morning high tide but only once did we make it (crossing over a tunnel with a deep draft boat was an issue). The other times were always preceded by a night of high seas and some serious rockin' and rollin'. We would take our gear from or O-3 Level shop up to the flight deck then lower it down to the hangar deck via the aircraft elevators. We had so much and some boxes (metal-cased test equipment) so large, there was no way to get down the ladders. I recall once our squadron AE shop had to leave more than a dozen on the elevator when seas got to bad to leave men up there. When command allowed men to return, the equipment was gone. Waves had washed over the flight deck, taking everything not tied with it; ninety feet above the water line. Most airplanes had at least a 24-point tie down. Along with lost equipment was our personnel department's word processor; basically a $6,000 typewriter.

About the only thing that kept me going out there was I got to get off the boat almost every day, even though my view of the world was an 18" radar scope and the reprieve only lasted 4 hrs a day, or 4 hrs a night, or one of each... it was still flying, and it was awesome.

Greg, Ya think Monica Lewinsky ever saw life from a Hummer the way you did?

 

[CowboyPilot]

Lubbock Texas...now there's God's country!

Merf

It's definitely the king of Cotton Country. I grew up somewhat south of Lubbock outside a dusty little town called Eldorado nearways of San Angelo. Ranch and oil country.

West Texans are still my home folks and my roots. Native West Texans have never met a stranger and never turned their back on their own kind and never turned the other cheek when pushed.

God Bless 'em all.

Okay, lock up 6,500 men on a carrier barely a quarter-mile long for months on end. Your sleeping rack is 6' long, 2' wide and you have 2' above your head. Most of your hours are spent at general quarters. When you're at your duty station and not launching aircraft, you're with the rest of your shop in a space normally about 8'x10' and sharing it with 6-8 other guys.

I got shot up pretty bad getting a Navy A4 driver out of North Vietnam--the pilot wasn't in too good of shape either, with a broken leg, a couple of broken ribs and some infections starting in due to his chute taking him into the trees.

Our damn Jolly got shot down while extracting us and a Navy whirley had to come fetch us. Took us back to the USS Kittyhawk where I spent the next three weeks in surgery and then sickbay recuperating.

I liked that old boat so much I thought about transferring services. Compared to what we were living in at Bien Hoa and even worse, various base camps. . . the Kitty was living in uptown Manhatten. Hot water, hot chow (and DAMNED GOOD CHOW TOO, I might add, but best chow I'ver eaten has been on Navy ships ), TV, weight rooms, etc etc.

But we've had to hot bunk before on Navy ships and it ain't real fun.

that is luxury compared to my sub. . . I did not really like being a pollywog during the King Neptune Ceremony And I still have the puncture scars on my chest where the Cap'n pinned on my dolphins.
I was proud, but it hurt like hell!

Sewer-tubers are freaking crazy. I've swam out of a few airlocks and torpedo tubes in my day. Ain't one damn fun thing about it. Freaking SEALs actually ENJOY it. Crazy SOBs.

Do they even let commanders pin troops anymore? Last I heard, some sissy boy's mama complained to President Clinton about her son getting pinned after he squeaked through Airborne School at Benning and the practice got "banned."

Regards.

-JD

 

[Ghery]

that is luxury compared to my sub. try 90+ enlisted and 15 officers on 290 feet long(Overall ) x 35 feet beam. the crews racks were three tall, (74"x20"X<16"on a 2" thick mattress)you could not even turn over with out getting out !

That <16" figure is what would keep me off boats. The only time I've ever felt claustrophobic was the one time I slept in the aft bunk of our sailboat, and didn't have much more room than that. Felt like my arms were trapped. Working on them at Mare Island right out of college was enough.

 

[Tom-D]

Even though the carrier cruises were an awesome part of my life way back when, I don't think they're something I would ever want to repeat.

I love to sink my teeth into one of those hot bear claws fresh from the bakery of the Chiefs mess.

about the only thing I miss, NAVY bakers, Ya gotta lovem.

 

[cherokeeflyboy]

I


Freaking SEALs actually ENJOY it. Crazy SOBs.

Do they even let commanders pin troops anymore? Last I heard, some sissy boy's mama complained to President Clinton about her son getting pinned after he squeaked through Airborne School at Benning and the practice got "banned."

Regards.

-JD

They are the "special" visitors I was referring to. They were allowed to egress through the forward and aft escape trunks, never through the tubes. In case the Stufff hit the fan, it would take too much time to shoot a water slug , load a mk 48, flood the tube then shoot it.
The only times we had these visitors, we were too close to our neighbors to the north west to take any chances.



Dont know if they allow that now or not, I was out long before Mr.& Mrs. Clinton became president.
Sissy boy indeed! To this day, my mother has no idea.

 

[SkyHog]

I didn't realize that was so long ago. I was born in 1981, but I seem to remember most of that. Maybe I saw a special on it on the History channel or something, but I really do remember the release.

 

[CowboyPilot]

They are the "special" visitors I was referring to. They were allowed to egress through the forward and aft escape trunks, never through the tubes. In case the Stufff hit the fan, it would take too much time to shoot a water slug , load a mk 48, flood the tube then shoot it.
The only times we had these visitors, we were too close to our neighbors to the north west to take any chances.

I launched out of an airlock from subs on a couple of missions where all of Hanoi, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh and Jane Fonda knew we were coming to retrieve a "special" aviator who'd been downed and was on the run (No, not LTC Ice Hambleton, although I met Tommy Norris shortly after that operation--me, our senior NCOIC and the full bull driver of our Super Jolly bought him copious amounts of steak and beer).

Bad deal was you can get claustrophic as hell on a sub--even moreso knowing what your mission is about and what lies ahead. Good deal is that I got to stay in the XO's cabin.

The sub skipper had big brass ones. BIG BRASS ones. I swear he was scraping paint off the keel he was so close in to the beach.

Us Air Force types weren't real comfortable in those sewer tubes. . .

I didn't realize that was so long ago. I was born in 1981, but I seem to remember most of that. Maybe I saw a special on it on the History channel or something, but I really do remember the release.

Nick, good chance you saw a lot of footage in the ensuing years. The "release" as it happened was questioned by the media and members of President Carter's cabinet. All the stories of Bush flying in an SR-71 to Paris to "negotiate" the release before the 1980 election, etc.

And, there was a lot of footage that got shown for various political campaigns for the next ten or so years.

All in all, it was not a good time.

Regards.

-JD

 

[Matthew]

Yeah, I remember.

All you Navy guys talking about your carriers brought back some other memories. I lived in Newport News when I was in Jr High (back in the mid 70s). Used to ride the school bus right past the shipyard twice a day. I always made sure to get as good a look as possible at the Nimitz, Eisenhower (I think), and the Vinson as they were being built. Who would have thought that only about 5 years later we'd be relying on them in that way? My kids are just about the same age now as I was then (maybe a year or two older) I sometimes think about the world then and the world now and wonder if all that much has changed?

 

[KennyFlys]

I sometimes think about the world then and the world now and wonder if all that much has changed?

A lot has changed in many respects. Rather than a more defined "enemy" or opponent like the Soviet Union, the enemy now is any where we can possibly turn. There is no single stronghold for Islamofacist terrorists.

The Navy and Air Force don't really have a direct strike but are rather a support function for the troops who have to go in by foot and often surgically eradicate the enemy. Things have changed greatly.

 

[Matthew]

Things have changed greatly.

Yeah, in a lot of ways. We now have a whole generation who grew up after the Cold War. So many of us grew up either serving in Viet Nam, or like I me, with a carreer Army dad who did. Then we lived under the direct threat and indirect threats from the Soviet Union.

Now, you're right. My kids will grow up in a time where this enemy is no longer affiliated with a single country or nation, but is everywhere. That results in different tactics.

Things are different, in that respect. What hasn't changed is the requirement for 'eternal vigilance', and that's where our uniform services come in, God bless them all.