My CTRCM Shipmate

 

 

 

"This is only one of thousands of tales of boys becoming men while in the service of their country..."

We were just a bunch of goofy 18 and 19 year old kids. We all went in the Navy for different reasons - some to escape the draft, some for the "Navy experience", and a few because they wanted to be Navy "spooks". It was just a Hodge Podge of boys, barely out of high school, who came together to serve in the Navy, and do what we thought was good.

After basic training was over, some of us received orders to Pensacola. We were stationed at a command located on a air base called Corry Field.  A few of us became fast friends. Myself, Terry, Jim, Scott and others would hang out after class was over. We worked hard and played hard. We all suffered through the rigors and testing of the first phase of crypto training. Somehow we all passed and went on to the advanced training. Once there, it only got harder. Some did not make it, and then were gone. Since Viet Nam was still going strong, there were many sea billets available for those looking for a home.

Upon graduation, I received orders to Okinawa. Other than knowing it had some WWII history, I really did not know much about it. Terry, Jim and Scott all went to the Philippines (PI) for duty. As wild as Okinawa was before it became part of Japan, the PI was wilder. It some areas, it was almost like a war zone. The anti-Japanese terror group called the Hukbalahaps (Huks) were still on the islands. They had evolved and were now communist and anti-American. As a military man, to encounter Huks in the wrong place or the wrong time, could be deadly.

If you were stationed on the PI, there were plenty of opportunities. You could fill a shore billet, or put in for some TAD (temporary) sea duty off the coast of Viet Nam. Terry and Jim decided to go for the sea duty tours. Scott, on the other hand, wanted something even more exciting. He applied for and was accepted into "sea, air survival" school. While there, he earned his wings. He was going to be an crypto operator on a P3-C Orion platform. Most of the P3-C planes were used for anti-submarine warfare - some however, were used for "low and slow" crypto missions over Viet Nam. And that is exactly what Scott signed up for.

On one mission, Scott's P3-C was flying up by the DMZ. A Viet Cong Triple A position saw it coming and let loose a volley. Scott was sitting in the back of the plane with his typewriter between his knees and his headphones on. The rounds came up through the plane and fortunately, missed everyone. However, one went right through Scott's typewriter, missing him by only inches. Scott ended with shrapnel from what remained of his typewriter, and had to spend some time healing in the base hospital.

I regained contact with Jim and Terry at my next duty station up in Maine. It was great to be together as us "boys" had all become men. Nobody seemed to know much about Scott. Somebody heard he re-enlisted and as an incentive, was given orders to Scotland.

After receiving my honorable discharge from the Navy, I went back to college and earned a degree. I went back in Naval Reserve and earned a commission. Many years later, I was a Lieutenant on two a week reserve duty at a crypto station by Washington. One day, while coming back from lunch, a master chief was walking up the sidewalk towards me. As he was getting ready to salute, he paused and we looked at each other. It was Scott. He had made it all the way up the ladder to Master Chief - the highest you can go in the Navy as an enlisted man. It was like old times all over again. I don't now who was more surprised - me, seeing Scott as a Master Chief, or Scott, seeing me as a Lieutenant!

This is just one story I wanted to share about military life a few decades ago. The memories of the Viet Nam are starting to fade as more and more of the vets are now leaving us. Whether we are Viet Nam vets or Viet Nam era vets, we have been encouraged to share our stories. I really wanted to share this story about Scott, as his story really needed be told. To me, Scott's story is about determination, bravery and accomplishment. It is only one of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, that should be shared by those who served.