64 YEARS AGO THIS  THURSDAY I JOINED THE NAVY AND AFTER BOOT CAMP REPORTED TO USS PRINCETON CV 37 ,, I SERVED 24 YEARS BUT LIKE THEY SAY YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST.

MY THREE YEARS ON THE SWEET P WAS NOT ALL FUN AND GAMES AND I HAD A FEW TRIPS TO XO MASS BUT IN THOSE DAYS BEING A LITTLE BAD OR SCREWED UP WAS PRETTY MUCH FORGIVEN  , AND NOT ALWAYS A CAREER RUINED ROAD. WE HAD SKIPPERS THEN THAT ONLY CARED IF YOU COULD GET THE JOB DONE NOT HOW MUCH SPIT AND POLISH AND CLEAN CUT YOU WERE. I WAS TOUGHT BY MANY WW2 GUYS AND BELIEVE ME IT WAS A TRIP.

I REMEMBER WHEN WILD BILL GALERY TOLD THE ADMIRAL WHEN HE SAID HIS MEN LOOKED LIKE HELL, WILD BILL TOLD HIM YOU RUN THE FLEET SIR AND I WILL RUN MY SHIP.

BUT WHEN MY CAREER ENDED IN 1975 IT WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT NAVY AND I DIDNT FIT THE PROGRAM ANY MORE SO INSTEAD OF DOING 30 I PACKED MY DITY BAG AND LEFT.

I TURNED DOWN CHIEF AS I SAW THE BIG CHANGE WHEN THEY MADE E-8 AND E-9 AND I LIKE MY JOB BETTER AT E-6 AS THE E-6 WAS LIKE THE OLD E-7 USE TO BE,,HAT ON BACKWARDS AND IN DUNGS WITH HIS MEN. AND FOR FIFTY BUCKS A MONTH MORE ON RETIREMENT I DIDNT THINK IT WAS WORTH IT.

IN THE LONG RUN I RETIRED IN A GS RATING THAT MADE ME THE SAME RANK AS A LTCDR,,SO I GUESS I WON ANY WAY,,, BUT ALL MY TOURS MY ONLY BEST MEMORIES ARE STILL THE DAYS ON THE PRINCETON AND THE SHIP MATES THEN AND OUR EFFORTS OF THE KOREAN WAR.