When the Cuban Missile Crisis began to heat up in September 1962, the ROOSEVELT (CVA 42) had just left NS Mayport for its umpteenth Med deployment. The newly married JO’s (junior officers) would gather on the fan tail to watch the wake that pointed towards the brides they had left. Misty eyes were the uniform … Continue reading Cold War Dark Operations: Soot, as a weapon? Revenge of the Snipes in the Cold War
After commissioning from OCS in Newport, followed by six months of Combat Information Center School at NAS Glynco (Brunswick, Ga), I reported to USS F.D. ROOSEVELT CVA 42, in Mayport, FL. After qualifying as a CIC Watch Officer in August, 1962, I volunteered to stand bridge watches to train for qualification as an Officer of … Continue reading OOD Underway
Author’s note: this “blog” was actually written in 1963 while I was the Asst. Navigator for the USS F. D. ROOSEVELT (CVA-42). It is dedicated to friends who also served in ROOSEVELT and have stood this same watch, including: Bill Brinkley, Paul Dickson and Steve Wood. Shoes shined, lint off uniform, tie straight, buttons buttoned, … Continue reading The In-Port Watch on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in the Sixties
Long before PBS or Nova or the Nature Series, there were reports of bands of bipedal primates roaming the cottage-y territories of the otherwise peaceful inhabitants in North Jacksonville. The reports were true. More shocking was the fact that these orgies included mulberry mashes, persimmon plucking and even fig orgies in the Holiday’s back yard. … Continue reading Hunting and Gathering on the North Shore
After serving on the House Armed Services for decades and as Chairman of the Seapower and Strategic Materials Sub-Committee, in 1980 Charlie Bennett was the third senior member of the House of Representatives and the second in seniority on the Armed Services Committee. At lunch he asked me to serve as his Chief of Staff. It meant leaving an interesting, fulfilling position as VP of Taft Corporation in Washington, D.C. It was decision time.
Just A Typical Gator Homecoming? Water, Water (balloons) Everywhere! I would have to call it a form of temporary insanity that gripped the 60 or so residents of Georgia Seagle Hall as we feverously prepared for Homecoming 1960. The normally studious, well-behaved, Seagle do-gooders were preparing a racy display to cover the front of … Continue reading Water, Water Everywhere: Just a “Typical” Gator Homecoming in the Sixties
Flash: the U.S. Navy plans return to teaching celestial navigation. In my view, this is one of the smarter moves the Navy is making to ensure its ability to safely navigate no matter what and no matter where. In the early 1960s, at OCS, we learned the basics of both piloting and celestial navigation in … Continue reading U.S. Navy and back to the future Star Power
The Iceman delivered much more than ice to this North Florida neighborhood in the late 1940s. He brought a friendly smile, generous heart, and icy gifts that have continued to offer solace from feverish thoughts after all these years. I was very busy during World War II..trying to avoid being “drafted” (into Kindergarten). I was … Continue reading The Iceman
Too many birthday candles might produce unintended excitement… Birthdays Can Be Memorable In More Ways Than You Think… The calendar says it’s my birthday. Again. And, so soon after the last one. Of course, I’m grateful to still be having them, the alternative lacking greatly in every respect. However, they seem to be arriving sooner, … Continue reading Dangerous birthday candles
Signal flags are still important aboard Navy ships, helping those within visual range to share important information such as course and speed…but this flag combination brought questions, and then gales of laughter on the bridge of this carrier. On the bridge of the Rosy one afternoon we had a mix up of signals between us … Continue reading What The Hell Flag Signal