[/img]Test of the testing area
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jimlongley
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 4
- Posts: 6134
- Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2005 1:31 pm
- Location: Allen, TX
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jimlongley
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 4
- Posts: 6134
- Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2005 1:31 pm
- Location: Allen, TX
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jimlongley
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 4
- Posts: 6134
- Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2005 1:31 pm
- Location: Allen, TX
I'm not a sir, I was enlisted. 
I reported aboard the Zellars 5 November 1967, and was released from active duty 1 December 1970 from that command. Three years, twenty five days, sixteen hours, and thirty seven minutes, log entry to log entry, not that anyone counts.
It was a shame that they sold it to the Iranians, but we got the better part of that deal. She always had a starboard shaft vibration problem from a previous incident, and then we made it worse in '69 by hooking the antenna on a Russian sub off the Straits of Gibralter and bending the starboard prop shaft even worse. We limped back to Naples, then Malta, and eventually back to Newport RI, where they finally decided that instead of sending us to a yard and replacing the shaft, they would send her to Brooklyn as a reserve training ship, essentially welded to the pier.
When she was sold to the Iranian Navy she still had the bent shaft and couldn't turn over eighteen knots without shaking so bad that you were sure she was going to fall apart, which was a distinct possibility anyway.
Were/are you FMF? We were too small to have a contingent but the flagship of our squadron always did, and we used to shoot five inch guns against them. When I was aboard, in our squadron, my gunmount was never outshot except by the FMF guys, and that was not every time. Five thousand yards to the target, cool.
We taxied a few Marines around a couple of times, and participated in landing parties in the carribean and med. Loads of fun.
I reported aboard the Zellars 5 November 1967, and was released from active duty 1 December 1970 from that command. Three years, twenty five days, sixteen hours, and thirty seven minutes, log entry to log entry, not that anyone counts.
It was a shame that they sold it to the Iranians, but we got the better part of that deal. She always had a starboard shaft vibration problem from a previous incident, and then we made it worse in '69 by hooking the antenna on a Russian sub off the Straits of Gibralter and bending the starboard prop shaft even worse. We limped back to Naples, then Malta, and eventually back to Newport RI, where they finally decided that instead of sending us to a yard and replacing the shaft, they would send her to Brooklyn as a reserve training ship, essentially welded to the pier.
When she was sold to the Iranian Navy she still had the bent shaft and couldn't turn over eighteen knots without shaking so bad that you were sure she was going to fall apart, which was a distinct possibility anyway.
Were/are you FMF? We were too small to have a contingent but the flagship of our squadron always did, and we used to shoot five inch guns against them. When I was aboard, in our squadron, my gunmount was never outshot except by the FMF guys, and that was not every time. Five thousand yards to the target, cool.
We taxied a few Marines around a couple of times, and participated in landing parties in the carribean and med. Loads of fun.
Real gun control, carrying 24/7/365
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a777pilot
Topic author - Junior Member
- Posts in topic: 6
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 8:16 am
- Location: Flower Mound, TX
I signed on the dotted line with the Marine Corps 22 Dec 1965.
OCS summer of 1966.
Flight school 1968/69.
RVN, 1970/1971.
Over 20 years with the Corps and over 10 in WestPac.
AS far as you NOT being a Sir, well you ARE to me. As for you service to your country, I would like to add my personal -... --.. !!!!
OCS summer of 1966.
Flight school 1968/69.
RVN, 1970/1971.
Over 20 years with the Corps and over 10 in WestPac.
AS far as you NOT being a Sir, well you ARE to me. As for you service to your country, I would like to add my personal -... --.. !!!!
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a777pilot
Topic author - Junior Member
- Posts in topic: 6
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 8:16 am
- Location: Flower Mound, TX
I signed on the dotted line with the Marine Corps 22 Dec 1965.
OCS summer of 1966.
Flight school 1968/69.
RVN, 1970/1971.
Over 20 years with the Corps and over 10 in WestPac.
AS far as you NOT being a Sir, well, Sir, you ARE to me. As for you service to your country, I would like to add my personal -... --.. !!!!
OCS summer of 1966.
Flight school 1968/69.
RVN, 1970/1971.
Over 20 years with the Corps and over 10 in WestPac.
AS far as you NOT being a Sir, well, Sir, you ARE to me. As for you service to your country, I would like to add my personal -... --.. !!!!
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jimlongley
- Senior Member
- Posts in topic: 4
- Posts: 6134
- Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2005 1:31 pm
- Location: Allen, TX
You could edit the post down to empty and put in some sort of apology.
It appears to me as if I should be the one siring you. I dropped out of college in '66 and went to work for the phone company figuring I would get my draft notice soon, at which point I would go down and enlist in the Marines, but I would party as a single guy until then. The phone company kind of messed up my plans by sending me out of town on a long term assignement, right in the middle of ski country in upstate NY - PARTEEE!!!
But I didn't find out about my draft notice until a week after my parents received it, which didn't leave me a lot of time to quit my job and go enlist. Then my on again off again girlfriend wrecked my car, with me in it, and cut me up pretty badly.
So I showed up at the main post office building in Albany NY, where all the recruiting offices were cheek and jowl against one another, wearing a large bandage on my right ear, a huge bandage on my right shoulder, and broken, taped together, coke bottle lens glasses, and presented myself to the old gunny sgt sitting behind the desk as a prospective Marine.
This worthy, with hash marks on both sleeves that were very impressive, just about died of apoplexy, I don't know whether from trying not to laugh or trying not to cry, and informed me that I had missed the window, they had filled their quota for the month, but I could go up to Plattburgh and enlist there.
As I walked out of the Marine recruiting office a sailor stepped out of the next door down, and eventually made me some very interesting promises involving my experience as a phone man, the Seabees, and a transfer to the USMC upon completion of advanced training.
Of course that didn't quite work out, and being an Army brat I should have known better, but I believed it.
When I got my orders to Gunner's Mate school in basic I tried to tell people that it was a mistake, but of course it wasn't, so I became a gunner.
Up until then I had planned on a military career, but a variety of similar disappointments through my four years convinced me otherwise, so I went back to the phone company when I got out and retired from there in 1995.
Thank YOU for YOUR service, SIR!
It appears to me as if I should be the one siring you. I dropped out of college in '66 and went to work for the phone company figuring I would get my draft notice soon, at which point I would go down and enlist in the Marines, but I would party as a single guy until then. The phone company kind of messed up my plans by sending me out of town on a long term assignement, right in the middle of ski country in upstate NY - PARTEEE!!!
But I didn't find out about my draft notice until a week after my parents received it, which didn't leave me a lot of time to quit my job and go enlist. Then my on again off again girlfriend wrecked my car, with me in it, and cut me up pretty badly.
So I showed up at the main post office building in Albany NY, where all the recruiting offices were cheek and jowl against one another, wearing a large bandage on my right ear, a huge bandage on my right shoulder, and broken, taped together, coke bottle lens glasses, and presented myself to the old gunny sgt sitting behind the desk as a prospective Marine.
This worthy, with hash marks on both sleeves that were very impressive, just about died of apoplexy, I don't know whether from trying not to laugh or trying not to cry, and informed me that I had missed the window, they had filled their quota for the month, but I could go up to Plattburgh and enlist there.
As I walked out of the Marine recruiting office a sailor stepped out of the next door down, and eventually made me some very interesting promises involving my experience as a phone man, the Seabees, and a transfer to the USMC upon completion of advanced training.
Of course that didn't quite work out, and being an Army brat I should have known better, but I believed it.
When I got my orders to Gunner's Mate school in basic I tried to tell people that it was a mistake, but of course it wasn't, so I became a gunner.
Up until then I had planned on a military career, but a variety of similar disappointments through my four years convinced me otherwise, so I went back to the phone company when I got out and retired from there in 1995.
Thank YOU for YOUR service, SIR!
Real gun control, carrying 24/7/365