After seeing Maco0321 pics earlier and being that it is the 4th of July, It got me to thinking about my military days. Boy do I miss those days.

So I thought I would start a poll to see how many of our forum cruisers have done military time and share some of my pics.

I was an EW2(SW) Electronics Warfare Technician 2nd Class as depicted in my avatar. I operate in the CIC (Combat Information Center) of a Ticonderoga(Aegis) Cruiser and a Spruance Class Destroyer in the Navy for 5 years.:fish:



Anyone else have any military memories/photos to share feel free to add them to this thread.


Anchors Away
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/AnchorsAway.jpg

Some rough seas
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/RoughSeas.jpg

Going through the Suez Canal entering the Red Sea
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/SuezCanal.jpg

Aerial shot of my battlegroup. We were the AAWC(Anti-Air Warfare Commander) for this 3 carrier battlegroup. The carriers were the USS Kennedy, America and Saratoga. It was the largest battlegroup formed since WWII.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/3CarrierBattlegroup.jpg

Some boarding ops in the sea.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/Boarding.jpg

Firing the 5 inch guns
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/5inchGun.jpg

Missiles Away
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/MissilesAway.jpg

Returning from the Storm
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/ReturningfromDesertStorm.jpg
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/ReturningfromDesertStorm2.jpg

A cool shot of a Blue Angel F/A-18 flyby of my ship
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/Flyby.jpg

I was on the USS Nashville LPD-13 and USS Wasp, I am a Shellback and have spent over 10 months out at sea.

Dad was in the Airforce in Vietnam, The Agressors to be exact which is the best of the best pilots.

I was on the USS Nashville LPD-13 and USS Wasp, I am a Shellback and have spent over 10 months out at sea.

OohRah! How did you like the ship life? We had the USS Saipan(LHA-2) with us during one of our deployments. I can't remember which one.

I have a buddy who was in Somalia and was a Blackhawk Down. He has not watched the movie for obvious reasons but his stories are exactly like what the movie depicts. They did a good job portraying exactly what happened. He said they had no idea at the time they were fighting the Taliban or who the Taliban were.

I signed up for 6 but I was in from July '89 - July '94. I did so many deployments it is hard to count. I did deployments in the Caribbean(Drug Operations/Interdiction), the Red Sea(Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm), the Persian Gulf(Operation Restore Hope), North Atlantic (Rough Seas) and Mediterranean. I was supposed to do a Unitas and get my Shellback in '94 but I had the option to get out a year early and took it. I kind of regret that now as a Wog.

It is funny how slow the time moved when I was in and now it has been 13 years since I got out. Almost 50% of my team at work is ex-military so the camaraderie is great and it helps me remember my time in the military.

Various Pics of ship life and Egypt. Hope you enjoy them.

This is a Coffin Rack. Everything you have on a ship you sleep on.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/CoffinRack.jpg

We called this Missile Silo (Sherwood Forest)
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/MissileSilo.jpg

Egyptian Temple
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/EgyptionColumns.jpg

A picture of my best friend and I. Notice the position of my friends hands. :D
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/Statue.jpg

My 2nd Ship was the USS Stump(DD-978). She was sunk last year off of the coast of the Carolinas to be a artificial reef during SinkEx 2006.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/USSStump.jpg

Fire One!
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/SinkEx2006-1.jpg

Fire Two!
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/SinkEx2006-2.jpg

Fire Three!

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/SinkEx2006-3.jpg

Fire Four!

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/SinkEx2006-4.jpg

And down to Davey Jones locker she goes. It was sad to see this, kind of like losing a family member. I spent 2 years on this ship.
http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb276/policefan99/Tank%20Build/Navy/SinkEx2006-5.jpg

8 years Marine Corps

USS RUSHMORE (LSD - 47)

Believe we were the first US ship off Somolia for Operation Restore Hope.

Things got hairy right after.

Made port calls in Malaysia, Thailand, UAE and some others I can't recall.

Headed for Australia but Clinton cut the fuel budget and we got stiffed.

Shellback thank you very much.


Loren W.

Headed for Australia but Clinton cut the fuel budget and we got stiffed.

Does that mean you all had to get out and flutter kick the ship back to port?
:lol2:

8 years Marine Corps

Semper Fi Alan. We should get together and swap stories over a beer sometime. Let me know if you are around Mike's place and perhaps we can hit the mexican place for a beer.

USS RUSHMORE (LSD - 47)

Believe we were the first US ship off Somolia for Operation Restore Hope.

Things got hairy right after.

Made port calls in Malaysia, Thailand, UAE and some others I can't recall.

Headed for Australia but Clinton cut the fuel budget and we got stiffed.

Shellback thank you very much.


So were you Navy or Marines? When you were in Dubai did you visit the Golden Sook?

Some ports of call for me were:

Cuba, Purto Rico, Saint Thomas, Curacao, Spain, Palma de Mallorca, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Mike

dude sweet pics, i was in the air force from 97 to 01. Stationed at mcchord afb in Seattle WA "62 aircraft generation squadron." Worked on C-141 starlifters. Some say it was the best cargo plane ever built. Some of the best times of my life.

Thanks Chris. I never flew on a C-141, but I actually got to co-pilot a C-130 from Izmir, Turkey to Sigonella NAS in Italy. The co-pilot wanted to rest in the cargo area so he gave me his seat. The pilot let me take the controls for a good part of the flight. That was pretty cool.

I was hoping for this thread to stir some memories of my fellow veterans and our times in the military. Looks like it is. If you or anyone else have pics feel free and add to this thread. I would love to see them.

US Navy 1971 to 1981 I started out as an Electricians Mate and left as a Gas Turbine Specialist First Class (GSE1). My first ship was the USS Fairfax County (LST 1193). Then I was a plank owner on the USS Spruance (DD 963) Spent 6 years on sea duty, visited 31 countries and 5 continents.

Nice pics Jeff. Good to see another Spruance Class shipmate. Those were some rough seas in that last shot you had. I have seen the railing on the forecastle by the bull nose fold under seas like that and take green water on the bridge windows.

Since you were on the Spruance, I wonder how similar your living spaces were. In the aft portion of the ship we had 3 berthings. Supply(1 level below deck), Engineering(2nd level below) and Ops(3rd level below). I assume you were in the Engineering berthing. I was in the Ops berthing. As I was being discharged it was hard to believe they were refitting the supply berthing, on a combatant, for woman. Times were definitely changing.

Army (78-82)

One of these days I'll get around to scanning some of my photos!

On the first 5 Spruance class ships the Engineering section was the third level, Ops was the second level, supply was 1st. For a while we carried EW's and CT's they berthed in the gym with marine guards (I'm not confirming or denying the presents of spy equipment, but we spent a lot of time in the Baltic.;)) I was on the ship when the floating dry dock broke and dropped the ship into the river adding 13 months to our commissoning. I just left aft steering heading toward the electric shop when it happened, the shipyard worker who was still in there was killed.

I was on the USS Nashville LPD-13 and USS Wasp, I am a Shellback and have spent over 10 months out at sea. Where you on this ship last summer? I was in Lebanon at the time of the war last summer and this was the ship I evacuated the country on. Some of the greatest men and women I have ever met where on that ship. Thanks for all of your service!

I was Air Force ROTC back in 80 at Kent State, But did not continue on. Wish I had.

However, I did work for General Dynamics Electric Boat Division after college. I was a designer of the SSBN 726 Ohio Class Boomers. Worked in the missile compartment. Did nuke change overs for the D4 missiles for SSBN 728 thru SSBN 734.

And my brother is a Lt. Col. in the US Army. 20 years in. Medical as a Radiologist.

1st Group of pics (Operation Restore Hope 93 (Mogadishu, Somalia) Pic of Soccer Stadium where we lived. This is the same place the wounded Rangers were taken.)
2nd) Iraq

3rd) Vertically Challenged Iraqi Boy

4th) USS Wasp (LHD) USS Nashville (LPD13)

5th) Somalia

6th) Somalia

Did my time at Andrews AFB at the 89th Comm Squadron for White House/AF One communications.

If I could dig up a scanner that worked, I'd post my basic photos. Unfortunately, when you get the SSBI/Yankee White and SCI clearances they stop letting you take snapshots at work. :D

Jeff, you remember the Spruance pretty good. The Spruance was also sunk last year. Did you get any pics of it?

I love the pics maco. Did you know a guy by the name of Rick Carroll? He was the guy I mention who was part of the Blackhawk Down Mission. He was wounded and stranded the middle of the road until after being in the lost convoy. He was rescued by special forces flying a little bird.

This thread is really cool..... It is good to see some of the photos from different times in various branches. We need some Air Force and Marine photos to add to this thread.

The pics I posted were all from the Marine Corps except the ones from Iraq, which with the Georgia National Guard from Lawerenceville. Mechanized Infantry, Bradely Gunner.

i my self was in the navy a boatswains mate 2nd class i got out in 97. i am a plankowner of the USS Supply AOE-6. I got to decommission a ship also which was the USS Mccandles FF 1084. unfortunatelly that was pre digital camera days i would share pics if i had them.

Sorry Maco. Your pics are representing the Marines and the Guard well. You would not happen to know a Mike Carroll?

ubfishy, I am assuming you were a Plankowner on the Knox class frigate. Now that is a tin can at sea. What were the worst seas you were in on it?

It is probably a good thing that you were BM2 on the oiler. I could not imagine the work the BM's had to do for UNREPS everyday. But I bet you guys ate well, being that all supplies came through you guys.

I had a chance to be a Plankowner on the USS Cowpens CG-63. I did not take it because my wife had no support on the west coast. So I chose CG-51 Thomas S. Gates from the same Ticonderoga class. All of days were pre-digital. So my pics are all scanned in.

We need some more Navy guys to represent. Bring on some pics....

Still looking for some Army or Air Force pics...

The last picture or video I saw of Spruance was a couple years ago when Regis and Kelly was on a cruise ship and pulled into Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. The Spruance was mothballed behind the cruise ship. I don't know the guy you mentioned I left the Spruance in 1978 and went to Great Lakes NTS to teach the Propulsion Equip Machinery and Electrical Equip Control Schools and to assit writing the new Gas Turbine Spec Electronic A School.

just wanna say thanks to you guys and girls who served!