Lt. Paul Am__a: "Mr.
A" was our division officer. I’m
not sure when exactly he left the ship but it was probably shortly
after the ’86 Wespac. Mr. A. is a very hard man to
describe since he was more-or-less only a figure head in the
division by the time I got there (he was so short). By then we hardly ever interacted with him, except
when he came down to the RE office to sign things that weren't
already forged with his name. I
remember he stood his watches down in 2-plant and I had to stand many an
LRPT (Log Recorder/Phone Talker) watch with him during my nub
days. When I stood watch with Mr. A he usually had no idea who I was
even though I was in his division.
EM2 "Flash" Ay__a:
"Flash" was a short timer by the time I arrived in RE. In fact,
he was kicked out of RE berthing the day I arrived so that I could
take his rack. (By then he was working in Tech-Pubs.) His nickname
"Flash" was meant to be sarcastic since he was so slow. He was considered by the division bigwigs to
be a no load and when he got short, his productivity really diminished. I’m not sure if Flash really was as bad as they say
he was. People sometimes earned reputations in RE division that they didn’t
really deserve.
EM2 Mike Bowden: I met Mike
in
Reactor Training division (RT). Mike had already been assigned to RE division before the cruise but had been sent off
the ship for medical reasons in 1985. When he returned he was
reassigned to RT since he had never qualified RE. Mike was killed in
April of 1986 while working on the steam generator inspection team.
The story of Mike’s death is a painful one to those of us who knew
and worked with him. He was without a doubt one of the most-liked
guys in the whole department. I will write more about Mike’s
tragic death later is this narrative.
EM2 Mike Bowman: Mike was
in
RT division during the beginning of the cruise and showed up in RE
division before most of us other nubs. He was a 3 planter from New
Jersey. For years our racks were located across from each other (after RE division was moved in 1987) and we
were great friends. Mike and I put away a lot of beers together.
EM2 Greg Brazier: Greg (or "Hair
Bear" as he was sometimes called due to his excessively hairy
back) was a great friend of mine and we served together for many
years. He was the 2-plant LPO when I first joined the division. When
the aft group supervisor ("Wheels") left the navy Greg
took his place in the main office. Greg was then the aft group
supervisor until he left the navy around 1989. Greg was probably one of the most
respected REs on the whole ship.
EM2 Mark Bryant: Mark was a
1-planter and had been on the ship for a long time (I believe he
made both the ‘82 and ‘84 cruises). His nickname was
"Snivel Bear" because he was an avid complainer about the
Enterprise and sea life in general. He was a great guy and I got
along really well with him. He left the Enterprise shortly after the
1986 world cruise to join the newly commissioned USS Lincoln (the newest
nuke carrier at the time).
EM3 David Bo_____mp:
"Bo-Jo," as he was called (after the Filipino drink,
"Mojo") was a fellow 4 planter. He was extremely lazy and
I don’t recall him ever doing anything that was in the least bit
productive. There were many times when we 4 planters had to spend
all morning fielddaying while Bojo slept soundly
on the switchgear room floor. (We usually had to roll him over to
sweep under his lazy sleeping carcass.) I remember toward the end of his
enlistment he was sent to Captain’s Mast and de-nuked for
dereliction of duty. (By then Bojo only had about 3 months left
in the navy!) He was the only RE to ever to be sent to Captain’s Mast
and be de nuked while I served on the Enterprise. There were many duty
days that I recall seeing his name as my relief on the watchbill and
knowing damn well that he was going to bag me. (He was notorious for
leaving the ship on duty days and not returning for his late
watches.) Perhaps the funniest thing to happen to Bojo (to us, not
necessarily to him) was when he was caught sleeping on the SWGR room
floor by the captain. Our chief got word
that Captain "Rocky" Spane was headed down to inspect 4
plant and ran down as fast as he could to make sure we all
looked busy. When the chief found Bojo sleeping on the floor (as he
usually was) he
screamed at him to get up and get to work. Bojo just ignored him and
went back to sleep. A few minutes later the old man walked into
the SWGR and the rest of us were too far away to save poor Bojo. We
heard Captain Spane scream: "HEY SON ARE YOU ON WATCH?"
Bojo then told the old man that he wasn’t (which was fortunate) and then
he tried
to explain his slumber by saying, "Well sir you see I was out late
last night partying...." Before Bojo could finish his lame
excuse the Captain yelled, "WRONG ANSWER
SON!" Our chief was called and as punishment Bojo was assigned an all Saturday
EMT that required him to scrub the MMR and CTG flat decks with a
toothbrush.
EM2 Brian Bonner: This fellow got
out of the navy prior to my arrival in RE division. He was a 4
planter
like myself and was notorious for doing things that others [afraid
of punishment] would never think of doing. I’m not sure if my
memory is correct but I believe he was the 4-plant LPO (Leading
Petty Officer) until his departure. One tale I recall hearing about
this "daring" individual was one that involved his escape
off the ship during a fast-cruise. Fast-cruises were
"pretend" cruises that were done by the ship previous to
any deployment following lengthy in port periods. (This was a drill
to ensure all the sea and anchor details were set correctly.) During
this exercise the after brow and quarterdeck were closed and no one could
leave or board the ship. Bonner was relieved late from a watch prior
to such a fast-cruise. As he ran to exit the ship the brows were
secured. Without skipping a beat Bonner jumped over the barricade
blocking the way and ran down the pier to his freedom. Since no one
was allowed to exit the ship no one could chase after him.
EM2 G. C___n: He was another
4-planter that got out of the navy a few months before I joined RE
so I never actually met him. He was often used as the
"bad example" in many a "don’t do this"
lesson. Perhaps the saddest story I ever heard about C___n was the
one that was used to teach [us] nubs about not sending money to Filipino
hookers. C___n, like many a lonely-hearted sailor, fell madly in
love with his Filipino "hook." She gave him the old song
and dance about not wanting to be a hooker and told him that the
only reason she did it was to "help support her family."
C___n sent huge sums of money to his girl and she in return assured
him that she had "quit the streets." (This girl
undoubtedly had several other sailors doing the same thing.) C___n and
this girl were engaged and he couldn’t wait to bring her back to
the States to be his loyal and loving wife. Everyone who knew C___n
pleaded with him to abandon this foolish idea and stop sending his
hard-earned money to the woman. Finally C___n decided that he had
waited long enough. He took leave, purchased a ticket to the
Philippines and planned to delightfully surprise his fiancée. He
arrived unannounced and found to his horror that she had another man
living in her apartment. What was worse, this fellow, a marine, was
her husband. They laughed at him as he stood in the doorway
crying. As the door slammed in his face the marine shouted:
"Thanks for all the money you’ve been sending to us over the years." C___n, of course, got no sympathy when he
returned and shared his sob story with his fellow REs.
EM2 Dave Conklin: "Big
Red" [or "Big Dave"] was this guy’s nickname. He
was huge! Before joining the navy he spent sometime playing football
(linebacker) for MSU. Big Dave and I got along pretty well. He was a
1 planter and we were in the same duty section for many years. He
left the navy about 1989 and went to work for an electrical
contractor in Arizona. I used to go to the "Big E" gym
with Big Dave and was amazed at how strong this guy was. He used to bench press upwards of 400lbs! My favorite memory of
Big Dave was one that occurred at a bar called the US Festival in
Olongapo City.
Somehow, some foolish person actually had the audacity to steal Big
Dave’s camera while we were sitting at a table soaking up a few
pitchers of Mojo. Upon discovering his camera missing Big Dave
commenced to rip the tables out of their cement bases and throw them
across the bar until one of the bar girls just so happened to "find" his camera and
return it to him.
EM2 Dennis Doyle: Dennis
was
from Downey, CA. One day I discovered he was from my hometown and I
asked him if he knew some of my old friends and he did. (In fact, he
was in my sister’s kindergarten class!) When we returned to
Alameda following the ’86 cruise he applied for duty on the newly
commissioned USS Lincoln. I really liked Doyle and we had many fun
times together. His 1987 bachelor party is still talked about by
many RE division alumni, who survived that ordeal.
EM2 Mike "Space
Daddy" Engel: Mike was another 4-planter. He took over the LPO job
when my sea dad Paul Smith left the navy. Engel was promoted to
forward group supervisor about a year later and then finally
transferred off the ship about 1989. Mike was a great guy! I’m not sure
where he went when he transferred off – maybe to teach at nuke or
EM-A school in Florida. During the 1986 cruise Mike’s wife gave
birth to a daughter and Mike couldn’t see her until we finally got home. I remember he, his wife and daughter were on the
front page of every local newspaper. The captions all read:
"Welcome Home Daddy."
EM1 Richard Ewell: This guy was very
short when I first came down to RE, in fact he had only a few months
left in the navy. His nickname was "Ewell-sless"
(pronounced "useless") and he was treated very poorly by
the division bigwigs. I’m not sure if he really was useless or
just had a falling out with the chief (there were many differing
opinions on the subject).
EM2 Scottie French:
Scottie was
a great guy. He was the SPO (Supply Petty Officer) when I first
joined the division. He also left the Enterprise to join the
USS Lincoln after the ’86 cruise. Scott French was most remembered
in RE folklore for a party that took place at his house following
the ’86 cruise. During this party the AGS drove his car off a cliff and
landed in a tree (if the tree wasn’t there the car would have
flown off the cliff and into a ravine killing everyone inside). The
AGS was in a panic because he thought he had killed all the others
in his car. After he had freed himself from the wreckage and climbed
out of the tree he wandered back to Scott's house very dazed and confused.
The others, whom all arrived back at the house before him, tried
their best to persuade him that they were all still alive.
EM3 Mark F__er: "Fireman"
F__er, or "Goldylocks" as he was often called, was a truly
unique individual. He came down to 4 plant toward the end of the
cruise (or maybe even after we arrived in Alameda) and was totally
broke-dick (an expression used in the seafaring literature to
describe someone totally incapable of anything). Goldylocks was one
of my roommates at Hunter’s Point and we were pretty good friends.
I’ll have to devote more than a paragraph to describe this fellow
so let me dispense with this description for now. More about this
guy will follow at a later time, this I promise!
EM2 Dave Fulmer: Dave was a
great guy. He was the 1-plant LPO when I arrived in RE. All the
senior guys used to call him "Russ" so one day I made the
mistake of calling him "Russ," too. He got very upset and
told me that nubs weren't allowed to call him Russ. I learned later
that it was considered a derogatory nickname in RE Div because there
was once a fellow named Russ down in 1 plant that was a complete
moron. Calling someone "Russ" in RE division was akin to
inferring that they, too, were a moron. Dave and I did a lot of
stuff together off the ship (mostly going to concerts and Blues
bars). He left the navy in 1989 and went to work for an electronics
firm somewhere in Idaho.
EM2 Mark Goodman: Mark was a 3
planter. I don’t remember much about this guy except that he was
pretty funny. The love of his life was a Ford Mustang, that he always seemed
to be working on. He got out of the navy about a year or so before me.
EM2 Chuck T. Gr___n:
Chuck was a 2-planter that was usually pretty cool. He
was pretty senior by the time I arrived and got out of the navy soon
after the ’86 cruise. He was known to "fly off at the
handle" every once in a while. (I remember during Dennis Doyle’s
bachelor party he actually choked me for missing a pool shot.) There
was something odd about this fellow’s eyes (they always seemed to
be crossed). He was often drawn in dopey book cartoons with this
affliction grossly exaggerated, which caused his ire to really flare
up.
EM3 Joe Gyolia: "Q,"
as he was known, was one of my best friends (and still is). He
came down to RE a few months after I did. We worked together for
many years (both in 4 plant and in the office when he was the supply
petty officer). We were roommates after the ’88 cruise and then
again in college from ’90 to ’92 while we were students at Cal
Poly, SLO. He was one of my groom’s men when I got married and I
was his best man when he got married. We still keep in touch but not
nearly as much as we should.
EM2 John "Happy" Hanson: John was a pal of mine from way back. We first met
in EM-A school. John was a very squared away guy and was teased left and
right by just about everyone in the division for being a
"lifer." (I never met any guy in my life so
"gung-ho" about being in the navy.) He arrived in RE
division very early in the cruise (he was probably the first nub
down) and quickly established himself as a fine, outstanding, type
of guy. Even though he was theoretically still a nub he didn’t act
like one. Many of us other nubs resented the fact that he was
allowed to skip all the grueling duties that we other nubs became
enslaved in (such as laying tile in the RE passageway, painting the
RE head, cleaning RE berthing, etc.) because he was the official
ORSE LRPT. He and
I spent many a wild time together overseas during the ’86 and ’88
cruises. He eventually got orders to be an instructor at EM-A school
in Orlando (this was considered to be Utopian duty) and continued on
into a glorious naval career. I have no idea if John is still in the
navy but if he is, undoubtedly, he's a Master Chief or officer by now.
EM2 Scottie Hayes:
Scottie was a
1-planter and a very nice guy. He was
another nub that showed up during the cruise. Perhaps the
most memorable thing about Scottie that most REs remember is a party that took place at his house about
1987. I won’t
go into details but it involved a whole lot of drinking.
EM3 Mike He____orth: This
was the infamous "MTW." What can I say about this guy? He was a great pal of mine from the
moment we set foot on the pig together. I could spend hours writing
about this guy so I’ll limit this paragraph and say that he and I
both showed up in RE div about the same time (within a day of each
other). By some twist of fate were both assigned to 4 plant. The last time I saw MTW
was the day he left Cal Poly, SLO to attend graduate school. From what I hear he is quite a
respectable fellow these days – married and all. I bet his wife
has no idea about his lewd life on the seven seas.
EM3 Terry Hickey: Terry
was
another nub that showed up in the latter half of the cruise. Hickey was a 2-planter and a pretty good friend of
mine. I remember that he was very squared away and one of the
brightest guys in the whole division.
EM2 Rich Hordyke:
"Dick-O," was and is still one of my best friends. We both
showed up in RE division about the same time. Over the years Rich
and I spent countless hours together in port and at sea. I will
mention him countless times in my narrative about the '86 cruise.
EM2 R. Khun: I have no idea who
this guy was. He was gone by the time I arrived. There were many
interesting stories about this guy. (Interesting but forgettable
since I can’t recall any.)
EM2 Jeff La___n: Jeff was a
super slug. He arrived in the division about a month or so after I
did. Jeff was extremely lazy and he made no attempt to disguise that
fact. During the ’86 cruise when we nubs were tasked with many
grueling activities Jeff was a hard man to find (he was lucky enough
not to live in RE berthing). I liked Jeff; he and I got along great. He was a
re-enlistee and made 2nd class petty officer before any
of us other nubs.
EM2 Joe L____d: 1
planter Joe "Love
Rock" was a unique individual. Even though Joe joined the
division before the ship left Alameda he was still considered a nub
because he wasn’t qualified Reactor Electrician (RE) until late in
the cruise. Joe, however, considered himself too senior to do nub work and so
he, too, was hard to locate during the big projects. Many of
us nubs disliked him because he was always trying to scam us into
standing his LRPT watches so that he could stand UI (under
instruction) RE watches. Most of us nubs did what we could to
help him until we realized that he was full of crap and just wanted
people to take his watches so he could kickback and watch TV. Anyone
who lived in RE Div berthing during the ’86 cruise will remember
Joe’s stinky socks and his foul smelling protein shakes. I forget
where he eventually transferred off to (he might have been one of
the guys our chief conveniently got to apply for duty on the brand
new USS Lincoln).
EM1 Terry Macky: Terry was a
bastard (or so we thought while we were nubs). He was the "coop
chief" in charge of RE berthing and all RE spaces that
weren’t actually in the plants. When we were nubs we were assigned
to him and he kept us plenty busy. He was pretty short and got out
of the navy about 6 months after we returned to Alameda in 1986.
Shortly after the ship returned home he threw a party at his house.
He was very explicit in his invitee list: no nubs allowed!
EM2 Dick Marsh: Dick
was a 3 planter, who was a great guy. He got out of the navy about a year or so before
I did and returned to Southern California to finish college (CSULB).
I kept in touch with him for a while after I got out of the navy.
EM3 Bernie Martin: Bernie
was
a 3 planter who was about six months senior to us [nubs] that joined
during the cruise. For the most part he was lucky to gain non-nub
status relatively early in his RE tour of duty because so many other
nubs arrived after him. Bernie and I got along great. We drank
many a beer together.
EM2 "RJ" Martin: RJ
was a pal of mine for the entire time I was on the ship. He was
among the last of the nubs to show up in ’86 and wound up going to
1 plant. RJ was nicknamed "Poot-Poot," which he didn’t
find it the least bit amusing. I can tell you many amusing stories
about RJ because he was really quite a character – but they’ll
have to be included in stories about the ’88 and ’90 cruises.
EM2 D. Matatall: "Meat"
was this guys nickname (watch the movie Porky’s and you’ll know
why). He was pretty short by the time I arrived in the division and
left the navy within a few months of returning to Alameda. Most of
us nubs didn’t like him because he was pretty rotten to us. I
actually got along pretty well with him and remember once that he
had to carry me back to the ship in the Philippines because I was
too drunk to make it back on my own.
EM2 Vinny Mellado: I never met
this guy (he was gone by the time I arrived). He
was pretty infamous and often referred to in RE folklore.
EM3 Gil Miltenberger: Gil
was one of the greatest guys I ever met. He was in 4 plant for many years and was regarded highly for his technical
expertise and hard work. Gil had a huge
sense of humor and was a prolific writer in the 4-plant dopey book.
During the ’88 cruise, his dopey book name was "Kid
Pillow" and he, like me, added dozens of hard-hitting cartoons
to his "ruthless slams." (Gil was very religious but you would never have known it reading his lewd
cartoons and/or dopey book slams.) Gil got out of the navy right
before we deployed in 1989 and went to Cal Poly, SLO to study civil
engineering.
EM1 M. Ohrstrom: Ohrstrom left
the navy before I joined RE div. He was the 3-plant LPO and was very
highly regarded by his men and coworkers. For many years after his
departure he was referred to when something was really screwed up
and no one could figure it out. The words, "Ohrstrom would have
been able to fix this – he could fix anything!" were said in
such cases.
EM3 John Pea___n: John
was
a great guy. He was an avid body builder and slept in the rack above
me in old RE division berthing. He was a nub that came down to RE
toward the end of the cruise. We served together in Hunter’s Point
working in the dry dock. I thought he was a very funny guy and we
used to joke around quite a bit. He scammed the navy and got a
"gay" discharge in early 1987. He was actively pursuing a
career as a model while in the navy and a few years after he got out
one of us actually saw him on the cover of Muscle Magazine.
(I guess he made the big time!)
EM2 Dan Raya: "Rock n’
Roll" Dan was another great guy. He was the RE
Representative in RT division and was actually the first RE any of
us [nubs] met. I’m not sure how he got the nickname "Rock n’
Roll" Dan; it was probably more of a joke name than one that
had any significance. Dan was pretty short and left the navy less
than a year after arriving back home in Alameda.
EM2 Jeff Rich: Jeff "Dragon
Daddy" Rich was the 3-plant LPO when we all first arrived. He
was a real nice guy and we always enjoyed his sense of humor. He was
nicknamed "Dragon Daddy" because of his fondness for a
Webster Street bar called The Dragon Palace. Jeff left the
navy about a year after we returned to Alameda.
EM2 Ralph Rivera: Ralph was a
1-planter, who was notorious for being up to something. Ralph was also a
bona fide skater. My fondest memory of Ralph was when he was
selected by our division to be the RE wog queen during the 1986
crossing the line ceremony. At first he refused. Then, a few days
before wog day he so infuriated someone (an EE30 guy, whose name I
now forget) that this guy threatened to beat him senseless. For some
reason Ralph used to love to piss this guy off, knowing damn well
that the guy couldn’t do anything to him (lest be punished
UCMJ style). Ralph pushed
this guy too far one day without realizing that wog day was right around the
corner. This was bad for Ralph because Ralph was a wog and this
other guy was a shellback. (This was back in the days when wog days were less
politically correct than they are today and a shellback could literally beat the living
hell out of a wog if he so desired.) When the EE30 guy told Ralph
that he would be looking for him on wog day Rivera’s heart skipped
a beat. As soon as Ralph was off watch he volunteered to be the RE
Div wog queen to escaped his "painful" fate. He even shaved his arms and legs
just to make sure he won the beauty contest so that he could sit at King Neptune’s
side and avoid the "pain" of being a common wog at the
mercy of all the other shellbacks out there that were out to get
him.
EM2 K. Robinson: Robinson was another
good friend from 3 plant. His rack was right across from mine in old
RE berthing and so we often talked about stuff late
into the night.
EM2 Lee Schaaf: Lee was the
wizard of 4 plant. He could fix anything! Anytime something broke in
the plant and it couldn’t be fixed, Lee was called and it would
be troubleshot and fixed in a matter of hours. I tried to learn as
much from Lee as I could but his talent never seemed to rub off
on me. Lee left the navy about a year before I did.
EM2 Keith Shiver: Shiver was another nub that came down during the cruise. He and I
knew each other all the way back in nuke school. He was a
great guy and went to Cal Berkeley when he finally got
out of the navy.
EM1 Paul Smith: Paul was a
very dear friend of mine. He was my "sea dad" when I was a
nub. (A sea dad’s responsibility was to take a new guy under his
wing and teach him the ropes.) I was very lucky to get Smith as my
sea dad when I first came down into the division because he was a
terrific guy and taught me many things. Smith was the LPO of 4-plant
and so I asked and was allowed to go to 4-plant when assigned to a
work center. Paul Smith was a very quiet and shy fellow. He had a
good sense of humor I recall and his dopey book name was "Rice
Man" because he was half-Japanese. He remained the LPO of
4-plant until the beginning of the ’88 Westpac when he got out of
the navy and returned to civilian life as a college student at
Arizona State University. For reasons unknown to anyone Paul Smith
took his own life a few months after getting out of the navy. Those
who knew him best thought him to be a genuinely happy person and his
suicide was a complete mystery to all of us back on the ship. I
remember feeling a terrible pain in my heart when I learned of his
death.
EM2 Randy Sn__k: Good ol’ Randy
Sn__k! A few years ago I wrote a short yarn about this fellow so you
should read that if you get a chance. Randy’s nickname was Tweety
Bird (because he sort of looked like one). I always enjoyed Randy
and he was always nice to me. He left the navy about a year after we
returned to Alameda and would up fulfilling his dream of being a
papason in the PI.
EM3 Brad Stevens: Brad was
another nub that came down from RT at the same time I did. He and I
were in the same nuke school class and were good friends for most of
our time in the navy. He was a truly unique fellow that can’t be
described in a few sentences.
EM2 Mark Thompson: Many interesting
things can be said about this 2 planter but I recall only a few of
them. (And they certainly aren’t suited for this work.) Thomson
was notorious for paying large sums of money to anyone willing to
take his duty on the spot. Often, on his weekend duty days, he’d call reactor
berthing early in the morning (before muster) and ask for any RE
that was around. If the fellow answering the call wasn’t in that
day’s duty section Mark would offer him an un-Godly amount of
money to take his duty for that day (sometimes as much as
$200). Thompson was usually in Reno when he made the call. One
story about Thompson I recall (that isn’t too bad) was how one
morning he woke up in an alley in Manila. He was lying in the gutter
wearing nothing but a pair of skivvies. All his worldly possessions
were gone except for a few pesos clutched in his hand. He stumbled
up out of the muck and walked to the street. Spying a cab he showed
the driver what money he had and asked: "Is this enough to get
me to the [whatever hotel he was staying at]." The cab driver
took the money, told him to hop in and then drove approximately 10
ft to the entrance of the hotel.
EM1 Dave Vernier: Dave was
the forward group supervisor when I first showed up in RE. He was a
great guy and very well liked by all of us in the division. He left
the navy a few years later (probably right before the ’88 cruise)
and was replaced in the office by Mike Engel.
EM1 Gerry Wh__er: Gerry
was
the aft group supervisor when I first joined the division. (Both the
2 and 3-plant LPOs worked for him.) Before I joined the division I
heard through the grapevine that "Wheels," as he liked to
be called, was a real hard-ass, so I, like all the other early nubs,
asked to go to the forward group. Wheels actually wasn’t that bad
of a guy and I never had any problems with him. He had a very
marginal sense of humor and was often victimized by us naughty nubs,
who loved pulling pranks on him (but he really was a deserving
victim). One gag we used to continuously pull on him was to yell his
name anytime we spotted him passing through the mess decks. The mess
decks were usually packed with up to 600 noisy sailors and it was
near impossible to spot us when we screamed out his name (and then
ducked below the table). Every time he gave up the search and began
to walk away we’d scream his name again. ("Wh__r! Hey Gerry!
Over here!") Again he’d stop dead in his tracks and gaze from
one end of the room to the other with a blank look on his face and
scratch his head. It became such a novelty with the crowd that even
guys who had no idea who he was would yell his name (and that
really confused the matter). Wh__er got out of the navy about 2
years before I did and went to Cal Poly, SLO to study electrical
engineering. We were in many classes together.
EMC Jim Whitsett: Chief
Whitsett was the RE division chief for many years. He left sometime
during (or right before) the 1988 cruise. I was very fond of chief
Whitsett and he was always very good to me. He was the king of RE Div.
The DO, Mr. A, as mentioned before, had no real control function in
the division – all the big decisions were made by Whitsett.
Whitsett was very clever in the way he ran the division. He kept all
high-ranking outsiders out and only allowed people to assume
leadership positions from within. Many a first-class electrician in
RT was blocked from entering RE so that Whitsett’s handpicked
second-classes could take the LPO and Group Supervisor jobs in the
division. (As a result E-Div was often glutted with useless EM1s.)
Whitsett accepted a commission and returned to the fleet as an
Ensign when he left the Enterprise. I have many favorite stories
about Chief Whitsett and I will include them in the narrative about
the ’86 cruise.
EM2 Kevin W__y: Kevin was an
unusual character from 2 plant. His nickname was "Chicken
legs" because he had an enormous muscle bound body but tiny
little legs. He was an avid weight lifter (chest, arms and back
only). No one was quite sure why he neglected doing leg exercises. Kevin
was the TPO (training petty officer) in RE when we first showed
up (he was in charge of monitoring our training and qualification
progress). It didn’t take us long to figure out that he didn’t
give a rat’s ass about our qualification progress (he was so
short) so many of us (myself included) pretty much skated on the
whole training issue. Kevin
was selected as Sailor of the Quarter
(more than once) to the confusion of most nukes. As a result he was
hand picked during the ’86 cruise to eat lunch with [then] Vice
President Bush. The reason most of us were confused about his Sailor
of the Quarter selection was that he was a known "pot
head." Kevin
made no secret about his wacky weed ways. (Most
agreed that Kevin
was just lucky because he never got caught.) Once I
remember hearing a story about him that was pretty funny. Unknown to
him one day a drug sniffing dog was stationed on the after brow. As Kevin
walked through the checkpoint the dog went
crazy when it caught a whiff of Kevin’s pants. (He didn’t have
any dope in the pockets; it just so happened that he had been
"smoking" a few days earlier and had wiped his hands on
them.) The guards grabbed Kevin
and one or two others that were near
him in line (even though the dog was jumping all over Kevin). Nothing
was found on Kevin
but the poor sap standing behind him was caught
with a bag o’ weed. Kevin
was let go and the other fellow carted off
in chains.
Well
that's it...the whole gang. Next week I will take you
back to the Big E and join the crew as the ship steams west
into the Western Pacific Ocean. |