Explanation of My Thoughts...

USS Manchester, CL83…

My first ship was the Light Cruiser Manchester CL 83 and many Sailors that I have known served on Light Cruisers or Heavy Cruisers. These ships were real "Men of War" with teak wood decks and bristling with Navy guns from 8 inch main battery down to 40 mm antiaircraft guns. These were the fighting ships back in the days of WW II and for many years to follow. The USS Wichita, CA 45, was one of the many Navy Heavy Cruisers that saw a great deal of action in WWII and distinguished herself during sea battles of that period. A Navyman that I know, Erman Brown, never fails to speak of his experiences on the Heavy Cruiser Wichita when we see each other, which is not often enough. He has two Grandchildren that refer to him as Gram Pop. They are Tyler and Katie Walker who will probably be forever proud to have Navymen in their family. It is my hope that they will always feel that way. I am pleased to say that these two children are also my Grandchildren.


The Navyman's uniform was something that he always took pride in. This was a unique symbol that he wore and he stood out no matter who else was around. Many folks including himself might refer to this uniform as a monkey suit, a cracker jack suit or an ice cream suit, and to the white hat that he wore as a dixie cup, but you better believe that each Navyman had his dress uniforms tailored to suit his own needs, and he was really particular about his white hat and the way he wore it. "Liberty Whites" were so well starched that the Navyman would not sit down for a number of hours after sliding into them because that would take away from the appearance the uniform was meant to present. His "13 button dress blues" were never Navy issue but were tailor made with dragons or other unique designs on the inside of the cuffs. Of course the Navyman had those cuffs rolled up anytime he could so everyone in his presence could see just how salty this Navyman was. This uniform was spiked at the knee and bell bottomed to uphold a long-standing naval tradition. I am unable to determine what uniform Navymen wear today because the uniform requirements are not as they were in years past. But most old Sailors will remember "Liberty Whites" and "13 Button Blues" and the spice scent of a foreign port.

The shipmates we came in contact with and relied on for support, even though we probably would not like to admit that we needed such support, were very important to the Navyman. I made mention of a number of Navymen and each of these men were important to me in my career. They were mentioned, not by name, but by the area of the country they came from. As most Navymen were quick to realize the typical good Navymen were from small towns and rural areas of the United States. After more than 24 years in the Navy I found that fact to still be true. I can't even begin to recall the names and places that most of these Navymen came from, but their homes were spread from the Florida Keys to the rocky shores of Maine. They were also from San Diego, County to the northern border of Washington State, and everywhere in-between. I can only repeat what I wrote about these Navymen, with a few more words of explanation. The words that were written ought to have said "All are American, all are comrades in arms, most are country boys raised in a life of honesty and hard work. All are men of the sea and all are men of honor".

The Gunners Mate from the Iowa cornfields was a Navyman that looked at me as the division mascot to begin with, but soon realized that I could find my way around a basketball court really well. And I could do a respectable job on the softball field also. His name was Don Donaldson, he was a Gunners Mate Second Class and he had been a high school coach before he came in the Navy. He was the coach of our teams in the Weapons Division and once he realized how much fun I was having he made me his assistant player coach. He understood what a feisty little guy I was when it came to competition. He would approach other divisions on the USS Missouri, and other Navy ships or organizations in the Bremerton Naval Shipyard and would say such things as "We have this little fire control technician who can best any of you folks in a contest: Whether it be drinking, throwing, running a footrace, shooting baskets or working crossword puzzles". We had a basketball team, a softball team, a volleyball team and a football team in the Weapons Department on the Missouri. Basketball, volleyball and softball were no problem at all but I was not about to play football with these guys. That would have been get even time for some that I could best at most sports, but a high contact sport where they most likely could have injured me severely was not in the cards for me. I was not about to let that happen. I did help to coach all these teams while on the Missouri.

I was probably a better player than a coach during those days, but the guys had faith in what I would tell them to do and one can't ask for anything more than that. I had a time keeping up with the challenges that Don Donaldson presented but these were the things that I was fairly good at in those days. We made a respectable appearance in all of the challenges that we were presented with. The Gunners Mates of the Weapons Division on the USS Missouri accepted me, a pantywaist Fire Control Technician, that's what they considered most Fire Control Technicians to be, as an equal in physical aspects even though I was only 125 pounds soaking wet. I felt really good about their approval. Actually, I was overwhelmed by their approval, but I certainly was not going to let them know that. I left the Navy when my enlistment expired while on the Missouri and my friends and Shipmates from the Weapons Division all were there to wish me fair winds and following seas. I felt like shipping over and staying with good friends but I also felt I could better myself in the world outside the Navy.

The Sonarman from the Colorado mountain country refers to my good friend, and Navyman, Dave Clair, who presently resides in Montrose, Colorado, and has for many years. He was my classmate from the 7th grade through the 12th grade of high school. Our association took place in the Burns, Colorado and the McCoy, Colorado area. We not only were school mates we also worked a couple of jobs together, such as working for Ivan Decker in Toponas, Colorado, one of the best jobs that any wayward individual could ever find. We were treated as family by the Deckers. If we did the job that was necessary to accomplish their overall objective they were very gratified. Dave and I also worked for the D&RGW Rail Road on the Moffet Line as section hands after we got out of high school. After my joining the Navy in Jan 1954 I was glad that Dave looked into where I might be, and he located me at Fire Control Technician "A" school in San Diego, California. He was presently attending Sonar "A" school, which was also in San Diego. It was just a 15 minute walk from where I was stationed. We spent a lot of liberty time together after that. We lost track of each other over the years after graduating from our respective Navy schools and being assigned to sea commands, and it took us over 40 years to become reconnected. It was a great day for me when I was finally able to locate my old friend, and Shipmate, and even though we never served on the same ship together I always felt that we were Shipmates. When we talk and visit together in the present, I still feel that our ideals and philosophies are very similar and I am proud that we are indeed Shipmates and good friends.

Dave Clair spent his years in the Navy after boot camp and Sonar A-School on an aircraft carrier the USS Princeton CVS (37). He spent the rest of his enlistment aboard Her where he established himself as a topnotch Sonarman for the Princeton.

The pal from Cairo, Alabama was a Navyman that I met while I was stationed at the Harbor Defense Unit, at Fort Story, Virginia. We spent a lot of liberty time together. He was a good all around shipmate and an easy going southern country boy. His last name was Joyner and I don't know if I ever knew his first name. Most Sailors were very comfortable with others using their last name only, even their close Navy friends.

Joe Gatto was the Italian from near Boston. I was his poker partner on the USS Manchester, only because he allowed me to be his partner. We did manage to make some liberty money from those poker games. And he taught me a lot about the game of poker, which aided me for many years to come.

We had 3 boogie boarders from California in the Fire Control (Fox) Division on the Light Cruiser Manchester, they all liked to act tough but weren't tough at all after one got to know them. One of these sailors, his last name was Rainey, decided he was going to be my friend for life and he was convinced that when we got out of the Navy we were gong to buy a ranch in Colorado, be cowboys and live that good hard cowboy life. While the Manchester was on a West Pac Cruise his father died and he was sent back to California on emergency leave. Rainey never reported back to the Manchester and I never heard from him again. He is still a part of my Navyman memory. Two of the other boogie boarders were Seaman Carlson and Seaman Padilla and even though I am not in contact with them they will never be forgotten as old USS Manchester shipmates.

The Oklahoma lad from Muskogee is Fred Applegarth, We were next door neighbors in Virginia Beach when I was an instructor at Naval Guided Missile School, Dam Neck, Virginia, and he was a student going to Missile Technician "C" school. This was in 1964 Fred had about eight years in the Navy and was converting to Missile Technician. Fred and I got along fine and we did a number of things together to help each other. We served together during one other period on the submarine tender Hunley, in the years 1967-1968. When I came back to the Charleston, South Carolina area in 1971 Fred was stationed here in the area also, and our families visited frequently. Fred retired from the Navy but stayed in the Summerville area, which is about 25 miles from Charleston, South Carolina, and remains there today. He has always been a good honest country boy from Oklahoma, for the 38 years or so that I have known him, and even though we don't visit like we did at one time, Fred is still a good Navyman and good friend. His wife Helen, a girl from those Oklahoma hills, remains as always a good and trusted friend.

The very congenial Engineman from the Tennessee hills referred to in "Once I Was A Navyman" is ENC Jim Boles. We never served on the same ship together, but we were neighbors and friends since 1967. He retired from the Navy here in Charleston and chose to stay here rather than go back to Tennessee. He was always an excellent Navyman and good friend also. Jim Boles always made everyone he knew feel good about themselves. That is just the way he was, always. Jim's wife, Mary Boles, provided my family and myself with invaluable help on more than one occasion, for a time that exceeded a month she came to my home and cared for my youngest daughter while her mother was in the hospital in serious condition. One could never find better friends than this Navy family.