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Master and Commander
Posts: 1889
Location: Patterson, New York | Subject: 50 Years Ago Today
In 1967, the 5th of September was the Tuesday after Labor Day. I reported to the induction center on Whitehall Street in Manhattan. I was already in the USNR; but now I was reporting for what would be a 6 year active duty period.
My brother-in-law gave me a nice gift yesterday. It is a framed 1941 photo of sailors heading for liberty to Manhattan.
 (Sailors Bound for Manhattan - 1941.jpg)
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 Sailors Bound for Manhattan - 1941.jpg (92KB - 567 downloads)
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1454
| Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
Wearing white hats a la our generation. I don't think they're discussing where the Christian Reading Room is located. |
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Plankowner
Posts: 9162
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
I can't say for sure but we were most likely out on patrol drilling holes in the Pacific ocean. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2670
Location: New Jersey | Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
Tom
Great photo of a NYC skyline that no longer exists. I wonder what was on those sailors minds at that point in time???
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1454
| Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
This may be too much of a family BBS to list that. A scene from The Last Detail would sum it up nicely. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1321
Location: Oxnard, CA | Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
To quote from Blazing Saddles,
"Rape, Arson, Murder, Rape."
"Wait, you said rape twice."
"I like rape."
I just quote 'em, I don't explain 'em! |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1454
| Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
Joe, I posted a photo over on Ron's.
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1601
| Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
How come Navy Reserve to 6 years active? Was a school the reason for the 4 year extension?
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1321
Location: Oxnard, CA | Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
1963 normal Navy Reserve enlistment was 6 years. 2 Years reserve - meetings, 2 week cruises/schools, then 2 years active duty, usually on a ship, then 2 more years reserve back at the local reserve center.
That's how my enlistment was supposed to go, but I extended the active duty time and returned for 1 year to the biggest chicken s**t outfit, led by officers who knew nothing about the real Navy. Glad I got out when I did, then I went to work FOR the Navy as a civilian.
Active duty officers are a hell of a lot easier to work with than reserve officers whose only "active duty" time was two weeks aboard a reserve ship that stayed in port. |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 606
Location: Citrus County FL | Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
"Whitehall Street?" Went there four times.While I was in college my draft board would change me from 2S (student) to 1A between semesters. I was working full time nights and going to college days. I'd take a day off and go down to NYC for a physical. OSS would tell the draft board I was fit. The draft board would send me a draft notice. I'd send (or take to them) my college registration for that semester. They finally got me on a technicality (TKO). Fourth time there was like old home week with the REMF's there. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1601
| Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
My center was Terminal Island and in '65 we did one year active Reserve (meetings one weekend a month) plus we did our two week boot camp and four week Sub School during the first year, within a year active duty two years, and then we were suppose to return to our Reserve center after active duty to fill out the six year obligation. Those of my time period had their two year active duty obligation reduced by as much as six months because in 1968 President Nixon Nixon released the active duty Reservists up to six months early to cut costs. Our Reserve Center didn't enforce us going back to meetings unless we volunteered to extend. Plus they thought I was an E-3 then.
I believe Terminal Island was a pretty big Reserve center in those days. One group for submarines and several groups for surface ships. It was only ten miles from my parents house, and when I went active I just drove my car to the barracks. I had done all the paperwork to get my car on base for Reserve meetings. No different I thought than Reserve meeting, except nobody told me what a chit was, and that I couldn't drive home after I did my duty watch. Luckily only the guys in the barracks told me about not going home after standing duty when I came back the next morning.
Going active I wanted to be a QM school, but the COB put me in the Seaman gang. After a year our XO approached me and said unless I extended for four years active duty I wouldn't get to go to QM school. I never got the opportunity to stand with the QMs, but I approached our Navigation officer and asked him if he'd let me take the QM test for E-4 coming up in a few months. Mr. Tomzak said why not and gave me his okay. However, my boat never gave me my results. I assumed when you failed they didn't tell you, but I found after my discharge I passed the test and had been promoted five months before my discharge.
I had to fill out a form to get five months E-4 pay. I initially requested it from my wonderful Reserve Center, but they gave me some BS that I had to extend to get back pay the Navy owed me. To make matters worse the Reserve chef that told me this was the brother of the sonar chief on the Pickerel.
My understanding is Boot Camp and Sub School at Hunters Point is no more. I wonder if the Reserves have a separate Boot Camp these days, or if New London offers Sub School for Reserves - anybody have any idea? Maybe with only glow boats these days the Navy felt six weeks for recruit to Sub School graduate was cutting it too short.
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1889
Location: Patterson, New York | Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
Gill asked: "How come Navy Reserve to 6 years active? Was a school the reason for the 4 year extension?"
Yes, I was joining up for 6 years active to go to A School and C School before going to sea; and, the plan worked.
But, I was not going to Boot Camp until September.
I had joined the USNR, in May, while still a 17 year old senior in High School so that the US Army could not draft me on graduation day in June when I had turned 18.
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Plankowner
Posts: 9162
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
No matter what your enlisted time was for, your obligation was always 6 years. I served 4 years 5 days active and the rest of the tome was inactive or active reserves, meaning I didn't or did go to the monthly meetings. Going to the meetings I got a "paycheck". Not going I still got a pink Reserve ID card and that was it. I went to the meetings and got a two week boat trip out of it. I finished after the 6 years. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1601
| Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
Tom,
Was the Kiddie Cruiser Program an option for you, or was getting the school your priority?
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Master and Commander
Posts: 2490
Location: East Coast of Wisconsin | Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
Not exactly in 1951. Ike's gift was UMT( Universal Military Training) and was for 8 years to serve however you wished as a combination of reserves, active maybe even National Guard.
Doesn't matter, I was in the recruiters 2 days before my 17th birthday. I kinda had a bad taste for the Army since I had to live with a retired First Sergeant with 22 years 8 months and 13 days in and a show off brother who loved to throw his kid brother around using tactics he also learned in the Army. No thanks.
Hello Navy, kiddie cruise, then shipped for 6. Then 4 in the Reserve in Milwaukee with Cobia as the reserve boat, doing my drill weekends and Summer trips.
Nice of them to move Cobia to Manitowoc.
Ron |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1889
Location: Patterson, New York | Subject: RE: 50 Years Ago Today
Gil,
The schools were my priority. I actually had a plan going in and it turned out pretty well.
The unplanned was going into submarines. In boot, they gave a recruitment talk about submarines and I signed up. |
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50 Years Ago Today
