# 30 Years ago was my last day In the Navy



## Pecos (Nov 1, 2021)

Today is the 30th anniversary of my last day in uniform. I had completed over 31 years of active duty and would turn 49 in a few days.

I looked very serious during my last speech at my retirement.


----------



## bingo (Nov 1, 2021)

Great picture  and  what a legacy  you have!
Thank you for your loyal service!


----------



## Pepper (Nov 1, 2021)

You're so handsome Pecos!


----------



## Gaer (Nov 1, 2021)

Pepper said:


> You're so handsome Pecos!


second that!


----------



## palides2021 (Nov 1, 2021)

Thank you for your service Pecos! I agree with the others - you're very handsome, and dignified. You say you looked serious, but I sensed a twinkle in your eye, as if you were looking forward to your retirement.


----------



## Ruth n Jersey (Nov 1, 2021)

Wow! Fantastic photo. What memories you must have after 31 years in service,


----------



## Llynn (Nov 1, 2021)

Bravo Zulu, Cdr.


----------



## Shalimar (Nov 1, 2021)

Well done Pecos. Definitely handsome, also. Now about those clones we sf women have ordered, where are they?


----------



## PamfromTx (Nov 1, 2021)

Thank you for your service, @Pecos .


----------



## Lewkat (Nov 1, 2021)

I salute you, Sir for your service.


----------



## SeaBreeze (Nov 1, 2021)

Pecos said:


> Today is the 30th anniversary of my last day in uniform. I had completed over 31 years of active duty and would turn 49 in a few days.
> 
> I looked very serious View attachment 192395during my last speech at my retirement.


Great photo!  I'm sure you have many good memories, thank you for serving.


----------



## Jules (Nov 1, 2021)

Bet those 30 years just flew by.


----------



## dseag2 (Nov 1, 2021)

What a magnificent milestone!  Thank you for serving!


----------



## fuzzybuddy (Nov 3, 2021)

So, you were an 18 year old kid, when you joined up. Congratulations on your 31 years of service.


----------



## Pecos (Nov 3, 2021)

fuzzybuddy said:


> So, you were an 18 year old kid, when you joined up. Congratulations on your 31 years of service.


Yes, actually I was 17 when I joined.


----------



## Pecos (Nov 3, 2021)

Jules said:


> Bet those 30 years just flew by.


Most of them did, but I did have a couple of jobs that were pretty boring.


----------



## Aunt Bea (Nov 3, 2021)

I bet that 17 year old is amazed at the way his life turned out.

Thank you for your service.


----------



## Pecos (Nov 3, 2021)

Aunt Bea said:


> I bet that 17 year old is amazed at the way his life turned out.
> 
> Thank you for your service.


Yes I am. I worked hard, but I was also very lucky.


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Nov 6, 2021)

I'm *SO* proud of you MDB! You served this country well with dignity and grace. I'm sure the men under your command consider themselves blessed (or some might say lucky). You sure had a lot of interesting adventures during your time in the navy. Congratulations on a milestone 30 years of retirement. Happy Retirement-versary!


----------



## Pecos (Nov 6, 2021)

OneEyedDiva said:


> I'm *SO* proud of you MDB! You served this country well with dignity and grace. I'm sure the men under your command consider themselves blessed (or some might say lucky). You sure had a lot of interesting adventures during your time in the navy. Congratulations on a milestone 30 years of retirement. Happy Retirement-versary!


Thank you MDS.


----------



## AnnieA (Nov 6, 2021)

Belated congratulations.  Wonderful pic. Fourthing or fifthing the handsome bit! Thank you for all your years of service!


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Oct 22, 2022)

BTW  You look so distinguished!


----------



## Been There (Oct 23, 2022)

Congratulations. I did 30 years in the Marines and shared time onboard ships with Seamen. I have to be honest though, I never liked those white uniforms.


----------



## PamfromTx (Oct 23, 2022)

You did good, @Pecos .  Proud of all of our veterans.  Again, thank you for your service.


----------



## Pecos (Oct 23, 2022)

Been There said:


> Congratulations. I did 30 years in the Marines and shared time onboard ships with Seamen. I have to be honest though, I never liked those white uniforms.


LOL, those choker whites make good pictures, but they are not comfortable. The best uniform we ever had was our dress khakis, The Marine Corps version looked better. I always admired the quality of Marine Corps uniforms.
I spend quite a bit of time working with Marines and had a detachment of 15 Marines assigned to my command in Korea. They were good, and interesting.
We were a tenant on Camp Humphreys which was a major Army Base.
Marines and Soldiers are often an uncomfortable mix and even little details like how Marines rolled up their sleeves came up many times.
My Marines loved  messing with the Army and every year when the Army exercised their base perimeter defense, my Marines and some of my Sailors would lay out in the mud and take over the Army’s posts in the middle of the night. It tickled me a lot, but the Army base commander was less than thrilled.
One area that the Marines contributed to a lot was our orphanage support program.


----------



## MountainRa (Oct 23, 2022)

Thank you for your service to our country.


----------



## Been There (Oct 23, 2022)

Pecos said:


> Today is the 30th anniversary of my last day in uniform. I had completed over 31 years of active duty and would turn 49 in a few days.
> 
> I looked very serious View attachment 192395during my last speech at my retirement.


I want to ask about a rumor that was spread around after I arrived. I was told that this happened to a ship of men coming home from Vietnam. 
I was told that one of the ships was returning from Vietnam and the men onboard where on deck dressed in whites. I guess it may have been some hippies, I was told, that they decided to empty buckets or red paint onto them as they sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. Can you tell me if that was true? I can't find anything on the internet that supports that b.s. 

Another question, if you don't mind: Did you ever serve on the Enterprise? If you did, I have two questions that I would like to send to you via a p.m. if you are ok with that. Besides that, did you serve in the South China Sea? I had heard that the Enterprise served off the coast of Vietnam while it was stationed at Dixie Station. True? Was it the only nuclear carrier at war in Vietnam?


----------



## Pecos (Oct 23, 2022)

Been There said:


> I want to ask about a rumor that was spread around after I arrived. I was told that this happened to a ship of men coming home from Vietnam.
> I was told that one of the ships was returning from Vietnam and the men onboard where on deck dressed in whites. I guess it may have been some hippies, I was told, that they decided to empty buckets or red paint onto them as they sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. Can you tell me if that was true? I can't find anything on the internet that supports that b.s.
> 
> Another question, if you don't mind: Did you ever serve on the Enterprise? If you did, I have two questions that I would like to send to you via a p.m. if you are ok with that. Besides that, did you serve in the South China Sea? I had heard that the Enterprise served off the coast of Vietnam while it was stationed at Dixie Station. True? Was it the only nuclear carrier at war in Vietnam?


I do not specifically remember the red paint incident, but it would not greatly surprise me at all. The San Francisco Bay area was a hot bed of anti-Vietnam War activity. My access to news was largely limited to the Stars and Stripes and getting it on a regular basis was problematic for me due to my assignments and TDYs. I was stationed on Treasure Island, San Francisco from mid1965 to mid 1966 and could see firsthand some of this activity, especially around Berkley and in San Francisco. But the paint incident might still have been a rumor for all that I know. 

I never served on the Enterprise. I spent limited time aboard the old Bennington, the Nimitz. The Enterprise was our first nuclear carrier, and (to my knowledge) may very well have been the only one available during most of the Vietnam War. That design was dumped. It did come through Pearl Harbor when I worked in the shipyard as an E-6, but I did not install any electronics systems on it. 

My two weeks on the old Bennington was miserable. The berthing compartment I was assigned to was unairconditioned and stayed around 90F. I pity those WWII sailors who had to go down and fight in the South Pacific during WWII. 

I never did serve in the South China Sea and the closest I ever got was TDY trips to Subic Bay, and a 30-month assignment to Okinawa.


----------



## Been There (Oct 24, 2022)

I was on Treasure Island (by mistake) and quickly was turned around.
I spent one month on "Big E."


----------



## CinnamonSugar (Oct 24, 2022)

@Pecos, even without your uniform, you have “Commanding Officer” written all over you.  Congratulations!


----------



## Pecos (Oct 24, 2022)

CinnamonSugar said:


> @Pecos, even without your uniform, you have “Commanding Officer” written all over you.  Congratulations!


LOL, thank you!


----------



## ElCastor (Nov 14, 2022)

Been There said:


> I want to ask about a rumor that was spread around after I arrived. I was told that this happened to a ship of men coming home from Vietnam.
> I was told that one of the ships was returning from Vietnam and the men onboard where on deck dressed in whites. I guess it may have been some hippies, I was told, that they decided to empty buckets or red paint onto them as they sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge. Can you tell me if that was true? I can't find anything on the internet that supports that b.s.
> 
> Another question, if you don't mind: Did you ever serve on the Enterprise? If you did, I have two questions that I would like to send to you via a p.m. if you are ok with that. Besides that, did you serve in the South China Sea? I had heard that the Enterprise served off the coast of Vietnam while it was stationed at Dixie Station. True? Was it the only nuclear carrier at war in Vietnam?


I spent three years on the Hancock CVA19 during Vietnam - South China sea, both Yankee and Dixie stations. My three years were in the engine rooms, last two as the Main Engines Officer. We were home ported in Alameda, so many trips under the Golden Gate Bridge — although I was usually in the Fwd Engine Room. Served 5 years, last two my pick of shore duty anywhere, my choice Rota Spain where I first heard the story of prisoners pushed out of helicopters. When I was discharged I returned to San Francisco and was exposed to more info about the War, and resigned my commission. The War was not popular in San Francisco, but I never heard a red paint story.


----------



## Been There (Nov 14, 2022)

ElCastor said:


> I spent three years on the Hancock CVA19 during Vietnam - South China sea, both Yankee and Dixie stations. My three years were in the engine rooms, last two as the Main Engines Officer. We were home ported in Alameda, so many trips under the Golden Gate Bridge — although I was usually in the Fwd Engine Room. Served 5 years, last two my pick of shore duty anywhere, my choice Rota Spain where I first heard the story of prisoners pushed out of helicopters. When I was discharged I returned to San Francisco and was exposed to more info about the War, and resigned my commission. The War was not popular in San Francisco, but I never heard a red paint story.


Yes, I wonder about some of the stories I heard from veterans.


----------



## PamfromTx (Nov 14, 2022)

The white Naval uniforms make me all fuzzy and warm since the first time I watched, "An Officer And A Gentleman".  lol


----------



## ElCastor (Nov 14, 2022)

Been There said:


> Yes, I wonder about some of the stories I heard from veterans.


I ran the 6th Fleet Brig in Rota during my last few months in the Navy. The guards were All Marines. The Brig officer I relieved heard the helicopter story from a Marine guard that had been transferred in from Nam. I have and had no reason not to believe   him. Subsequent stories about the same thing tend to confirm the truth. After discharge and returning to San Francisco I began to read some very negative stuff about the war, remembered the story, and wrote the SecNav. Got a letter back assuring me that it was just a “sea story” — a tall tale, whereupon I resigned my Reserve commission. Glad I did.


----------



## Sassycakes (Nov 14, 2022)

During the Viet Nam war, my future husband was drafted by the Army. He didn't pass the physical so he tried joining the Navy. He passed the examination but was never sent to Viet Nam. He was always on a land Base. I have a great deal of respect for all our Veterans.
My Hubby when he was in the Navy, We got married when he was on leave.


----------



## Paladin1950 (Nov 30, 2022)

In the navy
Yes, you can sail the seven seas
In the navy
Yes, you can put your mind at ease
In the navy
Come on now, people, make a stand
In the navy, in the navy
Can't you see we need a hand
In the navy
Come on, protect the mother land
In the navy
Come on and join your fellow man
In the navy
Come on people, and make a stand
In the navy, in the navy, in the navy


----------

