In 1969 Austin was a town of approximately 700 people.
The USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) was an aircraft carrier with over 4000 people onboard. It was a floating small city. Flight deck, hospital, barber shop, ship's store, etc. It was an Awesome site to see.
Since I was non-rated, I had to do 90 days as a mess cook. I was assigned to the bake shop
About two (2) weeks before the 90 days were up, I was called to report to the ship's personnel office for an interview with CWO-2 George W. Gadaire, the Personnel Officer, to find out where I would be working during my time on the ship.
I wanted to be a postal worker, but Mr. Gadaire said there were no openings in the post office and he was going to assign me to the Captain's Office to do clerical work. He jokingly stated that an added benefit to having such a good assignment was that he was going to be my boss as he was being promoted to the position of Ship's Secretary and would be my boss.
Once I started working in the Captain's Office, I immediately began preparing to take the Seaman's exam. We were at sea when I took it and I passed. I was now in pay grade E-3.
During time of War, the required time you must spend in grade before being eligible for promotion to the next grade is waived. So, I immediately completed the course requirements for Yeoman Third Class, pay grade E-4. A month later I would take the YN3 exam and pass it.
And he was telling the truth. Mr. George W Gadaire was a great boss to work for. He called out Bingo when we were out to sea and everyone knew him and liked him.
The USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) was homeported in Alameda, California which is next to Oakland and across the bay from San Francisco.
We would spend the next 2-3 months doing training exercises up and down the coast of California.
I was a baseball fan so in my off-duty hours I would go to the Oakland As and San Francisco Giants Baseball games. Since we would pull into port in San Diego after completing a training exercise, I was able to see The Padres play also.
I was having the time of my life watching Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Rollie Fingers and the 1969 Oakland As play. Across the bay was the great Willie Mays, McCovey, Marchial and the Giants playing against the National League teams. I believe Winfield was playing for the Padres.
Our WestPac cruise was scheduled to last six (6) months, but ended up being a nine (9) month tour of duty as Korea would create hate and discontent during this period of time and we were extended.
We stopped in Hawaii going over and coming back.
We visited Subic Bay, Philippines, Sasebo and Yokosuka, Japan, a number of times and Hong Kong. As a reward for our tour being extended, we were allowed to visit Sydney, Australia. for a week.
Hawaii was a disappointment with all it's hotels and lack of pretty ladies waiting for me.
Was robbed at knife point the first trip across the bridge into Olongapo City.
Japan was cold and dreary,
I was extremely homesick on Christmas Day out at sea.
Hong Kong was amazing with all it's' tailors, bars, nightclubs and beautiful women, But the thing I remember most was reading the front page headlines of the Stars and Stripes newspaper informing the military world thar Bob Lanier of St. Bonaventure University had injured his knee and was would not play again in the NCAA tournament. Tiny Bonaventure made the final four. I am a St. Bona fan.
The Shellback Initiation was a lot of fun when we crossed the equator.
Sydney, Australia was far and away our best port of call.
Some guys from the Ship's Post Office joined us from the Captain's Office and we rented two rooms in a fancy hotel downtown Sydney. There were no places off-limits, but the ship passed out a list of places where it was recommended we not visit.
So, we frequented the first place on the list and hit the jackpot. It was a large nightclub with great music and pretty women and cold beer. Many of our shipmates did the same. The place was packed every night during our stay.
Australian beer is second only to German beer.
The women outnumbered the men by about 3 to 1.
Sydney is a beautiful city.
Our waitress was a beautiful, blue-eyed young women I began hitting in her from the first order of beer. About half-way through the night, I asked her if she was going to take me home with her and when she said yes, I didn't believe it. However, she did and I would spend every night with her, but one. She was honest with me and said that she had made a date with a local guy before she met me and needed to keep it.
During our week's stay in Sydney, the Captain declared max liberty with only a skeleton crew being required to stay onboard during any given day. What this meant to me was that I would have to muster one morning and if nothing needed to be done, I could leave the ship at 1PM. When that day came, I said fuck it and stayed in the hotel. I knew I would loose a stripe and didn't care.
As the old saying goes, all good things must end. At the time I was the Classified Material Control Clerk and worked inside a vault in the Captain's Office. When I entered the office Mr. Gadaire wasn't there yet so I went inside the vault to wait for him to come.
It seemed like forever before he entered the office and hollered, "Where's Fowler?" I hollered back from inside the vault, "Here, sir." He said, "You're lucky. I didn't come back either". and that was the end of it. I kept my stripe.
