Naval Air Station Lemoore, California





My next duty assignment brought me back to the West Coast to Lemoore Naval Air Station in the San Joaquin Valley in Central California. The first duty was once again training. Smitty, Joe and I were assigned to VA 125 a training squadron for the A 4 attack aircraft. We had to report December 26, 1968. Upon completion of training in Memphis I received a promotion to AQF Airman which was E-3. It came with a small bump in pay and believe me every little bit helped. 

Even though my family didn’t live in Hacienda Heights anymore I spent Christmas there. I don’t have any memory of that Christmas but there are a few pictures of several of our group being at my Mom's friend Mary Alice’s house. She lived the street behind us. And apparently then I reported to VA 125 but was back in Hacienda Heights for New Year’s Eve where we were at Mary Alice’s again. Fred, Bill Kennedy and Bill Sumner all must have been home on leave. 




Our training lasted through April 3rd 1969. We were trained in general A 4 maintenance but more specifically in what would become our area of expertise. My specific training was on the Fire Control Systems on the aircraft including radar. Once again I don't remember specifics just that it was typical navy routine with classes but also military training.  
 
Life as I remember it was pretty routine. We spent a lot of time just hanging out playing cards in our cube in the barracks. This is where Smitty, Joe and I really became good friends and we’re still in touch today. 



One thing we celebrated while being in VA 125 was Smitty’s 21st birthday. It’s hard for people to realize that we were all teenagers when we enlisted. 


A lot of the weekends that I didn't have duty were spent doing whatever I could to get back to Hacienda Heights. Before I had a car in Lemoore I would have to check the bulletin board in the barracks to see if anyone was driving south for the weekend, when they were leaving, when they were coming back and where they would drop me off and pick me up for the drive back. It was stressful because we had to be back for muster on Monday morning and sometimes even by midnight Sunday to stand watch. 

I remember one of the most stressful trips was when I was dropped off in Bakersfield by my then girlfriend's parents and had to hitchhike back to the base. I had to stand a midnight watch that night. It was tough getting rides even back then. I finally approached a car that was at the bottom of an on ramp to Highway 99 and told the driver my situation by now it was late and if I didn't get a ride I was going to miss watch and that could cause all kinds of discipline issues including loss of rank. (It's amazing but just typing this over 50 years later is creating anxiety). Anyway it was meant to be because the car I approached was driven by a minister and when he heard my story and probably the desperation in my voice and agreed to give me a ride to the turnoff to the base where I was hoping to get a last ride with another sailor returning to base. Instead when we reached that exit and realized how late it was he offered to drive me right to the base another 30+ miles. Man was I relieved and grateful. I barely got back in time to serve that watch. 

On April 3, 1969 we transferred to VA 23 The Black Knights where we would soon be deployed on the USS Oriskany, CVA 34. We actually shipped out on April 16th. But before that one more weekend in Southern California with a trip to Disneyland. Smitty and Joe went with me and some of my group of friends from before the Navy. 










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