Memorables:
1. Bootcamp was at MCRD San Diego and our barracks had a clear view across Lindbergh Field...that played tricks on your mind during the first couple of weeks.
2. We had a full blown "island hoppng" campaign at bootcamp one afternoon/evening...wearing our Alpha's (green USMC dress uniform)...we hit every sand pit on the base, doing push-ups, sit-ups, etc. due to one of the guys screwing up. Funtimes.
3. On Westpac '89, watching a Warrant Officer from our squadron get plastered at the Caligula Club in Pattaya Beach, Thailand. He donned a Rising Sun headband, and proceed to get on the bar and dance with the naked girls, among other things. It was interesting
4. Subic Bay, PI. Myself and a couple of friends from the shop hit Olangapo City hard, drinking jungle juice (MoJo?) and generally raising hell. We returned to the base for a nice spaghetti dinner, some slot machines, and more drinks. I mixed beer with a number of other drinks I shouldn't have. We hopped onto the bus to head to the other side of the bay where the Ranger was moored, but my stomach didn't make it past the first stop sign and sprayed down a couple of rows of seats in front of me. Being totally trashed, I didn't think anyone noticed. Arrived at the Ranger and got off the bus only to be greeted by an MP...who handed me a roll of paper towels and told me to get busy, lol.
5. Our squadron's powerplants shop all going out into Olangapo City to get USMC tattoos. The shop owner's 5 year old kid kept us stocked with beers, lol. Getting a tattoo was, er, forbidden, so we all had longer sleeves when getting back to the ship.
6. Winning a Navy Relief drawing for one week of leave in Perth, Australia (the duration of Ranger's stay there). I made great use of that time...
7. Heavy weather during flight ops on Westpac '89. The Ranger's deck was pitching heavily while we were carrying out recovery operations. I was a plane captain and was waiting for my jet to return, carrying 6 tie down chains (2 for me and the nose gear of the plane and 2 each for the ship's company guys who'd tied down the main gear). My A-6 returned and was getting directed to park in the six pack area, beside a couple of H3 helos (the six pack is the area beside the island of the carrier, just under the big CV numbers you see on the side of the island). Parking in the six pack meant the nose of the aircraft is parked exactly even with the "foul line" of the landing area (cross it during landing ops, you can die). My buddy's A-6 followed and was parked beside mine. As soon as mine came to a stop, I set about securing the nose gear while the pilot and BN were going through their final checks before shutdown.
Unbeknowst to me (I was focused on securing the nose gear and not on the landing area 2 feet away), the CAGC was making his approach to the ship in his Tomcat. Something went awry. Next thing I know, I hear a massive noise and the chains were ripped from my hands, along with my jet (still running) as a shower of debris exploded everywhere. Turns out the CAGC's approach was well left of center, and instead of waving off, ended up catching the arresting cable at a severe angle (bascially pointed straight up the ship rather than in line with the angled landing area). The right wing of his Tomcat ripped through the folded tail booms of the two H3's parked to my left and then over my head into the airframe/radar rack of my A-6, shoving it into my buddy's A-6 sitting beside it. With that impact, the Tomcat's wing forced its extended wing flap into the "box" of the Tomcat causing a fire...as soon as the Tomcat stopped rolling, the pilot idled it and he and his RIO evacuated...without shutting the engines down. The fire team drowned the engines. No harm to anyone, just to the Tomcat, the helos and our A-6's, all of which were craned off in PI. Exciting flight deck video...
We also trapped a Tomcat in the net (failed tailhook) and watched a crippled S-3 Viking land with an imploded nose cone that heavily damaged both engines. Saw a few special aircraft doing flyby's too...
8. Being an irritant to the Marine Detachment stationed on the Ranger. We were "typical airwingers" as far as the MarDet guys were concerned...too lax. What drove them, and especially their Captain (their CO) mad was the fact that since we worked on the flight deck, we were required to wear colored jersies in combo with our camo pants and were forbidden to use boot polish. That was our uniform 99.99% of the time and we were always filthy and covered in jet fuel (A-6E's were leaky bastards). Not long into the cruise, those of us who worked the flightdeck constantly quickly wore out the knees in all of our camo pants and the ship's store had no replacements, so you can imagine how the MarDet guys felt as they walked around in razor-sharp creased, new looking unis. It finally got bad enough that the MarDet was forced to open up their stores of uniforms and give us some pants, lol.
So many stories, so little time, lol.
