Dave Berry:  

Life Grew up in wonderful Sonoma, California after moving from Texas in 1959. Attended Sassarini Elementary and Prestwood school and also El Verano Elementary. I remember swimming at Morton's, malteds at Vella's. and the beautiful Euculyptus trees lining Broadway. I was recently tickled when I caught the courthouse in the movie with Rob Schnieder (The Animal?) Not a great movie but loved seeing Sonoma!! We lived in Shellville near the highway split and my dad ran the Hudson Products Lumberyard. I moved back to Texas in 7th Grade, so I missed going through high school with everyone, but I fondly remember Sonoma and the many friends I had there. It was truly the most awesome place anyone could grow up. I left many good friends behind, namely Cynthia Heald (Ulrich) , Norine Felder Beeman, Karen Marco, Allen Martinson, Dennis Johnson, Cathy Cornelius and Susan and Jane Dillman, amongst them. In Houston, I attended Spring Branch Junior High, Spring Oaks Junior High and Spring Woods High School. Debbie Freidrich, Bruce Huey,Debbie Lacy, Beth Huser, Laurie Brock, and Kelly Weisbruch were amongst my best friends. I also attended Jane Long Junior high in Sharpstown. I played basketball in Spring Woods with the fighting Tigers and was awarded the Fighting Tiger award my senior year 1971 (that award was mainly for fighting it out under the boards mostly). Robert Burg, James Derkowski, Gary Dial, and Barry Hartman were the scoring maniacs. I was a two year letterman in Basketball. I worked at Gerland's grocery on N. Gessner Road during and after high school and then attended University of Houston for about a year. I pledged and became a brother of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity while there. In July 1972 I enlisted in the US Navy. While at my first Duty Station in Guam USA, I married Barbara Sengelaub and she had my beautiful daughter Jennifer Rebecca. I was accepted to an officer program while stationed in Monterrey Ca, and attended OLE MISS under the NAVY NESEP program and graduated in 1979 with a BS in Electrical Engineering. My son, John Robert, was born in 1979. After duty stations in Corpus Christi, Texas, Memphis, Tenn, Jackonville Fl, Norfolk, Virginia, Fallon, Nevada, and finally Pt Mugu, Ca. and after many many sea tours on board Aircraft Carriers like the USS Nimitz and the USS Coral Sea, in my job as an Aerospace Maintenance Duty Officer, . Two interesting things happened while I was onboard the USS Nimitz. On August 19 1981 two VF-41 Black Aces F-14As, Fast Eagle 102 (CDR "Hank" Kleeman/LT "DJ" Venlet) and Fast Eagle 107 (LT "Music" Muczynski/LTJG "Amos" Anderson), were flying combat air patrol to cover aircraft engaged in a missile exercise. They ended up shooting down two Libyan SU-17 Fitter aircraft after they exhibited hostile intent towards the F-14's. After the incident, I realised that I had been in art class while in Jane Long Junior High with Lt "Music" Muczynski and tracked him down in the officer mess to say hello. The seconnd strange occurance happened in Monte Carlo. Myself and several officers from my squadron (VA-82) were having dinner. The CAG (Carrier Air group) LSOs (Landing Signal Officers) were also there and I heard one of the officers talking about Houston, Texas. I had seen him on the ship often but didn't know him. I asked him where he went to high school and he replied "Spring Woods",hmmm, I asked him when he graduated, he said ...Expand for more