Richard Clementson:  

It was a cool morning that June day of the 20th day in 1968. That is the day I left for San Diego to go to Boot Camp for the Navy, at the Navel Training Center. I was there for Three months. Learning everything about the Navy and how to operate a ship. In September I graduated from Boot Camp and had a Two week leave. After my leave was over I week straight to Viet Nam and did not pass go or collect Two Hundred dollars. Instead I collected a plane ride to Siagon and spending Two weeks looking for the ship I was assigned too. It took that long to figure out that it was up the Siagon River delivering goods and equipment to the troops. After they found it I finally got onboard and was assigned to be a deck hand. For Three Months we went up and down the coast of Viet Nam delivering anything and everything to the troops. Also during that time I was assigned again to the galley (kitchen). After my stint in the galley, I went back to being a deck hand. I didn't like doing that job very well so I tried to get reassigned to the Sea Bees which is the construction batallion of the Navy. I tried Three times and was denied Three times, so I stayed a deck hand. In December of 1968 we left Viet Nam and went to Japan for Christmas and New Years. On Christmas Eve we pulled into Yokuska, Japan and stayed there for Two weeks. At the end of the Two weeks we left Japan and headed home for San Diego. When we arrived home we found out that we were to take the ship out of service from the Navy. The ship I was on was a LST (Tank Landing Ship). The ship would literaly run up onto the beach and off load all the equipment when the front of the ship or bow doors would open up and a ramp would go out onto the beach. That way you could run all the jeeps, tanks and other equipment on land without any of it getting wet. For Three months we decommisioned the ship and I was then transfered to a LSD (Dock Land Ship). This ship would lower the back of the ship into the water and all the equipment would be moved by small amphibious boats. While on this ship I still didn't like being a deck hand so I applied to become a Quatermaster (Navigation of the ship). I was accepted and transfered to the Quatermaster Quarters. I was on that ship for Two years and while on the ship I studied the courses to become a Quartermaster. At the end of the Two years I took the Third Class Quatermaster test and past it. In April of 1971 I was promoted to Third Class Quartermaster. During the Two years on the ship we would go to Viet Nam Twice. We also visited the Phillipines, Singapore, Japan,Hong Kong, and Hawaii. In April of 1971 after being promoted to Third Class Quatermaster, I was transfered to a new construction LST. Instead of the bow opening up and off loading all the equipment, the ramp would go over the front of the ship and the equipment would be off loaded that way. This ship I was on the crew that commissioned the ship (Placed the ship into Navel service). After the ship was commissioned we headed straight for Viet Nam to deliver equipment, once more, to the troops. Once we completed our mission we headed for Australia. We never did make it there. We were ordered back to San Diego for promotional tours. Before we turned around we did cross the Equator. I became a Shell Back. In April of 1972 I was discharged from the Navy and became a civilian again. At that time I got a job as a janitor in Cupertino at the City Hall. I also went to De Anza College for a year to take my required courses so I could get into the telecommunication program at San Mateo College in san Mateo, CA. In June of 1975 I got ...Expand for more