Rick Clementson:  

I attended Briarwood Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, and Adrian C. Wilcox High School. After graduation from high school, I went into the Navy. I was sent to San Diego for training for 13 weeks. When that was completed, I was sent directly to Vietnam, to catch the ship I was assigned too. I left San Francisco on September 13, 1968 and flew to Saigon, Vietnam. I was in Saigon for Two weeks while they were trying to locate the ship. When they located it they flew me to Vung Tao, Vietnam, for another Two week before I actually arrived aboard ship. The ship was an LST (tank landing ship) For the next Three months we ran supplies and ammunition up the Saigon River. We also went up and down the coast of Vietnam. January of 1969 we headed back to San Diego (our home port) to decommission the ship. After we decommissioned the ship I was assigned to an LSD (dock landing ship) and I went right back to Vietnam. This time it was for Six months and we moved equipment, supplies, and ammunition up and down the coast of Vietnam. With a trip in between to Hawaii to transport some Marines. We had Two Week Liberty there. Then back to Vietnam. After our Six month tour of duty, we headed for Bremerton, Washington for Three months of maintenance and liberty,as well as duty. Once that ended we went back to San Diego and stayed for almost a year. I took the Third class Quartermasters test and past it. In October 1970 I became QM3. I then received orders for a new construction LST. It was in Long Beach, CA. March 27, 1971 we Commissioned the ship and went on our Maiden voyage. We headed for Australia. We were called back after we had crossed the Equator. I was on that ship until I was disch...Expand for more