James "Jim" Adams:  

Life after Aragon After HS graduation I fooled around CSM staying out of the Daft and ended up in the Height (Fell Street). 'Nam' sucked me in and I joined the Navy to stay 'feet wet' and not be in the jungle. Took lots of Electronics Courses and ended up a RD2 (E5)on the USS RK Turner (DLG20). Did two cruises to North Viet Nam (Nothern SAR Station) and played with the Russians in the Sea of Japan. Got married in between cruises... 3 ready made step children. Got out and went to work in a bicycle shop. Applied to to the TelCo and was told your in the top 5% of the top 10% and don't call us we'll call U... 2 weeks later they called and said "Do U want to go to work"... 28 years later from San Diego to Santa Cruz County. USN I joined the navy in '67. Went to Electronics A Schools (Treasuer Island) for a year and went to the fleet as a seaman in San Diego and of course the ship I was assigned to was go-over in a month. USS RK Turner (DLG20) was Light Cruiser size ship (521 ft) a (decommissined in 1996... she's now a reef) wShe had double ened miissle launchers and no main guns. We always had a shot gun (DD) with us for close in protection (5" guns). I ended -up in the Radar Gang I got sent to the Mess Decks as the Salid Cook while in Port. The cooks all wanted me to stay as a cook... their Chief was not friendly. I stuck it out in OI (Operational Inteligents) Division. I compleated all the writen courses for advancements PO3&2 and made RD3 and RD2 (E5). The 1st Cruz I was assined the 'head' for my cleaning station and became know as the 'Head Man'. I got sea sick and spent alot of time on watch runing to the head or carring a bucket. We spent most of our time in port off-the-line in Sasabo, Japan. Had a lot of fun with the bar girls sight seeing and shoping. We got RR in Hong Kong. I got my gabardines made at Suzy Wongs with all sorts of milti colored draons on the inside of the cuffs. they looked like a real salts uniform. During the 12 months in Home Port (San Siego) of refiting and retraining the ship I met my wife at a friends (David Finiks... Aragon) house in San Diego. We got married just before ship went over for the second cruise. Jan and I spent Christmas in Boulder Creek at my Parents houe and then... off to WestPac. The chief and 1st Class did not want me to take the RD2 test and I did not study for it. The morning of the test the OI Div Officer came to me on the mess deck and said we've decided you can take the test. I asked to be excused from morning quarters so I could round up the navigation tools and manuvering boards to take the test... he said yes. The senior RD1 was liveid... I compleated the test and checked my answers and was done in an hour of the 2hr time limit. The Yoman came by the next day and said you aced the test... not only that... the corrections you made to the Scouting Manuvering board problems were correct. My GQ station was RCO (Radar Control Officer) in Display and Desission, I was responsible for Training the Surface Watch Suppervissors; the Ship Look Outs; the Radar Trackers and Plotters;I was responsible to have all information from Surface Plot; Solnar; Plain Tracking Net Talker; and Fire Control with current information. The Air Controllers (AIC...Air Intercept Controler) and the CaptainOps Boss and Weapons Officer sat behind me to make their Dessions from the Information on the 3 sided Verticle Plot in front of us. On a Carrier an Officer did the my job and most other ships a chief or at-the-least, a senior 1st Class was the RCO. 'the Captin called me Jim (to the furiation of the now Chief. We were 150 miles North of the DMZ to pick-up "Feet Wet" downed Piolt's. The 2nd Cruise We went down under for RR and spent time in Brisbane and Sidney, Astraila. We stoped at Pango Pango on the way back... we all wanted to stay longer in Pango Pango and Hawaii. We had our snorkle's, fin's and mask's stashed under the deck plates... a long with our matts. Surfing and snorkling all over the world... If I could have gotto...Expand for more