John Becker:  

"Way back in November of 81, I joined the United State Navy under the delayed entry program. After graduating from Aiken in June of 82, I partied as hard as I could during the Summer. On the 1st of September I boarded a plane to San Diego California where I completed basic training and some additional training before reporting to my first ship in January 83, during the next 3 and half years, I would deploy on my first Western Pacific Deployment (WESTPAC), after that 6 month deployment returning to San Diego after visiting places like Hawaii, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Sasebo was great. During this deployment the Russians had shot down Korean Airliner 007, so i got to do some really cool things as we were playing games with a Russian's as each side was racing to locate the black boxes submerged somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, I remember is was very cold off the coast of Russia and for more than 30 days we played an intense game of cat and mouse with our Russian counterpart who stayed within 1000 yards or less the entire time, we were in their neighborhood so we were heavily outnumbered, I remember walking out on deck conducting to routine maintenance and looking at the ongoing operation thinking wow if it goes down right now we are toast! Once we finished our mission it was time to focus on the ship for what was a complete overhaul period in Long Beach California for six months. During this time the ship would be updated with new weapon systems, improved communications, the addition to a hurricane bow and fin stabilizers to aid the ship from being tossed around so much in heavy seas. This was a Frigate and was the smallest ship I served on during my career. Navy life was an amazing and constant changing environment, filled with new challenges all the time. During this first duty station, I would select a rate (job) of Gunner's Mate and advance to GMG2 (E-5). In June of 86 I re-enlisted for six more years and back then what seemed to be a ton of money, a 20-thousand-dollar bonus, so the day I re-enlisted the Navy gave me a check for 8 thousand dollars. 50% or the bonus minus taxes, along with the deal came an offer for about a year of Gunner's Mate schooling in Great Lakes Illinois. I would spend the next year going to three different schools, Basic Electricity and Electronics, Gunner's Mate A school phase II, and previous two would lead to me attending MK 42 Mod 9 &10 5"/54 caliber gun school. Since I worked on the system in the fleet before attending the school, it was easy and being a Sailor with fleet experience I was leading many of the Sailors that had only completed basic training and had no experience, for the first time in my life excelled academically and was awarded the first pick of available orders in August of 8. I selected the ship that was home ported in Pearl Harbor Hawaii! The USS Joseph Strauss DDG-16. Upon arrival to Hawaii I had to complete a leadership course prior to arriving to my next duty station. During this two-week training, my ship was not in Pearl Harbor it was on the West Coast of the United States conducing training. Upon completion of my training I boarded a plane to San Diego to meet my ship and to report for duty. In 1988, as a work center supervisor and responsible for the daily operations of Mount 52 Gun Mount we deployed on my second WESTPAC, during this deployment Iran was placing mines into the Persian Gulf to deter free flow of oil primarily from Kuwait, in April of 88 we were actually on our way out of the Persian Gulf after 100 plus days on station for a bit or rest and relaxation, when another US ship ran into one of those mines, USS Samuel B Roberts, the crew of that ship kept her afloat but during the battle loss the lives of several Sailors, prompting a US response on the 18th of April, Operation Praying Mantis, my ship was responsible to go out and find and sink a specific ship of the Iranian Navy. This was the largest sea battle since WWII. This was a very intense period of time, we were under a continues threat of attack and retaliation, we would spend the next 30 days escorting Kuwait oil tankers safely through the Persian Gulf. While you are in the Navy you have a rotation from Sea Duty and Shore duty, my Sea Duty was coming to an end. During my time on Joseph Strauss I would advance to GMG1 (E6) and complete my Enlisted Surface Warfare Qualification, huge qualification. In October of 89 I was off to my first shore duty job since joining the Navy, COMNAVSURFPAC. I was part of an Admiral Staff that supported the ships in Hawaii. I was lucky enough to get the Range Master Job up on what was them Wheeler Air Force Base, my job was to qualify Sailors on the use of pistols, rifles, and shotguns! Wow, they actually paid me to do that, I did some really cool things during this time but the good times wouldn't last for long, in the Navy if you do a really great job, they put you on a job that needs fixing, so after totally fixing the pistol rifle range with a new office built on the weekends with my Fighting Seabee friends, and increasing training hours, I was removed from that job and placed into the Ammunition Administration Job in the main office in Pearl Harbor Hawaii. No more fun on the pistol/rifle range. This is what I refer to as performance tax, because I was good, and a more senior sailor wasn't doing so good in the eyes of or Seniors, I was given his job and he got to have my great job on the rifle/pistol range. But everything has a plus, during my time I excelled and learned many things about computers and my worse fear of all, I started taking college classes! In my three years at COMNAVSURFGRUMIDPAC I was advance to the rank of Chief, for my Navy brother's and sister's you fully understand the importance of this milestone. It is a big thing in the Navy, no other service has anything like it. After five years in Hawaii, it was time to move on and my objective was to buy my first house. I have always felt real estate was important and I messed up when moving to Hawaii in 87 by not buy at that time. So, now it December of 92, and off to a new ship home ported in Bremerton Washington, a bit bone chilling for someone who had been living in Hawaii for five years. Since I was advanced in September of 92 to Chief, my original order's which are normally written 6-9 months in advance had my rank as GMG1 not GMC, once I reported for duty they were shocked to see I was a Chief and not a First Class Petty Officer, so they has to change their plans and work assignments. I would be the Leading Chief Petty Officer of Gulf Division. This was an amazing tour of duty, first this ship was Nuclear Powered, today's Navy no longer has Nuclear Powered Cruisers. So, here we go my 3rd Ship is USS Truxtun CGN-35 as a Chief! This ship was slated for decommissioning as it was 27 years old and very expensive for the Navy to operate due to all the precautions that must be taken due to Nuclear Power Plant, in my time onboard I qualified JOOD, CIC Watch Officer and these are all bridge watches normally only conducted by Naval Officers. Completed my 3rd WESTPAC, got to go on a special trip through the Panama Canal, went to Cuba, Cartagena Columbia, Panama, and an amazing island of Curacao. I did so many things on that ship that was out of the norm for my years of service and rank, this was due to the situation the ship was in, most of the Senior enlisted Chiefs were exhausted with the ship was to decommission then it would get extended for another year, I was new young and willing to take on any responsibility available and those tired Chiefs were great at teaching me the ropes, I owe all that helped train me a great deal of gratitude. As always in the Navy to arrive and before you know it, it's time to move on, this time would be different see USS Truxtun did finally decommission, my Commanding Officer was amazing Captain Mark Flaherty, I hope he is still well, he and I worked together in good harmony so he kept me in the mix as long as possible until I had to transfer. My new orders were a bit different this time around, my primary job in the Navy were those Gun Mounts, the problem was Truxtun was the last ship left in the Navy with that Gun Mount. The GM job placement person offered me a job in Guam at the Naval Magazine. This was a type III duty which also counted as Sea Duty, so in August of 95, I was off to Guam, I thought how bad could this be another tropical island. As soon as I stepped off the plane into the airport it was like I ran into an invisible wall of water, the humidity level was off the chart. I was assigned to Ammunition, Distributions and Controls. As, things have been at every command I was not the senior person in the office or work center, I was working for two other Chiefs and...Expand for more