Michael Gonzales:  

CLASS OF 1969
Michael Gonzales's Classmates® Profile Photo
Jefferson Davis High SchoolClass of 1969
Houston, TX
Jefferson Davis High SchoolClass of 1968
Houston, TX

Michael's Story

Here's another update: Angelo State University, sponsored by the Endowment for Humanities, published some of my war stories. Classmates won't let me type the website so here is how to see my war stories. Search Google for "War Stories Michael Gonzales" . You will find it under Angelo State University. Enjoy! 10/30/2016. Here's an update to my story (below). I recently decided to retire from the musical Instrument repair industry and go back to my first love, jewelry repair. I have been the only woodwind instrument repairman in West Texas, responsible for 40 Independent school districts and it was a very strenuous job. I needed to tone down my stress level, so I made a life changing decision to return to the profession that I had many years ago, jewelry design and repair. It was my career before I went back into the Navy in 88'. So here is the good news; I am now the leading Goldsmith/Repairman and Foreman for Legend jewelers in San Angelo TX. I've gone full circle now and am back where I belong. Wish me luck. God Bless you all. Below is my story that I wrote many years ago when I first joined Classmates. Enjoy! Hey Guys, If you are looking at this page, then you might be trying to figure out who I was in high school. I was the drum major for the band during my senior year (1969). I was dating Patti Kerr, Karen Kerr's sister, (for those of you who remember Karen). Anyways, Pat...Expand for more
ti went to Baylor College and I joined the Navy and as time passed, we never got married. Instead, I got heavily involved with the Vietnam War, as a participant of the underwater mining campaigns of 1972, which ended the war and allowed our POWs to come home (not in the history books, folks). I assembled the mines that were planted in Vietnamese rivers, deltas and harbors as well as the Ho Chi Minh trail. Anyways when I got discharged, I became a jewelry repairman (Goldsmith and diamond setter) for Gordon's jewelers (in Houston) until the oil crisis in the mid 80's forced me to re-enlist into active duty to save my ASSets in 1988. I stayed on active duty until May 2004, but not before getting involved with the Persian Gulf War. I hunted and neutralized enemy underwater mines in the Persian Gulf shipping lanes while I was aboard the minesweeper USS Dextrous, and received the Navy Combat "V", (Bronze "V" for VALOR). . I was a pilot and technician for a ROV (remote operated vehicle) submarine, hunting for enemy mines, as well as for miss-guided U.S. cruise missiles that crashed into the Persian Gulf. Anyways, I survived all that and am now retired in San Angelo TX. I am now a musical instrument (woodwind) repair technician, (go figure!!!). Hope to see you guys at one of the reunions. Nice talking to you. Mike Gonzales Mineman Chief Petty Officer (Surface Warfare) U.S. Navy retired
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Yearbooks

Jefferson Davis High School 1969 yearbook cover photo
1969 Yearbook
Jefferson Davis High School
HOUSTON, TX
Jefferson Davis High School 1967 yearbook cover photo
1967 Yearbook
Jefferson Davis High School
HOUSTON, TX
Jefferson Davis High School 1969 yearbook cover photo
1969 Yearbook
Jefferson Davis High School
HOUSTON, TX
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Reunions
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Nov 6, 2021
Michael was invited to the
Virtual Reunion: Jefferson Davis High School Get together
1845 invitees
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Sep 21, 2019
Michael was invited to the
Jefferson Davis Class of '69 High School Reunion
248 invitees
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Mar 23, 2019
Michael was invited to the
Jeff Davis 60's(all) Friends Forever Picnic
1868 invitees
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Photos

Michael Gonzales' Classmates profile album
Playing along side the famous trumpeter Bobby Shew
Michael Gonzales' Classmates profile album
Michael Gonzales' Classmates profile album
Graduation Day Patti & Mike
JDH 1968
Top Three Jeff Davis 1969
Minesweeper/Hunter USS Dextrous MCM 13
Bunker Hill Monument, Boston Mass. 2001
Bunker Hill Monument 2001
Aboard the USS Constitution 2001
3 ponchos
Mine Hunting Sub
OOPS!!
Full Dress Blues
Instructor for Underwater mines
Captain's Cabin
Airfield in South Korea
South Korean Navy Seals and me
These are some of the Minemen that ended the Vietnam war. This was the crew of the Mine Assembly Division, Naval Magazine Subic Bay. The following story is based on an incident that occurred in November of 1972.
This pic was taken in 1973 when I was a dispatcher for the Provost Marshall’s Office (PMO) in Subic Bay Philippines, the largest naval base in the world. Subic was a small city within itself and in the 8 months that I was
This is me on December 24, 1987 at my Moms house. I was going back on active duty after being out for 15 years. I was dropped one stripe due to my break in service. Unfortunately that was a great disadvantage for me to m
This is the damage to the USS Tripoli by one Iraqi floating "contact" mine. An interesting note; Believe it or not, if the mine had been a bottom mine, on the ocean floor, the damage would have been much more devastating
The mine pictured here was an Italian made Manta Mine. These mines were found in the hold of a tugboat, which doubled as a mine layer. This mine didn’t need to float. It remained on the ocean floor and exploded when it “s
This pic was taken after an Iraqi tugboat was stopped and searched. The tugboat was actually doubling as a mine layer. The mines that are pictured here were moored contact mines. That meant that the float, which containe
When you are a soldier or even a pilot in battle, you see the targets that you aim at and sometimes even witness the destruction that you cause. Not so for the Navy Minemen that assembled the mines planted in Vietnam. Eve
The USS Dextrous... somewhere in the Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf can get unusually calm at times. But as peaceful as it may look, it was teaming with dangers. Poisonous sea snakes and man-of-war lurked by the thousan
"Can I take your order, please?" This pic was taken in the Persian Gulf in between underwater mine hunting operations. I call this one "Drive thru Window". Believe it or not; we had to climb over the rails and leap ac
This photo was taken in mid 1970 when I was stationed at the Naval Ammunition Depot, Oahu, Hawaii. I'm the one on the top row on the right. Just to show you how life eventually comes full circle; when I was selected as t
This pic was taken as we were towing this stricken vessel back to Ingleside TX. We had been up all night trying to save her. When we first got to the scene at about 3 am, only the front half of the ship was visible. Ever
3 ponchos Me and my two Ponchos (Pontiacs). I call this pic; "The 3 Ponchos". This pic was taken in '97 just before I deployed to the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Dextrous. My hair was still dark brown then, but after I
Here's a pic of me playing along side Bobby Shew, trumpet player from the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.
This is where I was stationed through most of the Vietnam mining campaigns. This is a photo of the Destructor Assembly Compound called P-5. The Destructor was a 500 lb or 1000 lb general purpose aircraft laid bomb that wa
Don't believe your history books. This is what got our POWs back and finally gained us the winning advantage of the war after 10 years. When we came to the peace tables in Jan 1973, the enemy was out of rockets and ammo a
One Man! One Mine! This pic was taken during the height of the Vietnam mining operations in 1972. This is how we built the mines that were being planted, daily. One man was assigned to build several mines, one mine at
OOPS!! This is a 3000 pound Mk 65 underwater mine. The green color and the yellow markings are the distinctive markings of a live explosive loaded round. If you look real hard, you can see more live rounds, stacked 4 hi
Full Dress Blues Mineman Chief Petty Officer (Surface Warfare) Michael Gonzales, Jr. This pic was taken in early 2004 at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth TX, where I was stationed before retiring May 31, 2004. In the back
Instructor for Underwater mines From 2002 to 2004, I was Head instructor for the Mobile Mine Assembly Group, Central Drill site. Located at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth TX. I was the sole instructor responsible for trai
Airfield in South Korea Loading underwater mines aboard a C-130 aircraft for delivery to Misawa Japan.
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