Robert West:  

2019 09 24 – Filled in a couple of blanks 2017 01 21 – Another feeble attempt to sound less illiterate.. 2016 04 12 a few minor tweaks and a minor edit or two 2021 06 01 – Weighing in at 204 pounds - I was that tall, really skinny kid that chased after and/or was chased by the short kid during the pep rallies in the gymnasium/multipurpose room. I'm still tall (6 ft 5 in) but 60 pounds heavier now (204). ... As a senior I was the "Production Director" -head grunt- on the senior class play "CAESAR & CLEOPATRA". ... I cut a class or two to get my stage direction cues finalized for opening night, which got me banned from the theater. I was told that If I showed up they would pull the plug & cancel everything. ... So... I got there a few hours early and hid in the spotlight box above and in front of the stage equipped with a microphone & earphones to give the cues by remote control while another student sat in the production director's box in the back of the theater looking busy. I joined the Navy right out of High School and spent the next 9 to 10 months going to boot camp and Radar school. After a short leave (vacation in civilian terms) I reported aboard the Henry W. Tucker DDR-875. Within a few weeks the Tucker completed preparations for departure from Long Beach California, Then we took 14 days to sail to Yokosuka Japan, after which we spent 32 months in the far East (home ported in Yokosuka). Toured some of the local watering holes, Tokyo Ginza district and a few cultural hot spots such as the Royal Palace, a kabuki theater performance, and a local theater and saw an American movie (Ben-Hur). Spent some time cruising up and down the Taiwan Straights, engaged in some electronic intelligence activities done in conjunction with U2 overflights. After they removed all the special electronic equipment from the ship we began more mundane duties for the next 2 years which amounted to screen duty for multiple carrier task forces. There were other diversions along the way such as R&R liberty time in Hong Kong, where the main excitement — other than checking out the entertainment palaces — was to visit some tailor shops and get some tailor-made civilian clothes. There were the occasional visits to places like Hiroshima (visited Ground Zero Peace Park), Kobe, Hakodate and some other ports of interest, . . Then there was the time we almost got run over by one of the aircraft carriers during a simple screen adjustment maneuver, required any time the fleet changed course. The officer of the deck decided the best course to get to our assigned screen station was by crossing the bow of the aircraft carrier — a clasic no-no — When he realized what he had done, he panicked and declared all back full and caused a loss of water in the boilers, which left us with no elect- ricity or power, sitting dead in the water with the carrier bearing down on us at 30+ knots (about 35 miles per hour). I understand that the Carrier came to within less than 60 feet as it went by, speed unknown. Of course when they got around to writing the "official" report of the incident it was much more interesting, but false. I was on duty in the Combat Information Center (CIC) that night and was witness when the officer of the deck (a Lt. junior grade) ignored our recommended course to station. -- I was the one making the recommended course -- a normal procedure that the CIC was required to do any time the task force made a course change or correction. After returning Stateside in July of 1962 I completed a short tour of duty on the West Coast aboard the Harry E. Hubbard DD-748, after which I mustered out (Set free from active duty and allowed to resume civilian hood). When I asked my division officer why I wasn't given the standard shipping-over lecture, I was told "West, it's my belief that you'll do better on the outside." One thing that I presume contributed to his conclusion was that I had taken a nap during working hours and had the bad timing to be sleeping when the Executive Officer was looking for me. I spent the last month or two of active duty chipping paint on the 01 deck. When you're an E5 (2nd class petty officer) and are chipping paint everyone knows that you've been somewhat of a screw-up. I took my good conduct medal, and my honorable discharge and never looked back. I had nightmares for years about being back on that destroyer with more years to go on my enlistment. Scary thing to wake up from I assure you!! When I made it back to Carmichael everyone I had known — it seemed to me — had dispersed to the four winds. I was completely out of touch with everyone. So... I worked briefly for Woodson & Dunmore (Builder/Developer) in Orangevale. Then when the rains put a stop to construction work in December 1963, I moved to the Sourh San Francisco Bay area (Mountain View) and began employment at Volt Technical Services – a job shop – as a trainee technical illustrator for $2.40/hr. Today, Adjusted for Inflation that would represent about $18.50. I was put to work practicing Leroy lettering for 3 days at $2.40/hr. Then, after taking an inking test – that I did very well on – they sent me to Aerojet General in Sacramento as a Junior Technical Illustrator —go figure!-. $3.25/hr + $45/wk per diem. Adjusted for inflation that would be about $34.90 per hr. Not bad for a trainee kid with 2 weeks experience. The down side is that the project only lasted a month or two. In 1964 or thereabouts I went to work for the County of Sacramento as rear chain-man on a construction surveying crew (streets and highways) but when the rains came in the Dec - Jan season I got a layoff notice due to rain-caused lack of work. Shortly thereafter I was contacted for another Job Shop assignment; this time at Douglas Aircraft Co. in Long Beach CA. to work on the C-5A Super Cargo Aircraft Proposal, another really nice paying job (with...Expand for more