Charles Colman:  

Greetings Our classmate John Cocherell asked me for a ride and moral support for a visit to the navy recruiter¿s office in Azusa few weeks after graduating from Duarte High. While there the recruited talked me into taking the navy¿s aptitude test. Based on my test score the recruiter told me I qualified for just about any technical specialty I may be interested in if I was to enlist. Because I knew I was not ready to be a serious college student and that the navy offered me a way to learn a skill and see the world I enlisted. At the time I enlisted I was told I would report to the navy¿s boot camp in San Diego in early November. Following boot camp and Machinist Repairman School in San Diego I was assigned to Cubi Point Naval Air Station in the Philippines. While at Cubi Point I ran into Roy (Buzzy) Zahl who was in the Marines. After Cubi Point I went to Da Nang, South Vietnam from August 1968 to 1969. When I got to Da Nang I ran into Jeff Midget, DHS class of 1965, at the personnel while I was checking and he was checking out. After my time in Da Nang I was transferred to a reserve training Destroyer stationed at Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay and later to the Samuel Gompers a repair ship in San Diego. My last navy assignment was aboard the Lyman K. Swenson DD729 a World War II vintage Sumner Class Destroyer for a six month deployment of the coast of Vietnam. The Swenson returned to San Diego the Saturday of Labor Day weekend 1970. By the way my buddy John choose not to sign up. The Thursday after returning to San Diego I was separated from the navy. I entered Citrus College the Monday after Labor Day. While attending Citrus I supported myself by wo...Expand for more