Ahoy Matey!
I spent four years in the navy. What fun!29 total reviews
Comment from Pam Lonsdale
Capitalize "Navy".
Love the reference to the gumball machine - shows your sense of humor.
Timing is everything, right Tom? And poor timing is too.
That's an interesting way to give shots!
Did you never get sick on those rough seas? I once went out on a fishing boat and spent the entire time puking over the side of the boat.
I like the story of Fat Mac at the end - did he have more than one book in which the ending was "removed"? Great payback:-)
An entertaining and well-written story, Tom. Thanks for sharing.
xo
Pam
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Capitalize "Navy".
Love the reference to the gumball machine - shows your sense of humor.
Timing is everything, right Tom? And poor timing is too.
That's an interesting way to give shots!
Did you never get sick on those rough seas? I once went out on a fishing boat and spent the entire time puking over the side of the boat.
I like the story of Fat Mac at the end - did he have more than one book in which the ending was "removed"? Great payback:-)
An entertaining and well-written story, Tom. Thanks for sharing.
xo
Pam
Comment Written 12-Mar-2024
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Hello Pam,
I assume they still give shot using the air guns, but I don't know. As I mentioned, the heavy duty shot came in the form of a syringe. I'm glad they didn't paint bulls eyes on our cheeks. Fortunately the spacing was such that there was room to walk between one row's backside and the other's head. As it was, it was still unpleasant.
I never did get seasick, and we got into some really rough seas. We had a teletype come in one day warning of 52 foot seas. We used to have to tie our chairs to the radar repeaters to keep from being thrown out of them, and we had dividers with sharp points on both ends that hung from swivel arm chart lights that we had to take down to prevent them from becoming missiles. Sometimes when we were going in to the waves, if you were walking down the steps (called a ladder on a ship), depending on whether the ship was going up or down in the waves, you would either have a long step down, or a very short step. In the trough, you had to spread your legs and brace yourself with every step going through a corridor. It was a challenge.
I think it was just the one book. As I recall, there was no library on either ship, so books were brought from home and traded amongst the sailors. Mac had it coming though, so no one felt bad for him.
Have a blessed day my friend.
Tom
Comment from GWHARGIS
This was a great story, Tom. I loved the Stories of the Navy life. A little safer out on the water than trapsing through the patties or jungle ... but not much. Keep these coming. I really like your style of writing. Gretchen
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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This was a great story, Tom. I loved the Stories of the Navy life. A little safer out on the water than trapsing through the patties or jungle ... but not much. Keep these coming. I really like your style of writing. Gretchen
Comment Written 12-Mar-2024
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Hello Gretchen,
thanks so much for the delightful review. You're right, we didn't have anyone shooting at us at the time, but there was always the fear of something going wrong with the ship when we were in bad weather. Still, I'd take the ocean any day. Its funny that something will trigger a memory, and the more you write, the more you remember. I'm glad those days are behind me, but I'm not ready for the rocking chair yet. Have a blessed day gal.
Tom
Comment from royowen
I nearly made it into the navy, but I was rejected, but I'm glad I was rejected, because the shortest period one could serve was 9 years, my friend served 12 years, whereas army of Air Force was only three years, so it suited me, well done Tom, thanks for serving, blessings Roy
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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I nearly made it into the navy, but I was rejected, but I'm glad I was rejected, because the shortest period one could serve was 9 years, my friend served 12 years, whereas army of Air Force was only three years, so it suited me, well done Tom, thanks for serving, blessings Roy
Comment Written 12-Mar-2024
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Hello Roy,
wow! Nine years! I wouldn't have lasted that long. I put in my four years and was glad to be out. We were living in the poverty level at the time, the pay was pathetic. I used to supplement my income by hunting squirrels and rabbits and catching fish when I was in port. There was too much foolishness for me too. Once, when we were going to leave for a few month cruise, payday was two days away, and our families needed the money, but the captain and officers were the only ones who were going to get paid. I signed a petition, which could have been considered treasonous, demanding our pay before we left. The captain gave in, but he was furious. Thanks so much for the great review.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom
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Yes, I guess the ratings were beneath the much superior officers, heh heh.
Comment from BethShelby
I always enjoy reading your stories. Most all of them make me laugh. Congratulations on being the celebrity of the month. I hope that comes with something more than an "atta boy".
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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I always enjoy reading your stories. Most all of them make me laugh. Congratulations on being the celebrity of the month. I hope that comes with something more than an "atta boy".
Comment Written 12-Mar-2024
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Hello Beth,
thanks so much for the wonderful review. I'm so glad you enjoy what I'm offering. Yes, the committee awarded me $100.00 FS bucks, which I was so pleased with. I was shocked yet honored to get the award. Have a blessed day gal.
Tom
Comment from Wendy G
Great intro to a most engrossing read, which I enjoyed a lot. I enjoy your humorous style of writing very much. Thank you for sharing these memories.
Wendy
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Great intro to a most engrossing read, which I enjoyed a lot. I enjoy your humorous style of writing very much. Thank you for sharing these memories.
Wendy
Comment Written 12-Mar-2024
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Hello Wendy,
the old saying, you have to laugh to keep from crying has served me well. We've all been through a whole lot of unpleasant experiences, as you know all too well in your dealings with Jonathon. Yours are much more serious, and it would be difficult to find humor in much of his experiences, but I've been blessed with a good sense of humor, and Lord knows, in these times, we need one.
Have a blessed evening gal.
Tom
Comment from Debbie D'Arcy
Firstly Tom, big congrats on your Recognized Writer status for this month! What a brilliant and well deserved achievement. This is another great story and, once again, I've run out of my sixes so quickly. It's word perfect and races through your experiences in the navy with wit and delight. Each little gem is sheer pleasure to read and I thank you for sharing some of your varied and exciting life. Take care Debbie
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Firstly Tom, big congrats on your Recognized Writer status for this month! What a brilliant and well deserved achievement. This is another great story and, once again, I've run out of my sixes so quickly. It's word perfect and races through your experiences in the navy with wit and delight. Each little gem is sheer pleasure to read and I thank you for sharing some of your varied and exciting life. Take care Debbie
Comment Written 12-Mar-2024
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Hello Debbie,
I'm so delighted that you enjoy what I offer here. The feedback I get from so many is the applause that makes it all worth while. Thanks so much for the generous review gal. It means a lot to me.
Have a blessed day.
Tom
Comment from Marilyn Hamilton
This story was quite interesting. It was well written. It kept my attention and moved at a good pace. You have a keen memory for details. Very nicely done. Thank you for sharing.
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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This story was quite interesting. It was well written. It kept my attention and moved at a good pace. You have a keen memory for details. Very nicely done. Thank you for sharing.
Comment Written 12-Mar-2024
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Hello Marilyn,
thanks so much for reading this story and for the wonderful review gal. The more I write, the more details that come to mind. Its amazing what all of us experience in our lives. I suspect they are much more exciting than what we realize at the time we're living them. Have a blessed day.
Tom
Comment from karenina
Great bio of your time in the Navy! You're easygoing wit shines through every passage!
Come on...your portly bunk mate was Mac Donald? I laughed out loud at that!
Smart move avoiding the inevitable destination with the Draft.
No changing your mind when Nixon flipped the script!
I get seasick 20 yards offshore...
Dixie cup hats off to you, Tom!
Great writing!
Karenina
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Great bio of your time in the Navy! You're easygoing wit shines through every passage!
Come on...your portly bunk mate was Mac Donald? I laughed out loud at that!
Smart move avoiding the inevitable destination with the Draft.
No changing your mind when Nixon flipped the script!
I get seasick 20 yards offshore...
Dixie cup hats off to you, Tom!
Great writing!
Karenina
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 12-Mar-2024
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Hello Karen,
thanks so much for the humorous review. Yes, Fat Mac was the guy right above me. If he was in the bunk before me, I had to decide which way I was going to sleep, on my stomach or my back. If I was in bed first, I used to watch in horror as the canvas above me was stretched to the limit, leaving little room for maneuvering for me. They should have put him on the bottom, but it was the navy, so no room for compromise. I never got seasick, but one black guy actually turned a shade of green, which I didn't think possible.
Have a blessed day gal.
Tom
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LOL! What a sleeping debacle!
Comment from Kelly Hope
Amazing story to read! Very intrigued and captured by your words and the way that you use them. Very talented and gifted with the way you write thank you for this.
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Amazing story to read! Very intrigued and captured by your words and the way that you use them. Very talented and gifted with the way you write thank you for this.
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 12-Mar-2024
reply by the author on 12-Mar-2024
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Thank you Kelly for the wonderful review. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed this. One thing about living a long time is that you end up with a lot of stories. From the looks of your picture, you've got a lot of stories ahead of you. I hope that they are all pleasant.
Have a blessed day gal.
Tom
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Thank you! Can you possibly review my latest poem?
