Empire Farm days group photo

[duanet]

Pete,
There's a good way to keep a white hat white - don't wear it! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Actually I think I wore it once before. I have a blue USS Canberra cap I do wear frequently, but I figured on a hot day in the sunshine the white one would be more comfortable.

I got boot camp and service school both at Bainbridge, MD, along with 3 months temporary duty in the Fire Control Technician School wood shop. The rest of my four years (33 months) was on the Canberra with great cruises to the Med, South America, North Atlantic, Bermuda (with President Eisenhower on board) and the Caribbean. I'd do it over again in a heartbeat.

<font color=green>Duane</font color=green>

 

[Boondox]

Duane -- I echo your sentiments, though in recent tours of modern warships -- even though they are much higher on the creature comfort scale than those I served aboard -- I wonder how on earth I managed to fit in such cramped quarters.

I remember how out of place I felt at my 10th high school reunion. I'd seen combat with the Marines by then, been around the world visiting nearly two dozen nations, spent a week at the north pole...and my school chums were still surfing and flipping burgers.

Sometimes I feel that restoring the draft would be a good thing. There's a lot to be said for common experiences forming a cross-generational bond among our citizens. Just seeing that ballcap on your head made me warm to you instantly at EFD. Besides, the work ethic of most veterans is head and shoulders above most of the burger flippers.

Pete