Author Topic: What do you/did you do for a living?  (Read 89791 times)

Offline Viejo

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #45 on: June 22, 2010, 11:27:14 PM »
Can't help my funny  looks.  ;)  I am amassing a lot of photos between Freedom Park, the Sub Memorials pages, Sub School photos and base members. And everytime I do something, realize I need to take more pictures. Until I can find a good OCR program, all the books I am copying are basically photos, but since most don't need editing, that works fine.
That was neat how it worked out. I had heard for two years that City Parks and Rec wasn't interested in talking to anyone about hte park and when I finally after three days ran down and found Brenda, she set up a time the next day to meet me there and when I told her I wanted to help get the park open, she was very enthusiastic and to this day has done nothing but try and make anything I wanted work for me.  Same thing happened recently with the Big Red Sub Club. I had mentioned a couple of times getting them involved in the park and a couple of the resident experts said they didn't want to work with subvets, but when the chair of the BRSC came through the park with the CO, Eng, COB and others from the USS Nebraska, one of our subvets gave him my email, he wrote me the same day, I wrote him back and we have been working on getting the sail back to Omaha ever since. I think  a lot of it is how you approach people and liking people and letting them know you want to help them works better than telling them what they are going to do for you.
I also noticed that these pages started in Feb of 2008. Can't believe it has been that long. I remember many emails from Lance to me and back and how he wasn't sure it would work. I know no one had any idea how much influence these pages would  have on museums around the country. We all owe a big debt to this young man for showing us all how to live our creed.
And besides his daughter and my grandaughter are running neck and neck for being the cutest little girls going.  :smitten:
Viejo
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http://www.decklog.com/SSN-589.asp

Offline BrokenArrowtiger

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #46 on: June 22, 2010, 11:36:38 PM »
Honestly looking at yalls post on here over the years its quite amazing seeing how you became submarine enthusisits alot of people love world war 2 and without yalls help and volunteer work then who knows what some of theese musems would look like today
I am a fan of the batfish and the U-505 i have been interested in world war 2 since i was little my dad and his father and my dads fathers mother served in wars i am interested in the Submarine war of world war 2 and someday i want to be a marine archaeologist and or a world war 2 historian

Offline Viejo

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #47 on: June 22, 2010, 11:45:59 PM »
Most of us who are subvets have been more than enthusiastic about subs. It is a way of life we never gave up. I think many who served in my time period and then weren't around any museums until lately, had no idea how much the public's view of veterans has changed. Other than getting to work with shipmates at the museums and in venues like this, having some kid or lady or young man come up and want to shake your hand and say thanks is more than you can handle sometimes. I honestly don't know how some of the politicians can be so blind as to what the majority of those who own the country feel. Probably cause they only associate with the radicals who live up and down both coasts and haven't been in touch with reality since they were born. They all forget that over 90% of this country is owned by small landowners and farmers and people who put up with a lot of nonsense but only allow it to go so far. The numbers don't matter, its the fact that in most of the land people who have lived all their lives on farms and in small cities have no compunction in defending what they own from those who might want to take it. Even in bigger cities like Omaha, I hear the same sentiment. They appreciate what veterans gave up to keep this land free and no one is going to take it from them. We are doing more than just putting out history about a ship, sub, gun, or something else, we are demonstrating what we served for and what we will protect and the visitors who visit with me feel exactly the same way.
Viejo
“Keep the memory of the USS Scorpion SSN-589 and its crew alive"
http://www.decklog.com/SSN-589.asp

Offline BrokenArrowtiger

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #48 on: June 23, 2010, 12:36:19 AM »
In world war 2 most of the vetrens came from small town and farmowners honestly i would shake all of ur hands i really would the submarines that iv seen and read about i mean its fantastic to learn about there a peaice of american history they truly are iv learned soo much from this site as well as others its been amazing seeing what goes into a submarine somebody once said that the submarines that we had in world war 2 arent far off from the submarines we have now just newer technology same basic concept submarine has came along way thanks to people like you and others i truly hope my generation saves some of the submarines we have now i truly hope that...by the way viejo i have a question for you i know u served on the scorpion wasnt that the submarine that sank during training exerices in the mid 70s? or am i thinking of another sub
I am a fan of the batfish and the U-505 i have been interested in world war 2 since i was little my dad and his father and my dads fathers mother served in wars i am interested in the Submarine war of world war 2 and someday i want to be a marine archaeologist and or a world war 2 historian

Offline Viejo

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #49 on: June 23, 2010, 05:11:22 AM »
It sank on 22 May, 1968.  Read Steve Johnson's book Silent Steel to find out what is known and what isn't known about what happened to it.
Other than the capabilities of subs today compared to WWII, the other big difference I see is that submarines today can deliver far more damage to the enemy while also doing so much more safely for the sub and the crew than subs in WWII could do.
Viejo
“Keep the memory of the USS Scorpion SSN-589 and its crew alive"
http://www.decklog.com/SSN-589.asp

Offline BrokenArrowtiger

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #50 on: June 23, 2010, 12:28:56 PM »
I was close and i know some about the scorpion from the reasrch i gathered from Dr ballards expediton to scorpion threasher and titanic and ur right the subs today are pracitcally putting nuclear bombs in
I am a fan of the batfish and the U-505 i have been interested in world war 2 since i was little my dad and his father and my dads fathers mother served in wars i am interested in the Submarine war of world war 2 and someday i want to be a marine archaeologist and or a world war 2 historian

Offline Darrin

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #51 on: June 23, 2010, 05:45:49 PM »
Brokenarrow,

Bill Lee (AKA VIEJO) was one of the last me to leave the SCORPION before her final and eternal patrol, he truly can say those men whom are enterred onboard her were HIS shipmates.. Over memorial day weekend here in Norfolk, Va we had a "tolling of the bells" ceremony and also a rememberance of the SCORPION and her crew. I went to one a couple of years ago and it truly was an awesome thing to witness and also one very hard thing to hear being a former submariner.  Bill I toasted you and your shipmates on Memorial day and those friends whom I have lost over the years.

On a different note, teaching the "School of the Boat" was and still is a VERY special thing for me. I had been a volunteer on the USS Torsk (SS 423) for a few years and knew very little about Diesel boats (I served on a LA Class boat) and how they truly worked and were layed out. Granted the compartments were layed out roughly the same but EVERYTHING operated differently even my beloved torpedo tubes :o

It started because I was a newly divorced single dad whose son went to his mom's for the summer and then it turned into damn we need to do something to TEACH our volunteers whom are trying their damndest to restore their boats and learn about the systems and how they worked so they didn't make the mistake of opening valves that they had no clue as to where it went or what they really did. IF you go back to the very beginning of the school of the boat you will see a LOT of questions being asked and people LEARNING what their systems actually did.

For a Los Angeles Class submariner teach a BALAO class was unique and at times very interesting, I was LEARNING with them just as fast as they were. I was blessed to have very good support from not only Lance but John Thethino (sp? sorry John) and Chief Mike Eacho (USS Torsk) and also Tom Bowser (USS DRUM) and I would be wrong to forget Paul Farace (USS COD) for kicking me in the arse occassionaly. These guys would always helped when needed or prodded me in the right direction when I needed it and they were kind enough to also teach with me in various different areas. Those guys were the hero's to me whom made it worth it because they stepped up to the plate when I was stuck or didn't completely grasp the system at that time.

Lance can probably tell you when we started and when we finished the final true "School of the Boat", I learned so much from it and have I hope been able to help other boats (not just the Torsk) in their restoration projects and yes WEAPONS LOADING :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: Every week for nearly 2 years there was a new school of the boat.

In the last 2 years our Museum Submarines have come a LONG way due to people whom care and whom want to PRESERVE our heritage, to date there have been 3 boats whom have loaded weapons onboard again and in some instances the first time in 20+ years with crews whom never loaded weapons before let alone on that class of boat. On the Torsk their was a partial changing of the guard with the Torpedomen, my friend Frank Morgan whom has directed the loadout of EVERY weapon onboard the Torsk allowed me to load a Mk 45(nuklear... gotta love W) torpedo without his supervision and guidance. That was due to the School of the Boat and how much I had learned and changed over time. That weapon was brought onboard without incident (while ugly at times) and then was reassembeled in the After Torpedo Room. Frank and others did step in for me to reassemble it. 1 because I couldn't remember how the belly bands went on and 2. my diabetes had kicked in real bad and I had to go lay down before I fell down.

IF you look at the Batfish's deck progress it has had OVER 10,000 hits and is still counting, that tells me that a LOT of people are watching and they are interested in what we as volunteers are doing to restore our boats.

Offline BrokenArrowtiger

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #52 on: June 23, 2010, 07:24:56 PM »
I kinda figured he was...its truly been amazing reading the stories of the submarines and the school of the boat for a 16 year old like me its kinda hard to grasp it all in but iv learned soo much from yall on this site its truly been awsome to talk on this site with yall all of you are the true heros keeping the boats in the water or doing upkeep on them all of the musems are very nice as iv visitied the websits of maney of them its really cool darrin seeing how you loaded about a mk 45 torpedo hahaha i bet you were a bit nervous doing it
I am a fan of the batfish and the U-505 i have been interested in world war 2 since i was little my dad and his father and my dads fathers mother served in wars i am interested in the Submarine war of world war 2 and someday i want to be a marine archaeologist and or a world war 2 historian

Offline Darrin

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #53 on: June 25, 2010, 05:05:38 PM »
Her warhead had long since been removed ??? 

No seriously it was fun and this board has made my life whole again once more when I needed it the most. Most of these folks I have never met but they are my shipmate and they are my friends. How many others outside of the submarine community can say that?

Offline BrokenArrowtiger

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #54 on: June 25, 2010, 05:31:47 PM »
Iv learned soo much history from all of you its been fun talking to people that work on submarines that know soo much about ww2 and the submarine war it self its really neat it truly is im glad i came here
I am a fan of the batfish and the U-505 i have been interested in world war 2 since i was little my dad and his father and my dads fathers mother served in wars i am interested in the Submarine war of world war 2 and someday i want to be a marine archaeologist and or a world war 2 historian

Offline Materene

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #55 on: March 01, 2011, 12:21:10 AM »
I am a Vietnam War vet, got out in aug of 70, went to the local Buick Dealer to buy a car, did not get the car but instead got a job as a mechanic, did that for the past 40 years.  I'm tired now and dent fenders easily when I lay on them so I am officially retired, broke but retired.  My purpose for joining this site is to find some information on my Fathers service as a submariner in WWII.  Myself I was a poor swimmer so I opted to jump out of airplanes and sit in the door of a uh1 gunship for three years. 


Offline Wesley Green

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #56 on: March 02, 2011, 08:07:29 AM »
oops, missed this thread, only a few years late    :crazy2:
Finished HS in '98, went to NSU for mechanical enginering
After college I was a missionary in Cidad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico from May '01-Oct. '04
Been working @ Georgia Pacific since then recycling paper and turning it into paper towels, TP, and napkins
Got married Oct. 25th '03 to my friend Michelle from College (yay California blondes),
Abigail was born March 29th '07, and Audrey on Dec 31st '08
when i am not working I voluteer @ the Batfish on workdays, and mess around in the garage with the corvette, or woodworking
« Last Edit: March 02, 2011, 08:10:09 AM by Wesley Green »

Offline Darrin

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #57 on: March 02, 2011, 05:24:05 PM »
Materene,

First and foremost WELCOME HOME!! and thank you for your service.. This site amongst others maybe able to help you in your quest to find your father's boat, I may know of a few other sites that maybe able to help you if you can't figure it out.

While I rode 688's during the early '90s I have been an AH-64A,D Armament Systems Repairer since '97 and a veran of Operation Iraqi Freedom during the invasion.

The top picture you posted looks familiar, I will have to fire my old computer up in the next day or so to see if I have that pic saved on there

Darrin

Offline Materene

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #58 on: March 02, 2011, 10:24:46 PM »
Thank you and the same to you Darrin, are you referring to the cruise photo? 

Offline Darrin

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Re: What do you/did you do for a living?
« Reply #59 on: March 03, 2011, 02:50:36 AM »
Tom,

Thank you and yes the picture of the cruise looks familiar, I have seen it or a similar one in the last few years.. Had dents in her hull been higher I think I could have told you the boat but they are too low to be the one on the top of my head.

Darrin