End Of The Week Rambling 

Friday 6/6/25


Its been a good week. Got quite a few things done. I thought I would muse about the military a bit. 

This was a typical setting for relaxing between flight quarters when you were working the flight deck. This is sitting on the bow of the flight deck. No noise. Just the sound of the water breaking over the bow 60 feet below you and the wind in your face cruising thru the Med at 25 knots

I liked being at sea. This was before the days of computers, e mail, phones, wifi calls to your family, etc. Books, music, letters, newspapers were the medium back then. The mail usually came twice a week, The separation from family and friends was easier without daily reminders of where you were not. The sleeping arrangements, food, noise, heat, odors, and 12 hour work shifts were tolerable and kept you occupied. 


We didn't have civilian clothes so it was dress uniform for liberty. (In the last 6 months of my enlistment, that changed). We usually anchored out from a port due to the size of our Carrier. We rode in small open boats, called Liberty Launches, to "Fleet Landing". I was fortunate enough to have been in Glasgow, Athens, Naples, Cannes, Venice, Barcelona, Rota Spain, Taranto Italy, Rome, Malta and a couple of fleet anchorages. I worked the flight deck while we operated above the Arctic Circle. I got to get some sun on deck while operating in the Caribbean. I got to see the Rock of Gibraltar in the day light. I went down into Mt Vesuvius, walked the streets of Pompeii, rode the gondolas in Venice, spent Christmas on the French Rivera, spent a Christmas in Athens Greece. One night during the Christmas in Cannes France, we were anchored in so close that I could sit on the flight deck and hear / smell the cars traveling along the beach. 



Anyway, my life changed forever on June 20, 1968. I got on my first airplane ride to Great Lakes Naval Station outside of Chicago. Honestly, I never really expected to be where I am in life today. So many indicators in my history pointed in other directions. I am here because of God's grace and love for me and my love for Him. God sacrificed his Son for our lives. It took a long time for me to realize that. I don't have a clear vision of exactly where my life is headed right now but I am living in a good, safe place with a loving wonderful family, many loving friends and, thank God, reasonably good health now. 

Well, got to go. Needing a shower and some clean clothes. Have a great week. Earl barks a "Hello". 

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