I joined the U.S. Navy reserves when I was still in high school.  I went to boot camp in San Diego and then attended a reserve unit meeting each week until I chose to go active duty.  That came later after I graduated from high school and opted to get my military obligation out of the way.  I was assigned to the U.S.S. Midway on February 14, 1963.  On board I was assigned to the Operations Intelligence division or "OI".  This was the radar unit.  I made two trips to Hawaii for Operations Readiness and one WestPac Cruise.  The overseas ports I visited were Olongapo, Philippines; Iwakuni, Japan; Sasebo, Japan; Bepu, Japan; Yokuska, Japan; and Hong Kong.  I was fortunate in that I got off the ship and off active duty just before the first air strikes went off the Midway into Vietnam.  Although my Midway reunion group says I am a Vietnam veteran, I believe that is a pretty loose interpretation.  In 2000 I attended a reunion for the guys in my division that was held in Branson, MO.  Again in 2003, I attended another reunion held in St. Louis, MO.  Both reunions were worth attending.  It was an interesting experience seeing these guys again after nearly 40 years.

Below is an article I wrote for our reunion groups newsletter.

U.S.S. Midway Magic
 Grand Opening Event of the U.S.S. Midway Museum
 

 For years, most of us have been hearing about our ship becoming a San Diego museum.  Progress toward that goal was painstakingly slow.  As you can imagine, there were numerous problems and hoops to jump through for this to actually happen.  The hard fought battle has come to an end.  After 12 dedicated years of goal oriented work, the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum opened to the public on June 7, 2004.

 Because one of our own OI Division reunion members, Oscar Granger, was one of many supporters of this project, he was on an invitation list to attend a special ceremony especially staged for all the people that assisted financially or with sweat and blood to make it happen.  This special ceremony was held three days before the Midway Museum actually opened to the general public.  He was also allowed to bring one guest.  I was fortunate enough to be that guest. 

Have you wondered what it would be like to board our ship 40 years after serving on her?  I certainly have.  Many of my memories of the experiences I had onboard had become rather rusty recollections.  Consequently, I jumped at the chance to go with Oscar.

 So, on Friday morning June 4^th, I drove down to San Diego to meet up with Oscar and begin our day on the Midway.  I joined Oscar before noon even though the event didn’t begin until 3:00 o’clock that afternoon.  This was a good thing in that it gave Oscar and I time to catch up on each other’s life events since the last reunion in St. Louis.  It also gave us time to walk around the dock where the Midway is moored and carefully study her exterior.  We shot pictures and talked about the numerous changes we noted to her exterior structure.  Some of these changes were more subtle than others. 

That afternoon when we were allowed to board, we had three hours to explore the ship before the formal portion of the ceremony began.  We did just that.  We explored every deck and compartment that was open to be explored and in several cases managed to slip by “off limit” signs and chains and explore areas not yet open to the public.  We probed these areas until we could go no further or until we were caught by friendly docents and asked to leave.  My rusty recollections of the ships interior were especially crystallized by seeing the mess hall we used to eat in and the post office where we mailed our letters to home.  Oscar and I probed as far as we could to find Combat Information Center (CIC).  Things were different and although we found a compartment that seemed like it could be it, something was not quite right.  When we asked about the location of CIC, we were told it was still off limits to the public for environmental reasons. At one point Oscar and I were on the flight deck staring down at the starboard lookout station remembering back to the hours we had spent at that post.  One thing that especially jogged my memory was the familiar smell of a U.S. Navy ship.  I was also surprised at how easy it was for me and my sixty year old legs to go up and down those narrow steep ladders between decks.  It was truly like going home.

 Later that evening hundreds of us gathered on the flight deck for the formal portion of the ceremony.  It was a truly moving experience listening to the various speakers.  Most of the speakers shared stories about the difficulties encountered in bringing the Midway Museum from a dream to a reality.  They also expressed their deep felt appreciation for those who donated time and money to make it happen.  I found it especially noteworthy when one speaker talked about us, the guys that served aboard her and how we were really all part of the ship because the Midway could not have made her mark in history without all of us who served aboard her.  I was surprised to hear that there have been 225,000 of us. 

The opening of the Midway Museum brings a unique opportunity to our OI reunion group.  Although, we have had three very successful past reunions they should pale compared to having a reunion in which we will all be able to go aboard our ship once again.  Oscar, our 2005 coordinator, is already working diligently to make it all happen.  He is working to get a special Midway tour just for our group and, while aboard, to hold a military medals presentation ceremony for those of us who have earned them but did not receive them.  Not only will we all be able to explore the Midway after 40 years but, San Diego offers much more.  It offer ideal year round weather and a multitude of things to see and experience.  Participants in reunion 2005 could embark on a harbor tour, or even a harbor dinner tour.  Some may want to explore Balboa Park and its associated Air and Space Museum, or nearby Wild Animal Park.  For some of us, we could even trigger old memories venturing down to Tijuana for a day south of the border.

 Anyway, I hope the thought of getting on board will encourage all of you former OI guys to make our next reunion a top priority.  Even if you have opted not to attend some or all of the previous ones, this is the one to attend.  I can guarantee each of you that you will be very, very glad to be part of the San Diego OI reunion in 2005.