NYNIAGAR-L Archives

From: "Vee L. Housman" <>
Subject: Navy Memories on an Air Force Base
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 01:43:03 -0400

Dear Group,

This afternoon I just HAD to go to the Base Exchange at the Niagara Falls
Air Force Base to do some needed shopping. I've been shopping there for
over 15 years.

But for the first time, I was faced by very serious guards at the gate in
uniforms carrying rifles at the ready who inspected my retired Navy ID card
very carefully. In fact, the entrance to the gate was set up where you had
to drive carefully through the zigzag setup of the barricades. It was a
very sobering experience and it let me know that although they allowed
authorized military retirees on the base, they were still on alert.

After I had entered the Base Exchange, I immediately noticed the table
display of baseball caps and what did I find but some that had "U.S. Navy,
Retired "on them! And I just couldn't resist buying one! I put a cap on my
head, turned to the checkout clerk and asked her how it looked. She
approved. In the meantime, there were two men standing at her counter who
also took notice and their faces lit up. Within only a few moments, both of
them admitted that they were also retired Navy. In fact, the clerk
expressed surprised at the coincidence aboard an Air Force base.

Well, let me tell you, the three of us Navy "guys" had a wonderful talk
about our individual Navy experiences. I told them I had enlisted in 1953,
another said he enlisted around 1958 and the younger one was almost
speechless because he hadn't even been born by then! Nonetheless, the three
of us excitedly compared notes about naval aviation, specific planes, and
about personal memories about the Old Navy. We sure had a lot of laughs,
especially since we knew that the others knew what we were talking about.

We took our conversation outside, the younger one left with warm handshakes
all around and then it was just the two of us old farts (pardon the
expression! :-)) who kept the conversation going. And oh my goodness! How
the two of us shared similar memories of our old Navy days He had been an
Aviation Electronics Technician who went to AT school in the '50s at Naval
Air Technical Training Center in Memphis and I had been a TD (Training
Devicesman) who had also gone to the same school in the '50s. (Note: As a TD
I worked with Link trainers in the training of pilots in instrument flight).

The two of us talked and talked for the longest time outside. He told me
his sea stories, I told him mine and both of us knew what the other one was
talking about. It was absolutely delightful for both of us. I mentioned
that I served at NAS Oakland, CA, where they actually had a ZP squadron.
Immediately he knew what a ZP squadron was; they flew the Navy blimps and he
told me that had requested assignment to a ZP squadron back in the '50s.

It seemed as though we could have talked forever about our mutual Navy days
way back when. But when we finally went to our individual cars, all that he
knew about my name was from the licence plate on my car, CHIEFVEE.

But I'll tell you this. For about a half an hour or so this afternoon, I
talked to a real shipmate who knew the difference between a deck and an
overhead, the difference between a hatch and a door and the importance of
getting that pot of coffee brewing the first thing in the morning when you
open the door to your Link Shack or your Aviation Electronics Shack.

Oh what wonderful Navy memories!
chiefvee

This thread:

• Navy Memories on an Air Force Base by "Vee L. Housman" <>