Man Overboard Department: VF-142 Author: David J. Reid Era: 1983 Date: 02/26/06 On page 51, Jake asked if any of us remember the man over board during either the '82 or '83 or '84 Med Cruise. It started with a routine man overboard drill but they had one this one clown who they could not find. It quickly turned from a "drill" to a "did somebody really really fall overboard?" They launched the SAR helo to back track and try to find this sailor. Later this kid wakes up from his nap in the liberty boat in hanger bay 3, wondering what all the excitement was about. Reminds me of the story of a Marine on a differant ship that fell over board, but no body even noticed he was missing. Luckly he was picked up by some fishermen and he was able to call his parents to say he was okay. Problem was that neither the Navy or the Marine Corp didn't know what happened to him until they called the military. Lessons learned: Supervisors need to know where there people are at.

KO the CO Department: VF-142 Author: David J. Reid Era: 1982 Date: 02/26/06 Did you ever think about why the CO never went anywhere without his Marine orderly? We were told that before the '82 Med Crusie, the CO was going some where on the ship by himself when somebody jumps out of no where and cold cocks him. Knocked him out cold. Never caught the man who did it. But imagine what his reaction may have been if he was laying in wait for somebody else and realizes he just laid out the skipper. From that point on the CO of Ike always had his Marine shadow to watch his back. Reminds me of another Navy tradition. Ever wonder why when you are at quarters, a Cheif goes down the rows in front of the inspecting officer? It used to be the Cheif would frisk the crew before the Captain would get that close to them. Talk about throwing fresh meat to the wolf pack. It helps explain why senior officers have such love for Cheif Petty Officers. Say what you may about the Navy compared to the other branches of the military. None of them can top Navy traditions.

IM02's tire shop Department: VF-142 Author: David J. Reid Era: 1983 Date: 02/26/06 If you ever get a chance, take a look at the tire inflation cage in the IM02 Tire Shop. You will see a large dent inside this steel box. I was there so let me tell you about it. I was TAD to AIMD durning the 83 Med Cruise. (This was before Sea Op Det) We were working the night shift. The CDI and the only other fully qualified man went to chow and left myself and this cowboy from Flordia to finish up what we had going on. Yes I know you are thinking the same thing we were back then. There aren't no real cowboys in Flordia. But that didn't stop him from wearing the dinner plate size belt buckle, boots and hats on liberty in Italy & Greece. Back to the story: Cowboy goes to air up this tire we just built up. He asked me which tire it was. Told him it was a H-3 Main. He thought I said S-3 Nose. I don't remember the differant air pressures but we did prove that a H-3 Main does not hold as much air as a S-3 Nose. Kaboom. Our quals were delayed, but we did qualify later.

"IKE" on the flight deck Department: VF-142 Author: David J. Reid Era: 1984 Date: 02/26/06 Ever see that picture of all them sailors in their whites standing on the flight deck in formation to spell out "IKE"? It was during the 1984 NATO cruise / 50th Anniversary of the D Day invassion. The CO came on the 1MC saying he was hoping to round up a couple of volunteeres to put on their white jumpers and help spell out "I LIKE IKE" on the flight deck. And we all know what "volunteer" means in the "Never Again Volunteer Yourself" Navy. In this particular case, "volunteer" meant rounding up them airdales from the air wing. Never mind if they worked the night shift. Roll them out of their racks, tell them to put on their white jumper and get up on deck. As you could tell, the air wing by itself could not spell out "I LIKE IKE" without calling out the rest of the crew, so they had to settle with just "IKE". And where was I when all this was goig down? I was in the upper half of the letter "I" in the "IKE" formation.

Ike bites on the 1MC Department: VF-142 Author: David J. Reid Era: 1982 Date: 02/26/06 How many of us can say we actually heard Ike bites on the 1MC? It was the 1982 Med Crusie and we were crossing the Atlantic heading East. I was either an E-1 or E-2 working the night shift as a coop cleaner. I was up there some where on the 02 level cleaning this section of p-way in officers country that belonged to our squadron VF-142. It was around 2 o'clock in the morning some one came on over the 1MC and announced "now hear this: Ike bites. Ike bites." It was the first of many more times to come that I would hear the phrase "Ike bites". But it was the only time I actually heard it over the 1MC.

sex in the 80's Department: VF-142 Author: David J. Reid Era: 1982 Date: 02/26/06 This is the tale of 2 differant sailors and sex during the 1982 Med Cruise. Laup was from 30th and Taskers in Philadelphia. Joe was a proud card carrying smib. (SMIB: Southern Maryland In-Breed) Laup had a girl in every port. He did not wear a rain coat in the shower and his standards were very simple: 8 to 80, blind, criple or crazy, she's the one for me. His most memorable experence was with this one girl in Haifa, Israel in the back yard of an abandoned building on a card board box under the stars. Joe on the other hand was scared of catching some funk. He wouldn't even put on a rain coat. Took a pass on the services offered by the camp fire girls and champaign ladies. He waited till he got back home to his girl freind in Smibville. So what happened? Laup didn't catch a thing. (as far as we knew since this was before AIDS) Joe went home and caught the clap from his girlfreind. Is there no justice when it comes to a sailor's love life?

Your CO's were wussies Department: Engr Author: Sol The Bull Era: 1996 Date: 02/27/06 None of my CO's every had a marine with them. We were told that Captain Brown had kicked them off because they were causing too many problems, but I do not know for sure. There were countless times when I had passed the CO in a p-way when he was by himself even. I almost ran over Starling comming out of wardroom 3 one day. I was on the I.E.T. that day and was running toward aft steering when he exited the wardroom and I was running past. I know my flashlight clipped him, but that was all. Someone doing him any physical harm never even crossed my mind. There were CPO's, LT's, CDR's and normal sailors that were more hated than the CO.

FUSPAD Department: Rx Author: Joe Brown Era: 1988 Date: 02/28/06 Does anyone remember the dorky XO (Pyle I think was his name)standing in the 2nd deck passageway enforcing 'FUSPAD' during GQ drills? For those who don't recall what 'FUSPAD' stands for--good for you!

XO 2000 Department: Air Author: ABH1 Era: 1999 Date: 03/02/06 This XO hated my guts Capt Stuart. What a dick he was! My space was 147 degrees in the Gulf and he catches me at 2am with a yoke space open that made it only 98 degrees Ok I was smoking a cigg 1/2 hour earlier out this 24 hole bolted hatch. Well, he said we were letting all the AC out and all the hatches and all the doors by the steam and cats had to be closed! What part of under Cat 3 and next to all that steam didn't he get! I said no, if day is nite and nite is day then it is allowed to be logged open for 12 hours. He goes it's logged open in DC? I said YES SIR lying thru my teeth. Well he called DC on the Radio. I got on the phone and chewed out my DC guys for not logging it open! He chewed on me some more but I had him dizzy on the if this nite then this is day! He was stammering in circles. But you remember they made day time night shift and night time was Day shift in our little gray T shirts we wore for uniforms.

The Admiral's Sink Department: Engr Author: Sol The Bull Era: 1996 Date: 03/03/06 When nobody else will fix something who gets called? A-Div, such was the case when the stopper on the Admiral's sink would not raise up to drain his sink. My first class and I went up there and found that the ball that rides on the cam on the rod you pull was broken off. Since this was not a regualtion sink, we had no parts for it. (none of the CO's XO's, or Admiral's stuff was even close to ours.) We were trying to figure out what we were going to do when I pulled the gum out of my mouth, put on the bottom of the plunger, and stuck it in the drain. Sad part is that it worked. My first Class said "We cannot fix the adm's sink with gum." I asked him if he had a better idea and he grabbed the tool bag and said no...screw it lets go. It was amaxing working on the CO, XO, and Adm's stuff. The furniture was Ethan Allen, the XO had a bathtub, the CO's stateroom had a kick ass tv with more channels that we got. They all had carpet, the CO had windows, well I guess they are called Portholes.