You got any of those porno videos Department: Engr Author: MM2 Sol The Bull Era: 1996 Date: 03/02/07 Ahh the subject of porn... I remember sitting in the shop one night at sea and our cheif walks in. He was a big black guy and was not anything close to your stereotypical cheif. Anyway, he sits down and starts to watch the crappy movie on IKE-TV. After a couple movies he pulls the toothpick from his mouth and asks "Hey, you guys got any of those porno movies?" We told him that we did not(we honestly did not). He said he would be right back and walked out the door. He returned a few minutes later with a cardboard box full of movies. They all had titles like "Big Black Stallions" and "The Mandigos of Africa". He puts one of these movies in the VCR and after a few minutes turns to me and states "See that Sol, not all men are created equal, heh heh heh." Other than that we kept it pretty clean until MM1 "Snapper" came to the shop. He had a dungeon in his house and it was not used for halloween if you know what I mean. I think his laptop got wore out on the 2000 cruise.

Future Weapons Department: Air Author: Dolphin Era: 1990 Date: 03/06/07 "Ike" was on a segment of "Future Weapons the other night, on the Discovery channel. They talked about the close-in weapons systems. Besides the Phalanx gatling gun and the Sea Sparrow missile system, they have a new, rapid fire missile launcher. Not sure exactly what it was called Thought it was pretty cool. In response to "Radar" on the subject of "PLAT/LENS Porn", didn't make it as far as LA. Went to DeVry when I got out, and landed a job at Intel Corp. in Albuquerque, NM. Been here for 11 years. Hope you are doing well, whoever you are. Had a good time partying out on the town with the guys from Flt. Deck Lighting.

The Real Leon Department: Engr Author: Bob Litzke Era: 1980 Date: 03/07/07 I stood a few watches with Leon Demotte. I always thought he was saying, "Ayngo Dump-Dump, Chyang, Chyang". But I could be wrong after all this time. Maybe he'll sign in in the future and fill us in. He was actually conversant (in English) and, if prompted, would talk at great lengths regarding the rebuilding of his Dodge Super Bee. In port, he was bringing engine parts down into the MMR and degreasing/refinishing them. Everybody needs a hobby, right? But I can see where, on first impression, someone might find Leon's behaviour a bit 'different'.

firstday Department: Air Author: Ernie Era: 1986 Date: 03/08/07 Any of you remember the Darby? Well that was the second time I ever looked at a ship and figured I had gone to hell: first time was looking across the dock at the iron pig I was to serve on for the next 4 years. this is what you have to know; I was just 17 not long after my birthday I walked down the dock with my sea bag over my shoulder fresh from A school and saw the great heap of rust, wire, tubing, scaffolding, tarps, and assorted other garbage that was the IKE. Up the gang way I went and handed my orders to the JOOD who promptly handed them back and told me; go up that ladder two decks and go down the passage to frame such and such take a right and go outboard to space blank. Well Id been on ships before so most of what that guy told me I could follow. only he told me to go up to far and I was on the flight deck. well i knew what a cat looked like and i figured that anyone working on a cat would be able to tell me where to go; so i asked the feet sticking out of the cat track.

first day pt2 Department: Air Author: Ernie Era: 1986 Date: 03/08/07 pretty soon someone came to lead me off to a place away from the yard birds and get me into a rack. I am not the smallest guy around and while i hadn't grown to full size i was pretty tall. York was nasal, loud, and out weighed me by about 100 lbs and he was from the west coast so i at least; could understand him. Oh and did i mention obnoxious as only an old ABE can be. 2> so york leads me down from the rust bucket called the IKE and we arrive where i am supposed to be sleeping? now I don't Know who built the Darby; however i have it in my head he was about 5' 5" tall, blind and had his taste buds removed in child hood. For a ship the Darby; stank like a sty, all the overheads where low, and the lights didn't work. i might also mention that it was pumping bilge like the harbor was being filtered through her belly. 5:30 the next morning found me on the IKE. really pissed off and ready to get on a plane and head home. that morning i had put on my boots without tapping them out; I hate roaches! 6:30 I get introduced to the troglodytes i will be working with. Ziggy (a guy with three whole strands of hair and a hooked nose that would look good on a bird); Gurton (hard arsed Italian pretty boy), york (we already covered that), speedy (it took me 3 months to figure out what the hell he was saying), bones (this guy could turn sideways and become another horizon), Jose (OMG i had never seen a Mexican that wide in my life; no fat) standing next to Jose was Zoggy, (fat, sloppy, greasy, gross, and Greek) Then i got to meet Fred (that first day i swore this guy had never ever smiled) these made up Cat2 at the time.

first day 3 Department: Air Author: ernie Era: 1986 Date: 03/08/07 so from here i was to be introduced to the whole of V2 division; if they had 32 teeth among them, someone had em in their pocket. Everyone was a uniform shade of gray from graphite grease. they all stank of who knows what. half had a dip in and the other half smoked like the air was too clean. none of them was tall as me except Powell and he was just scary big.so these folks were my new crew; (i had already worked on fishing boats) these folks looked like the kind of garbage that lived in the basin bar and grill at home. the losers who went up to chicken point and; if a single whitecap was to be seen crawled back into the bottle till the next day.Fresh from A school and grown up in a military household i had never even thought i would be in this kind of spot. the navy was disciplined and orderly! Enter Smitty the organized guy for the whole division; (while in the yards V2 divisions become skitzo and cannot find its ass with both hands and a room full of nav aids.)

first day p4 Department: Air Author: ernie Era: 1986 Date: 03/08/07 Soon i was sleeping on the Ike in a clean rack with no little visitors, just the sound of some ahole with a needle gun.Smitty the yeoman had fixed everything up (this guy was clean well spoken and had common sense.....later i was to find that this is because P-3 pilots don't have sense just brains; so the navy makes yeomen to actually run things). In the first days i managed to meet Capt. Macky (and hate him), the master chief master at arms, a few of the old hands, a couple plank owners, an admiral who served with my dad, the yard birds who stole every thing they could get, but who turned out to be generous with the only coin i cared for, Bos'n Mathis, and a whole bunch of folks who have passed into the mists of time and life. how I loved those dirty faces; and each time one left it made me both happy and sad to see them go. so that was my yarn for the first couple days. I used the nicks of evry one I could think of.

My beginning Department: Deck Author: Steve OH Era: 1989 Date: 03/09/07 Hello, I have sat here and read through every page of these stories. I did laugh at quite a few of them so to that I say thanks. I didn't know anybody you have talked about but it was still good. I didn't seem to have as good of a time that everyone else seems to have had. I will explain how I started and then add my stories as I remember them. Some might be out of order. Some you might not even care about. Let me know and I can stop. I was out of high school about a year and had just quit my job on a monday. So, on tuesday I am driving around with my girlfriend and I just happen to pull into a recruiters office. I didn't even know what or where I was going. A recruiter just happened to come out and ask me to come in. He gave me a quick test and I guess he liked my answers because he said he wanted to take me to Chicago the next afternoon to the MEPPS station. I said Ok. Continued next page.

The Beginning Department: Deck Author: Steve OH Era: 1989 Date: 03/09/07 So, he picks me up the next day and we drive in. I get there and they start testing me. (asvab? cannot remember) It took about three hours. I was starving. They take me to a hotel. Did I mention the recruiter left me? So, I get to the hotel and dinner was already served. I came out of my room and was going to go out and eat. A marine at the end of the hall screamed "GET BACK IN YOUR ROOM". So, I ordered a pizza on the phone and drank water. The next day (thurday) they take me back to MEPPS. They did a physical. Then they wanted me to take the nuke test. I said I am done with tests. They said just take and it see what happens. So, I took it like Beavis and Butthead would. I was spelling out words by filling in the circles. I did not pass that one.. darn. Anyway, I was asked what I wanted to do in the navy. I said I liked computers (since they were new). He told me we don't have much in that area. They wanted to know what I did for a living. Continued..

The Beginning pt 3 Department: Deck Author: Steve OH Era: 1989 Date: 03/09/07 I told them I was in construction. He said they don't have anything like that either. I was talked into being an underwater diver. I said I guess. The plane leaves tomorrow afternoon. So, I was in bootcamp Friday night in Orlando. I ended up dropping the diver and becoming unrated. It made me an E-1 boatswain's mate. They said I would be able to get into any area I wanted once I got to the duty station. Let me tell you. Once you are in deck on Ike.. there is NO escape. So, I reported to Ike at the beginning of Nov 89. I got there early in the morning. It was dark, cool and wet. I was escorted down the pier and was just in awe of the size of the ship. It looked badass in the darkness..