Richard H. Daniels, CTOC USN Retired, 1948-1967


 Like many others, I have enjoyed reading all of the stories of my fellow 
 CT's.  This is my first message to the group and did have a bit of a time 
 making sure that I would be sending in plain text, my List Priorities did 
 not come up as explained in a message from Bill, but did find a place to 
 check a plain text box.

 I worked on a farm for my room and board for my 4 years in High School, 
 that was in Williamsburg, Mass.  In 1946 the senior class was told that 
 after we had completed half of the school year, if we joined the service, 
 we would get our diplomas.  4 of us went to the Navy Recruiting Station 
 in Northampton and enlisted.  We were supposed to go to Great Lakes the 
 following week but I came down with Appendicitis and was in the hospital 
 when the other 3 went.  I knew I cold not catch up with them so decided 
 to stay and finish my year in High School.  I stayed on the farm after 
 graduation but decided the farm life was not for me and enlisted in April 
 of 1948.  Went to Great Lakes for Boot Camp, unlike many of you, I do not 
 remember who the company commander was or what my company number was. 
 Anyway, I did score well on whatever the test was that was to determine 
 how I could best serve the Navy.  I had always been interested in radio, 
 in fact I took a course, forget the name, on how to repair radios and you 
 got a kit with it, sorry I don't remember the name of the course, but it 
 was quite popular back in the 40's.  On the list of schools I was 
 eligible for was Aviation Electronics Technician, 54 week of school in 
 Memphis, Tenn.  I figured this was it and if you graduated high in the 
 class you would graduate a 2nd class PO.  The next day I was called into 
 the Company Commanders office and was told I could not have that school 
 as I was color blind, hard to trace wiring if you can not see colors, hi 
 hi.  The next thing on the list was Radioman School in Norfolk, VA, I 
 thought to myself that I will take this school and get to learn how to 
 fix radios after all.

 Well, in the first class I went to in Radioman School I sat down in front 
 of a typewriter and was told to put on the headphones.  The noise I heard 
 coming from those headphones told me I was in the wrong classroom.  I 
 stood up and told the Chief that I must be in the wrong class, I came 
 here to learn how to fix radios.  He told me on no uncertain terms I was 
 in the correct class and to sit down and learn to copy the morse code. 
 The long and short of Radioman School was that I graduated first in the 
 class and was told by the Chief that I should apply for something called 
 CT school, he said he could not tell me anything about it but he had 
 heard that it was a good deal.  I took him up on this and the next thing 
 I knew I was on Bainbridge Island.  I did not have my clearance I so was 
 assigned to the First Lieutenants Department where I drove the Oil truck 
 for 5 months.  I came from a small town in Western Mass, 500 population, 
 and my clearance was slow in coming.  I lived in a little building  near 
 the school building with another fellow who was waiting for his 
 clearance, his name was Franz I think, he drove the garbage truck.  I had 
 the better deal of the two. It was a good deal to live here, we had the 
 one room but with good accommodations. We got head of the line chow 
 privileges, big deal.

   I had taken 2 years of typing in High School so the CW on the mill came 
 pretty good, but I could not get my stick speed up to save my soul, so I 
 was not allowed to graduate with my class.  Lt. Carmichael, who was the 
 OIC of the school talked to me and asked me if I would like to stay in 
 the Group. I said that I would, so he suggested I go to Teleman School in 
 San Diego and become an "O" brancher.  Teleman School was a snap as I had 
 been through 2 A schools already and pretty much knew procedures in 
 communications.  Navy Mail was new to me, however.  Graduated at the top 
 of the class again and was sent, finally, to my first duty station In 
 Wahiawa.  By the time I got to Wahiawa, I had been in the navy for 2 
 years and 2 months and was still a seaman deuce and was probably the most 
 senior seaman deuce in the whole navy, back in those days if you were in 
 school command or in transit, you could not even take the seaman test.

   I did not stay long at Wahiawa as Capt. Layton wanted a communication 
 support group at CinCPacFlt Intelligence, down in the tunnel.  I was 
 lucky enough to be part of a 5 man team that was selected, a 2nd class to 
 be in charge, and 4 seamen for a 4 section watch.  I spent most of the 
 Korean War working for Capt. Layton and could go on with many more 
 stories, but maybe in another subject string.

 Dick Daniels CTOC Retired WA3MWV

 50 -  Wahiawa
 50 - 52 CinCPacFlt Intel
 52 - 54 Winter Harbor
 54 - 56 Sangley Point, PI
 56 - 58 NSA Fort Meade
 58 - 59 Adak
 59 - 63 Guam
 63 - 66 Key West
 66 - 66 Taipei
 66 - 67 NavSecSta, DC