Harry O. Rakfeldt, LT USN Retired, 1955-1976 Interesting stories on how we got selected. There are two stories I seldom tell - one is that I used t get paid to artificially inseminate turkeys (high school part time job at .75 cents an hour (o boy did I pick up a nickname in Adak when some of the guys found out) and the other - that I never went to formal boot camp.. "huh, how'd he do that?" I have to back up to my senior year in Newfane High School (Newfane NY). Fresh into our senior year in Sep of 1954, two other seniors said they were going to join the Naval Air Reserves at Niagara Falls NY. Why not join with us? Well, sounds fine but I'm only 16 (one month before my b/day). No problem -- get permission from the parents. Permission granted. With that done, the three of us joined up and started attending once monthly weekend drills, sporting our one little green stripe. We also took the battery of tests - GCT and whatever. The last week of January/first week of February 1955 was our two week annual training and our Division went to New Orleans. (Still sport the two tattoos I got down there - had fun showing them off to the senior class members) Graduated from HS (still 17) and jobs were tight. But did get on as an electricians apprentice for a local outfit - at $1.00 per hour and he bought lunch. Then in very early August, a LT and Chief came around to our farm on a Sunday afternoon. My father, mother, brother and I sat on the shaded, screened porch with the visitors. "Have you thought about going on active duty?" "NO - not really." But listening to them, after a bit, the thought became the 'new adventure' and I agreed to go active. (In fact, all three of us that joined the reserves went active the same time.) Quickly processed on August 10, 1955 in Buffalo and sent to Brooklyn Navy Yard. There we got our initial clothing allotment and were given the tests all over again. I scored very well. The interview came the next day and the First Class (rating not remembered) said I was qualified for anything; what do I want? I said Guided Missile tech and don't remember what else. He suggested Communications Technician - work with equipment and do other things he couldn't say. Sure, why not. The next thing I knew was I was issued orders to San Diego Radio School in prep to become an R brancher - skipping boot camp. (My two buddies however were first sent to nine weeks boot camp before reporting to whatever they were going to do.) Oh, but I paid a price for missing out on that essential training. It started when I got to San Diego and had to stow the contents of my seabag inside a small, aluminum locker not even big enough for a small dog. And.had to stencil my clothing! And had to learn about clothes stops. And. At IB scored well enough on the language test to go to lang scol and the rest is history. I can still get choked up thinking about the times and people I was privileged to be associated with. There truly were adventures and camaraderie that are unmatched in the civilian world. Harry O. Rakfeldt CTICS/CWO3/LT 1955-1976