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