First, we have to define what a sailor is, I suppose.  So here it is:

                                                      My first ship:  USS Robert H. McCard DD 822, homeported in Charleston, S.C.                

As a seaman duce, I reported aboard on a hot evening in July 1960.  My progress to the Engineering Department from the deck gang is identical to Chief Phillip Keith in my novel, Black Oil Chief, USN. In short, I went from the deck force to the black gang and took the 3rd class petty officer's test without ever taking the Fireman test.  See my novel to explain this wierd happening which is also coupled with the Chief's background in the book.

In less than two years aboard McCard, I was promoted from pay grade E-2 to pay grade E-5!!  After over 3 years aboard, I requested a transfer to any destroyer in Newport, Rhode Island.

            My 2nd ship, USS Compton DD 705, homeported in Newport, Rhode Island

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I  reported aboard as a Second Class Boiler Tech.  Passing the Navy-wide test for BT1, I was promoted to First Class on this ship, 1964 or thereabouts.  On this ship I served with Johnny Cupp, Mike Flannery and a host of other fine people.

               My 3rd destroyer, USS Dyess DD 880, homeported in Newport, R.I.

I had special help from the Compton commanding officer, Captain John Drake, in getting transferred to this Vietnam bound destroyer.  See, I was stuck aboard the Compton DD 705 in Boston while the Vietnam war was going on.  I wanted in the "action", but I found it impossible to get a transfer to a ship going to the war zone.  My dad, Willie E. Sneed, a merchant marine engineer was in the war zone aboard a merchant ship that got suddenly held and contracted by the government to haul goods between Vietnam and other overseas ports for the war effort.  This made me feel bad, safe aboard my reserve trainer ship "stalemated" in Boston.  I made every effort to get a transfer, from a swap to calling my detailer, but nothing worked.  Being (bragging, I guess) a topnotch boiler technicial that helped keep Compton steaming no matter what, and being one of the ship's Master-at-Arms, there was no way the ship was going to let me go without a relief coming aboard first.  In a letter to my dad, I voiced my desires and anger that I couldn't be over there near him.

On the quarterdeck holding the unsealed letter, I was going to go ashore and mail it when Captain Drake came to the quarterdeck.  "Sir," I said, stepping up to him. "You mind reading this letter to my dad?   Maybe it will better help understand the meaning of why I want to get to a Vietnam bound ship."  After reading it, he stood there in silence a while, then said, shaking my hand, "I'll see what I can do, Sneed."

Two days later I had orders to the USS Dyess DD 880, one week short of leaving Newport for the War Zone!!  And NO relief in sight aboard the Compton!!  Man, talk about some obvious string-pulling......

I think it only fitting that I place here the newspaper clipping and photos of my merchant marine dad.  This will further explain my deep desire to get to the war front.

It was aboard the Dyess DD 880 that we were all exposed to agent orange in the yucky-looking water of Da Nang harbor, where we were witness to the dead, brown-looking jungles and the funky odor in the air that we could not identity then.

Again, it's only fitting here that I put the war exploits of the USS Dyess DD 880 and her brave captain and crew.  I received this report from Washington D.C. when I was seeking information on my exposure to agent orange.  Feast your peepers on this most unusual "Declassified" document of this great ship and crew:

    I did not complete the around the world cruise as I had to fly home due to a family problem.  My next ship was the USS Charles H. Roan DD 853, again homeported in Newport, R.I.  After serving 8 years in the Navy, I decided to get out at my discharge in January 1968.  I had bright ideas of going to college and I moved to Beaumont, Texas where my dad lived.  He was still sailing merchant ships and was gone most of the time.  It was during this time in my life that I became depressed, not really knowing what I wanted to do, despite my college dreams, and that's exactly what they were!!  I was introduced to a nurse by a close family friend.  Her name was Charlotte Crowell.  She worked at St. Elizabeth's Hospital.  After almost giving up on phoning her (I had tried 3 different times), I was about ready to give up totally and toss the piece of paper with her name and phone number on it in the trash can when she answered on about the 8th ring.  We talked over two hours.  From that day forward, we were never apart, except when she was at work at the hospital.  Talk about a dream come true! That was in February 1968.  We were married on April 19, 1968 

    I reenlisted after sailing on two tankers for Sun Oil Company, and Charlotte whom I called "Tootie" since our first meeting, and we left for Long Beach, California shortly after the wedding.

    Three and a half weeks later, I was handed orders to a birdfarm en route to Vietnam, and the ship was already in Pearl Harbor loading ammo.  I had never served on an air craft carrier and I didn't look forward to it, but what I hated most was having to leave Tootie alone in a strange town like Long Beach.  At the LAX, I turned to her in tears and told her I wasn't going, war or no war, birdfarm or no birdfarm. Had it not been for her I would have gone AWOL.  Talk about a long 7 months!!!  Below is a photo of Bennington when it left Pearl shortly after I reported aboard.  Hum, I don't really even like to look at this photo!!

      After returning from Vietnam, Bennington went to the shipyards for overhaul.  In early January 1969, I received a pleasant and most welcome surprise.

     Shore Duty??? A BT on shore duty?  What was this, a new kind of drink? It was hard to believe that it was MY time to rotate to shore.  Wow!! Considering the length of the various tours of shore duty, I selected Recruiting Duty because it offered 3 whole years ashore.  Naturally, I had to attend a six week training school in San Diego.  And here's the photo of my class:

More to follow.....

    In about May of 1968, I reported to Navy Recruiting Branch Station in Corpus Christi, Texas.  It was a pleasant three years, and Alison, our daughter, was born at Spohn Hosptal.  I also was promoted to CPO (E-7) while on shore duty.  I had just over ten years of active service.  Out of 1165 first class boiler technicians who took the rigid test, only 36 were advanced to Chief BT.  I was number two on the list!!!  Man, did I smoke that written test out or what!?!?!???@?!?@??  Well, I had done enough studying for it, that's for sure.  Even on road trips I had a tape recorder on the dash listing to BT engineering questions and answers!

   With Tootie and Alison living with her parents in East Texas, I attended a 16 week "B" school In Philadelphia.  At this time Tootie was pregnant with our first son, William "Alan" who was born in Long Beach where I reported aboard USS Downes, a fast frigate.

More to follow. Thanks.