Blog #2, My Good Friend and Family, Joel Meza at Charleston, SC, Navy Days and some photos of other good friend Ted Peralta and some of our Navy LIberties

Hello everyone,

NOTE: This post written a week ago, transfered from Wordpress to Blogger which to me is easier to use: 

I had written a long blog yesterday but before publishing it, thank God I proof read it and realized that a few  people reading between the lines would probably had taken what I said to heart and gotten hurt inside so I scrapped it all.  I said I would not do that and have no idea why I wrote the way I did.  It was not out of anger, just rambling on and I promised to myself now, not to say bad about past relationships and situations unless they are (Political) and I will warn you ahead of time when I do that if you are a (Obama Lover).

Today I was working outside, cold as all get up though, only high 30's in Greenville, SC area, but Sunny. I worked still on my bus engine, I found a lot of thing I wanted to do before test running my new Bus engine on a test stand and I spent the day replacing all bolts possible and painting the engine was just a couple of those things I wanted to do.

As I worked I got to thinking of the great days I spent in the US Navy, 1963 - 1967 on board the Aircraft Carrier USS Coral Sea, CVA-43.  At the time I was on her I was married to my first wife and being in the Navy and being married sometimes can be quite hard to do as you are at sea a lot especially on an aircraft carrier.  I did not realize when I was on that ship how much I really loved it as my wife was lonesome and wanted me to get out when my time expired and I did.  That was the biggest, biggest personal mistake I ever made and I still regret it every day since.  I really did love the Navy & I still do.  I love the military and I hurt every time one of our young kids gets killed in those senseless wars or what in hell they all them these day now.  I will rant on an on one blog about that too but not today, not too much any how.

While on the Coral Maru, (our Ships Nickname) I became good friends with Joel Meza from Utah, and Ted Peralta from California.  We all met up again after 44 years, thanks to this great tool, the internet.  I am still in contact with Joel, the great man he is always reaching out to me to do anything in the world I may need.  Ted has contacted me occasionally but has become a very successful business man and travels a lot overseas so I do not get to see or hear from him as often but I am so glad to hooked back up with him and I still miss him.  The three of us sure had some great times getting drunk, partying in Olongapo, Philippines, Guam, Japan, any place really we pulled Liberty.

At one time just before I got out of the navy I became their Petty Officer in charge of their shop but we did not let this interfere with our partying and friendship for the duration of our enlistment.  I had a lot of photos of us I sent back home when I was overseas but they were misplaced and I only have a few left I could find to have as personal mementos for me to also enjoy sharing with you all.

Two years ago Joel come out from Utah with his wife Dora in their RV on a 30 day trip and My wife of 30 years, LInda and I met them in Charleston, SC.  We went on a visit to the museum ship USS Yorktown, CV-10 and had a memorable blast, (well Joel and I did) Navy guy thing you know.   We saw a plane tied down on the flight deck on the Uss Yorktown that was flown by one of the pilots from our little bitte ole ship, his name was Ltcr Bob Shumaker, and it had the Uss Coral Sea written on the side of the plane.  You can't imagine how tickled this made us both.  Well it did us anyhow.  Couple of old softies I guess.  

I have some photos of our ship that I am so proud to have served on and I actually cried when I saw photos of her being sold to India and being cut into pieces and sent there to be melted down and made into computers or some damn thing.  It cost $86,000,000 to build her, and they sold her for $750,000!  You have to be a military person and attached to a ship or company of some kind to understand the feelings I felt seeing this happen on the internet after serving on her and being part of her for 4 years.  Those never being in the military of any kind would never understand what that is, so don't try.  I am just a sensitive bastard for sure at some thing, well many things!

I went to Great Lakes Training Center for Boot Camp for 12 weeks, in August of 1963, man it got cold fast there though in October let me tell you.  Anyhow I got my first leave and went home the same day President Kennedy was assassinated .  To me he and president Clinton were the best Presidents for the common people in my life time.  The reason I loved Clinton, Well, everyone was working that could work, the stocks were all up, people were making money all over the lot, he did not take any BS from anyone from any country.  But best of all, when every male dignitary that visited his office after hearing about what Monica did with all the cigars on his desk did, I can imagine how many of those dignitaries gargled for days and days after smoking one of those great ole cuban cigars that Clinton gave them with that southern smile of his when he did knowing those cigars would have that lip smacking taste on them, ha-ha lol!!!

Now I want to let you enjoy the few photos I do have left of my Navy days,  of friends and our ship, I still love to relive them days in my mind, can't believe they were so darn many years ago already.  Hope you enjoy them.                      Garylee

Joel Meza and I  after 44 years, we both are a lot fatter, but man we miss each other and still got the ole memory of our ships hats forever.

Me with with my bride Linda, Joel with his Wife Dora and their Daughter Tammy who was our tour guide while we were in Charleston. what a blast to get together after so many years of absence from each other, so many laughs, I almost had to buy depends to wear.  Love you guys.

As the Flag and sign signify, Joel and I will always stand united and if we had to would fight together in a fox hole with no bullets and just a butter knife to the end.  You're a good friend Joel.

The height of our trip to the museum of the Uss Yorktown CV-10 was to see an actual plane from our old ship, the Uss Coral Sea, CVA-43, this made our day.  Those non military would not understand, ever.

This was the first pilot from our ship during the Vietnam shameful mess we were sent in (over 50,000 men died there) we did not win and now McDonald's flourish all over the place,  that was shot down, rescued and got to fly again and this was his plane.  This was a kicker, even though the war itself sucked.

This is information of the H.L.Hunley that was found in the bay off Charleston and carefully copied for viewing from the civil war days, this information might be useful to those historians interested of what transpired in those days not so long ago before the internet.

Here is an exact replica of the H.L.Hunley, it was very exciting to see just how advanced the intelligence was at that time of history, the bodies of the men sacrificed in that ship were still in the ship when found.

This was me, I had hair then  and was skinny as a rail and we were cruising for weeks with the ship on the Tonkin Golf with my good friend Ted Peralta, who taught me at the time to play chess, I never won, I think he planned it that way but we had fun anyhow.  Ted is now a very successful business man, he was then too, he knew how to run a successful slush fund, all military men know of what they are.  Like credit cards today but only cheaper interest then I think than credit cards are now!!  Thieves!!

My high school graduation picture, big ears, class "C" student, could have been a class "A" darn it, fell in love early, you know what that does.  I had hair then, that was good.

 Photo on the left, we were in Guam, nothing there but get half skunked, we did, so we got to wrestling on the beach, I used to wrestle in school, the boys found out I was no push over even though two six packs later I could not say my name without slurring.

The photo on the right is Me and Ted just relaxing, of course drinking under age, but in Guam there is no age problem.  If you are military and can build bombs, you can drink.  We even got to water ski there in Guam too, they treated the military good, of course we were their only revenue and after two six packs each, we spent money.  Not many girls, they kept them hidden from us, can't imagine why, we were only at sea for a couple of months!!

 

This I Joel Meza, compare this photo with one above at beginning of blog,  What a difference, he looks like a mean little bastard here but he was the best friend then and even better now.

This cute little virgin just stood out as she strolled down the street at 3 am on the main street in Vegas, I just had to have a photo.  Almost got my ass kicked by her pimp, I thought she was a showgirl, instead she was a hooker for the  freaks and I was supposed to either pay to photograph her, $25 or pay to play with her.  I did neither, I tried to convince my wife to get an outfit while we were in Vegas to make some money on the side getting photos, she almost gave me a knee in the gonads.  That was that.!!  You gotta watch what you do in Vegas, it just costs Money for everything.  Just sit and watch, with mirror sun glasses on is the best advise for first timers.  Just observe how to operate, keep your wallet in your front pants pocket with a rubber band around it and go back home as soon as you can!!

Ted and I at his house in stockton, Ca, look at the setting where he lives, the back of my house has a sewage treatment plant in back of it.  Only kidding!!  Anyhow, we are celebrating 44 years since we were in the Navy together and now here we are, one foot on the banana peeling and one on the ground together living it up at a barbecue together at his beautiful home.

I only have a few photo I can post of our ship I took of the net, I hope not to get in trouble, I had some of my own but as I told you earlier they are no longer in my possession for the rest of my life I guess.  So this is all I can dare to show you, she was a grand ship, we ate good, had good jobs, had good liberty, if you went on liberty and did not come back to the ship without a footprint on the front of your white shirt you did not have a good night!!!  lol.

This is a picture of the USS Yorktown  CV-10 in Charleston you should go tour if you have the opportunity.  If you are not military you probably would not appreciate it, I will never figure that out, why a healthy man in particular will not consider serving his country or preparing to if needed as in the reserves.

Man this took a long time to write, hope you don't get bored.

Garylee