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We visited several sites and also went to the Empire State observation floor. My eyes were as wide as could be seeing America. I tasted my first hamburger, hotdog, fries and root beer. Also experienced pan cakes with maple syrup and restaurants, cafeteria style.
We left New York in Uncle's car, a 1956 Dodge, and drove to Philadelphia where Uncle Gus had some relatives. We stayed at their house overnight. I saw my first Television show ever and it was the Ed Sullivan show. It was black and white TV but I thought it was wonderful. We left Philadelphia for Toledo and travelled the Pennsylvania and Ohio turnpikes. It was interesting being shown around Toledo and the surrounding shopping centers. I met some of Pano's friends and they asked me about life in Africa. After 2 weeks of trying to find a decent job, I gave up and went downtown to the Post Office to join the military. I was going to join the Marines. Luckily the recruiter was out for lunch and as I was looking at photographs of ships on the wall, the Navy recruiter started talking with me and before I knew it I was joining the Navy. The next day I was put on a bus for Detroit. When I got there they asked me for my Social Security card that I never had. So off on the bus they sent me back to Toledo for a SS card and they bussed me back to Detroit. There were many other young peole at the Detroit staging area and after they processed us over a couple of days, they put us on a train for Great Lakes Boot Camp, near Milwaukee. We arrived there about 1 AM. and were shown to the dormitory and our bunks. Finally went to sleep about 3 AM but by 5:30 they were waking us up with someone scraping a Coke bottle inside an empty corrugated garbage can. The noise was enought to wake up the dead and this "idiot" was shouting "Reveille, reveille, youz guyz get up right NOW!" All with a thick Bronx accent. Well, to cut a long story short, we made it through boot camp and by November it snowed one night and all the Southern boys went running out into the snow. Even though this was my first snow, I stayed in the barracks. We graduated amid several parades and were sent home for a week. The week before graduation they had given us various tests to determne our future Navy rating jobs. Some of us were given a test for Sonar, Radar and Radio. I scored best in sonar, then radar and last radio. In their wisdom, the Navy allocated me to Radio School in Bainbridge, MD. some 40 miles noth of Baltimore. Radio school was about 6 months long. The winter of early 1958 it snowed heavily one weekend and all transportation shut down for a while. Radio school also closed up for a few days and since the base was running short of food, they offered liberty to all who wanted it. Some of us hitch hiked to Lancaster, PA, some 30 miles from the base. We stayed at the YMCA at night and the USO in the daytime. I finally graduated from Radio School and was given a week off before our next assignment. I had orders to report to Norfolk, VA. to a destroyer called the USS Beale, DDE-471. When the week was up, I boarded a Greyhound bus from Toledo to Norfolk. The bus stoped in Pittsburgh to pick up some passengers and apparently 2 girls boarded the bus there, on their way to vacation in Virginia Beach. This was summer of 1958. Sometime during the ride, I befriended another sailor. I had previously spotted the 2 girls on the bus and I told him that the only way we could meet them was to split them up. One of them got up to go to the bathroom and that was our opening chance. I went and sat next to the one looking out the window. Her name I later found out was Isabella. She thought it was her friend returning to her seat until I said "want a lifesaver baby?" She was startled and in a smart mouth way said "I am not your baby and never will be" WOW !!! Anyway, we talked for a while and by the time we had reached Norfolk, she had given me her address. I reported to the ship and quickly adjusted to my new surroundings. First time out to sea was somewhat of an experience of mild sea sickness. It was very interesting being part of the Radio shack crew. All of our sea duties were for ASW (anti submarine warfare). Our ship was part of Task Group Alfa and it consisted of an aircraft carrier, the Valley Forge or Randolph and 7 other destroyers and 2 submarines. One time we ran into a hurricane named Daisy and it tossed us around causing damage to the carrier and the rest of the ships. Our ship spent about a month in dry dock in Portsmouth, VA., repairing damage and updating equipment.
That year I spent Christmas with about 12 other sailors on the base barracks; all others had left for home. For the New Year holiday, I hitch hiked to Mckeesport to visit Isabel. We had been corresponding since our last encouter. We went to her friend's house for the New Year eve party.
Much of the rest of my time in the Navy was spent on the USS Beale. We visited some places like Bermuda, Jamaica, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Nova Scotia in Canada and other ports like New York, etc. On one of our trips to New York, we were ploughing through rough seas in the north Atlantic and some young fellow was washed overboard by the waves . Unfortunately he was lost to the sea as by the time our ship turned around after a lookout raised the alarm of "man overboard" we were too far away to save him and the poor soul went under the cold seas and disappeared. That was a sobering experience.
Summer of 1960 I was transferred to another ship, a destroyer escort type that was smaller than the Beale. The name of this ship was the USS Brough, DE-148. The ship's base was Key West, Florida, and that was a pleasant change from Norfolk. While in the Key West area, I decided to tavel to the Miami Courthouse and get my American citizenship that I had finally earned, serving my adopted country. The ceremony was brief. It was myself and about 10 Cubans. I was the only one in uniform. Some time in September of 1961 I lef the Navy, boarded a bus and went to McKeesport where on November 4th, Isabel and I were married. We took some days off for our honeymoon and travelled to Washington,DC. and to Gettysburg, PA. The economy was in a recession and I had trouble finding work. At one time I was selling hardware at Sears and Isabel worked at the Telephone company.
Our first born was Helen Christine, followed a year and a half later by John Basil and a year and a half later by Yvonne Marrie. In between we lived about 18 months in Dravosburg and then moved to McKeesport. For about 3 months I attended a Computer school and landed a job at the Mellon Bank computer room in Pittsburgh. My previous job to that was at Continental Can but I was laid off one week before the Thanksgiving Holiday and we had a slim Christmas that year. Isabel left work and stayed home to raise the family. We never had much money but we always saved enough for weekend camping trips at Laurel State park and Prince Gallitzin camping areas. We also went on yearly 3 or 4 day vacations to Erie, Atlantic City, Gettysburg, Assateague on the Maryland coast, etc. In 1973, December 21, we left McKeesport and moved to North Huntingdon; we didn't go camping anymore but still went on our yearly vacations like Dayton, Ohio, Michigan and Sundusky. The kids got a small mixed terrier dog and we called him Duke. I don't know if that was after "Duke" Wayne or the Duke beer that I was drinking.
We bought an above ground swimming pool and that kept us busy in the summer months. Helen graduated from High school and went to Clarion State University for one semester until she met Gary Todd and they were married in 1982. John graduated in 82, attended Westmoreland Community College and then went to Indiana University, at Indiana, PA. Yvonne graduated in 1984, worked for a while at a super market and then attended Dental School for her work as a dental assistant. John finished college and his first job in the computer field was with AMS in Arlington,VA.
In 1995 I had a triple bypass and decided that I woud retire. Luckily Mellon Bank came through with an early retirement program and I retired in March, 1996. Isabel retired also and we have enjoyed the last years of retirement by taking yearly trips across the country and have visited 46 states so far and also took a trip to South Afica in 1998 to visit my brother Pete and his family.
End of story for now.........
E-Mail usnavymark@comcast.net
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