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Originally Posted by chuckinca
pajames:
Thanks for the link the the Medal of Honor website - bookmarked it
I went to Germany on the MSTS Patch from Brooklyn to Bremen in 7 days during December 1964. Had us bunked in hammocks 5 high in the cargo hold, guy on the bottom was inches from the floor and the guy on the top was up with the ductwork. Great trip across the North Atlantic in the winter - rockin and rollin the whole way
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Patch |
chuckinca;
Your info about the rockin and rollin across the Atlantic reminded me of my trip to Korea in Jan. 1964. The USS Mann was sitting at the dock in Oakland, CA loading everyone, it was drizzling rain. They served lunch to everyone on board around noon. The ship departed about 3:00 pm, it was still raining. We crossed under the Golden Gate and proceded to the Pacific. It started getting a little rough before we ever hit the Pacific. Well, little did anyone know that we were heading into a Gale. I was raised around the water (Chesapeake Bay, MD) but I have never seen waves as big as what we went through. We were on a troop carrier, as you know, they are big ships, but when we hit the Pacific it really got rough. I knew what was happening below deck so I stayed in shelter on topside as long as they would let me. These huge waves were breaking over the front of the ship. I would see a few guys come up, get sick and then go back below deck. Well, they finally chased me down, said it was too rough for anyone to be above deck. I know I don't have to go into graphic descriptions here but virtually everyone below was sick, including Navy personnel. I was still OK but tried to make my way to the head and remember see this short stocky black guy coming through the hatch in front of me with the most solemn expression on his face. We start to pass each other and he loses it. He never got anything on me but I turned around, went back to my bunk area and got sick as a dog.
We too, had the hammocks stacked 5 high, I was lucky enough to have one next to the top.
The top one was empty. I was sick for 3 days, ate a lot of crackers. It took us 19 days to get to Inchon, Korea. I know this trip will always stick in my mind. What an adventure.