In 1966 I graduated SK "A" School in San Diego and received orders for Danang Vietnam. In order to get there my group of 39 personal had to first travel to Little Creek Va for two weeks of Survival School. After that little stint we were sent to a Cargo Handling Batt over at Williamsburg for two weeks to learn how to operate a forklift and other cargo procedures. We left there and they gave us 5 days to get to Travis in San Fran to catch a ride to Danang. Well when we arrived there was 50, 000 troops on the ground attempting to get to Nam.

After 10 days of sleeping on the ground, (and you know that sailors did not have to sleep on the ground, after all, that's why we went Navy and not Army), we worried the folks at the office there so much they put us on a dependent flight to Subic, just to get rid of us. When we arrived in Subic the problem only got worse. There was more troops and we once more got issued a blanket slept on the night before by some other guy that was lucky enough to get out and on his way. Well after a few nights across the bridge there at Subic all of us was broke and by this time very disorganized. We all got together on the 6th day and went to Personnel and told them that we wanted to go to Danang one way or the other.

The people there were all Air force and told us that there was a ship at the pier by the name of USS Vega and they were about ready to pull out. They said that she was going toward Danang and might be able to help us. Well they failed to tell 39 young sailors that had never been close to a ship let alone ride on one that she would be replenishing every darn ship in the Pacific before she arrived off the coast of Danang. Now as you know the Ships Company is a very tight group and any outsiders are just in the way. We went aboard and the only place to sleep was out on the deck with another one of those wool blankets.

The 3rd day out we ran into a storm and my blanket washed over the side along with a few more. It was real experience watching those other ships pull along and see all the crew working as one. Even got to see the chair a couple of times transfer guys from one ship to the other.

One good thing was some of the best chow ever. On the 7th morn we awoke to the coast of Vietnam, but the ship could not get in because there was a "Red Alert" on the beach. somehow they managed to bring out the boats for us and over the side goes the cargo net and over we go. I laugh now when I think how the crew threw rotten apples at us! We really messed up their playhouse those 7 days. I am glad that my first experience on a Naval vessel was the Vega. After a tour of Nam I went back to Norfolk and spent two years on the USS Orion.

Thanks to all the folks on the Vega for giving us a lift, if not for them we may still be in Subic Bay.....Larry Hillis