My days as a sailor, allowed a young man to really see the world as it is, what a lesson....

Date:   8/29/2005 7:02:10 PM ( 19 y ago)

Well I will go back to the years spent roaming the oceans wide.... While in  the floating forces, or Uncle Sam's Canoe Club, as we called the US Navy....

   This was me at age 20, ....  While I was assigned to the USS FURSE DDR882, out of Charleston Naval Station

There were more adventures on the USS Greenwood DE679, out of Key West; which we have discussed on previous blogs,{ you can go back and review if you missed them...} 

It was way down in Jamaica, that we went my first Christmas away from home and the good Ole USA...  We missed Bob Hope tour in Gitmo, but then you can't be everywhere...  The water was so clear on the north west coast of Jamaica, we anchored out the first day, until there was room at a Bauxite loading dock...  Which is where they filmed "DR NO; one of the first James {Stirred not Shaken} Bond movies, w. Sean you know who....   Well the clear water allowed us to see the anchor and chain paid out on the bottom, at least a hundred feet deep.... 

We spent some time at Dunn's River Falls, and were allowed use of the beach and facilities at a world famous Hotel just up the coast.... Never have got used to driving on the wrong side of the road..  The diving was great, better than Key West...  NO fights or fires just some clean fun...  Went back and had to clean the top side of the ship as the Bauxite had fallen from the over head loading belts...  That was an experience, may find the pictures of the clean up....  

It was a nice change of pace for the crew, before going back to Gitmo to resume  16 Hour a day training exercises.... You just have to take life one day at a time and live life large, folks...  It was here that I got to see poverty first hand... like none in the USA...  One guy offered to sell his sister for sex right by the pier as we came ashore...  There were plenty of shacks, and many of the people were dirt poor...  Living hand to mouth, this was a rude awaking for a young man of 19...  I was to see more on my travels through out the world, folks... Sad but true.. for even the poorest people in the USA are far better off than the average third world people....

So it was back to Cuba to complete our fleet training, then back to Key West...  

See ya on our next adventure, on the high seas....

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