Old Guy from Austin is Newbie

T

tincanman

New Member
Grew up in a Navy family, moved at least once a year to the end of WWII, when we settled in Austin. Went junior high school through University of Texas in Austin, including NROTC Regular Program. I served two tours out of San Diego and in Westpac, first as navigator and communications officer on a 2,250-ton destroyer, then as a destroyer squadron comm officer. Best jobs ever!

After the Navy I became a Foreign Service Officer, serving in D.C. several times plus Madrid, San Salvador and Munich. After first retirement I spent another ten years or so in international sales and marketing of electronics products. We travel a lot now and are still trying to figure out how we ever had time to work. Just found the SF website and am looking forward to making some good contacts.
 

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tincanman said:
Grew up in a Navy family, moved at least once a year to the end of WWII, when we settled in Austin. Went junior high school through University of Texas in Austin, including NROTC Regular Program. I served two tours out of San Diego and in Westpac, first as navigator and communications officer on a 2,250-ton destroyer, then as a destroyer squadron comm officer. Best jobs ever!

After the Navy I became a Foreign Service Officer, serving in D.C. several times plus Madrid, San Salvador and Munich. After first retirement I spent another ten years or so in international sales and marketing of electronics products. We travel a lot now and are still trying to figure out how we ever had time to work. Just found the SF website and am looking forward to making some good contacts.
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Welcome @tincanman! Putting together a rough timeline from the history you provided, you must be among the most senior (age wise) of our members (90s?).

I've always had huge respect for the guys who served on the older tin cans - real sailors all - but I've not really appreciated just how small they really were. Current destroyers have displacements in the 8000-10,000 ton range. Ships just keep getting bigger and bigger.

My family has always served on carriers. My father's WW2 Essex class carrier had a displacement of 27,000 tons. My Forrstal class carrier dwarfed it at 60,000 tons. My son's boats are over 100,000 tons.

Were you in Westpac during the VN war era? I look forward to following your posts here.
 
Tommy said:
Welcome @tincanman! Putting together a rough timeline from the history you provided, you must be among the most senior (age wise) of our members (90s?).

I've always had huge respect for the guys who served on the older tin cans - real sailors all - but I've not really appreciated just how small they really were. Current destroyers have displacements in the 8000-10,000 ton range. Ships just keep getting bigger and bigger.

My family has always served on carriers. My father's WW2 Essex class carrier had a displacement of 27,000 tons. My Forrstal class carrier dwarfed it at 60,000 tons. My son's boats are over 100,000 tons.

Were you in Westpac during the VN war era? I look forward to following your posts here.
Click to expand...
Two of my brothers served in the USN. One was the nuclear radiation officer (?) on a nuclear sub. The other was a machinist on a ship that did repairs ? on other ships.

Welcome aboard.
 
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