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Welcome To The Real Navy
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Where do you begin? At the swearing in ceremony in Columbia, SC or after the week long trip by railway to California. Joining the Navy on the East coast we had expected to get Boot camp on the East coast ’Ķ dreamers, that was not to be. We arrived in San Diego about mid day as I recall and were taken by bus to the NTC¬Ý for processing. It was a bit cool so most of us were wearing some type of coat or sweater. I had on my high school sweater with the emblem and jock stripes when I arrived. I’Äôve not seen it since the whirlwind of events that followed, getting a hair cut and the issue of Navy clothing. We were marched off to our barracks with out seabag and ditty bags in tow where we met our company commander "Chief Cleary". From that day forward, for the next 13 weeks, we marched to everywhere we went as a group called Company 91. After Boot camp, Boot leave, Electricians school, and movie operators school, it was off to the real Navy. I had chosen a LST from a list of ships available because my electricians school instructor had duty on one and said it was good "Dungaree Navy". I was flown up to Treasure Island to wait for my ship (LST 1126) to come in from a WestPac tour of duty in and around Eniwetok in support of the nuclear bomb testing to be held there. While at Treasure Island I worked in the mess hall and played pool in the recreation room. The mess hall was a loser, while the pool games were profitable. After about 4-5 days I was told to load up to go to my ship. Off I go with my seabag totally packed to the brim including my electricians study books (13) in the bottom. This added a lot of weight to an already heavy seabag. I was a bit concerned when they dropped me off at the front gate of the Naval Base and told me my ship was at the docks. It was October and warm in California, especially with me in my dress blues. I walked and walked and then some more to get to the docks, but didn’Äôt see my ship, or at least didn’Äôt recognize it in the distance. I saw this small craft which I thought was much too small to be a sea going ship, and had it not had the numbers 1126 on the side I would have walked on by. Recognizing this was indeed my ship, I went up the gangplank. As I got to the top, I saluted the flag, turned and saluted the bosons mate first class who looked at me like I was from outer space. Without returning my salute he told me to follow him and he would show me where to go. He saw I was an electrician by my meager two red stripes and insignia. He led me to just past of what I learned later to be officers quarters. He told me to drop my seabag down the hatch and follow him on to the compartments. When we arrived at the compartment I would call home for a while, I found my seabag busted open and the books spilled out on the deck. He told me to choose a bunk and locker while he went to advise the IC electrician who was in charge of the electric shop, I was there. So began my 40 month experience on the LST 1126, later named USS Snohomish County. ¬ÝAnd "Dad" never returned my salute!!! Buddy Benton 1953-1957 EM3 (a couple of times)
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