john_ny

When I was 17 years old, and just about to finish my first year in college, in the mid west, I got my parents' permission to join the Naval Reserve. I signed up in Fargo, ND, and went to boot camp, in Great Lakes, IL, on my way home for summer break.
After my second year, I decided (like many Kids do) that I didn't want to go to school anymore. I found an information sheet, at the reserce center, about a program where I could get a comission, with only two years of school. I said, "This is for me.", but I was told that they couldn't sign me up at the reserve center; that I would have to go to the recruiting station, downtown.
When I showed the sheet to the recruiter, he laughed, and said, "Where did you get this?" I said that I had gotten it from the reserve center, and he told me that the program had gone out in WW2. The sheets had been sitting for years. He then explained that the only way I could do it, at the time, with only 2 years of school, was if I would fly. At that time, my flying experience was about once or twice on a commercial airliner. I told him that I would have to think about that, and after I did, for about 10 seconds, I said OK.
So, in a couple of months, I was off to Pensacola, for flight training. After a couple of months I was told that the rules were changed and, since flight school took about a year and a half, and was very expensive, the Navy was not getting enough out of you, if you had signed for four years, (4 yrs. minus 1½ for training = 2½ working) so I would have to give them 4 yrs. active duty after training, making a total of 5½ yrs. However, they had not changed the rules for people with 4 years of school.
Now, being a little older, I started thinking a little more rationally, and figured I would get out in 5½ years. If I coulgo back and finish school (2 yrs.) and then give them 4 years, I would be finished in 6 years, only 6 months more, but I would have a degree. So, I told them I wanted out, to go back to school. Everyone told me I couldn't do that, except one man, in the personnel office, (who was civil service-not even Navy) who said that that applied to someone who walked into the program, off the street but, since I had prior time in the reserves, I could do it.
So I came home, finished school, and spent two summers going to OCS, in Newport, RI, and returned to Pensacola.
I spent a total of about 5 years active duty. My first squadron was an Airborne Early Warning (predecessor to AWACS) in Newfoundland, and Iceland.
Then I went to Norfolk,VA to a MATS squadron (Military Air Transport Service. The planes we flew, though we were in the Navy, had U.S.AIR FORCE painted on them. I think they call it Military Airlift Command, now.)
After that, I went back in the reserves, and retired after a total of 26 years. I was in the Navy, but in 26 yrs. spent about 2 days on a ship.

John Johnson, Cdr. USNR (ret)

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John