All posts by Jim

The Mockingbird and Irises

A Pocket of Resistance

Once upon a time in a land called Tennessee, a young man left to explore the world and the sea.

His name was Lucius Peabody.

Lucius left before everybody knew everything about everything, and claimed their version was the right one, long before the gifts of television and mass and instant communication made us think we knew everything about everywhere. So, he was essentially wandering into the unknown.

Lucius went to sea and saw damn near most of the world. He learned a lot and quickly forgot it except that the most wonderful place to live was in the Southwest corner of North America.

Before he settled there on one of his stops, he met a beautiful woman, Abigail Kilarney, who captivated him, and they devoted their lives to each other.

Lucius often traveled to his home of origin in hills of Tennessee. He vowed when he crossed that rainbow bridge, he would ask for his ashes to be buried beside his parents graves. Abigail vowed her remains would be next to Lucius.

As he grew older, Lucius traveled less back to those green hills and good folks of the country. He pined for that world of innocence and land of beauty.

An independent cuss of a mockingbird named Elmer somehow sensed Lucius’s yearning for his home. He decided he should give Lucius something to give him a reminder of back home in Tennessee. He collected some seeds of irises, Tennessee’s state flower, and take them to the Tennessean in the Southwest corner.

The flight of 2400 miles was arduous, especially for a bird who is not ordinarily migratory, but Elmer was determined and stubborn, and he was dedicated to his quest. He finally arrived in the Southwest corner and found Lucius’ home. Elmer was in bad shape having gone on such a demanding traverse of the continent. Even though he recognized he was reaching his final moments, he dropped the iris seeds he carried into the side yard of Lucius’ home.

The seeds landed in the middle of day lilies Abigail had planted in the side yard. They prospered and soon dominated the day lily greenery and blossomed.

Lucius woke one morning and began his morning routine by putting away the dishes on the dish rack. He looked outside his kitchen window and saw Tennessee irises in full bloom. He cried with joy.

Elmer heard Lucius shed his tears. He smiled with joy before his last breath. He felt good about completing his mission. It was even more comforting to him knowing no one, not even Lucius, would know it was him. Elmer closed his eyes in peace.

A Tale of the Sea and Me: A New Kind of Adventure

Sea Stories

We were a little of over two weeks before we were to get underway for a long time.

That’s when the Amphibious Squadron Staff decided an LST needed a first class boatswain mate more than me (i still scratch my head about that reasoning. So they transferred my most experienced first class boatswain mate to that LST. i was left with no ship’s bosun, one first class boatswain mate, and one boatswain mate chief with 15 years in, but who had been a Navy boxer with no significant experience as a boatswain mate other than passing promotion exams. He was a smart guy, a nice guy, BMC Justiani, but he was not in my department. He was the 3M supervisor (the Navy’s preventive maintenance program) for the ship.

A week before the departure date, the Beach Master’s Unit came aboard with its rather amazing amount of equipment, including LARCs, a truly amphibious vehicle that could be driven on land or water. Big honkers, too. They were 35 feet long with a ten-foot beam, weighing just shy of ten tons. The Cummins V8 engine provided 300 horse-power.

We ballasted down and the two LARCs with 19 men came aboard as soon as the well deck was dry. Their leader was CWO4 Boatswain Messenger. That was a blessed thing for me. Bosun Messenger became my advisor in nearly all things for this novice First Lieutenant. His first class boatswain mate, BM1 Stubbe, almost immediately began to help BM1 Hansborough in the deck department.

i breathed a bit easier.

On March 10, 1975, the USS Anchorage (LSD 36) got underway with the other ships of Amphibious Squadron Five, standing out of the San Diego channel headed for Pearl Harbor.

The transit was routine. We kept preparing for the normal ten-month deployment. After five days, we entered Pearl Harbor. i had been designated as the Sea Detail Officer of the Deck (OOD) and had the “deck” and the “conn” for my first entry into Hawaii. The duties, the maneuvering into the Naval Station with Ford Island on my left where the Arizona Memorial stood, remains one of the most awestruck emotions in my life.

i found Honolulu enchanting. It had yet to become the corporate tourist stop of the Islands. My focus was on my job. i did find my favorite spot for many years to come. i wandered off the primary streets and found a Chuck’s Steakhouse. It had a motif of a fishermen’s pub. i ordered a mai tai and then had the mahi mahi dinner with a chardonnay. It was like the perfect escape.

During the last few days, we loaded our Opportunity Lift (OPLIFT) cargo (when a ship deployed and had extra cargo space, various military commands and personnel could load gear and vehicles to go to various Western Pacific bases. Some of the cargo, like a few cars, were private. Most of the load was medical supplies. The penultimate day before we were to get underway, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) held a briefing for the Amphibious Staff and COs, XOs, and department heads of the squadron ships. We were told of possible exercises with allies, and some information on the status of the US/China/North Korea status. Nothing was mentioned of Vietnam.

And off we went. The seven ships of Amphibious Squadron Five were headed for the Naval base in Subic Bay, Luzon, Phillipines, the sailor’s closest thing to Fiddler’s Green. We would be relieving our sister ships of COMPHIBRON ONE. They would head back to their home port of San Diego. The seas of the Pacific were relatively calm, the steaming easy. Then, five days underway, the message came. OP Immediate (That meant do what the message said to do and do it in a hurry). Vietnam was about to fall to the Vietcong and North Korea. The two squadrons were to rendezvous off of Vung Tau, normally a resort city that was on the southern most tip of the Vietnam. Our mission was to participate in the evacuation of U.S. personnel and any dependents that were in country, as well as Vietnamese who had worked with the US during the conflict.

Except one ship was to steam independently elsewhere, the USS Anchorage. We were to head to Fukuoka, Japan and offload the large amount of OPLIFT we were carrying. From there, the Anchorage was to proceed to Numazu Bay and load the equipment for the Marine Amphibious Unit, which were onboard the other ships, and make haste to Vung Tau, offload the Marine equipment and supplies, and carry out orders for the evacuation.

This adventure was about to teach a brand new amphibious first lieutenant a thing or two.