I went over the side of the Tarawa climbing up the ladder to the flight deck from our bething space. Last man in line. Full combat load along with my Prc-77, KY-?? (forgot the number) spare batt's, field pack, all mounted on rigid backboard. Was climbing up and over compensated....grabbed for the side rail and missed, went right through the safety chain....Hit the water and sank about thirty feet before I could hit the release. Only thing that saved me was a sailor standing watch on the aft deck, saw me surface as the ship sailed on by.

Gunny-KY68 (Comsec)?

The "old ball and chain" and me and one without her fist hitting me!

165grNosler....either 68 or 58. I sure did have some explaining to do during the jag investigation. Damned lawyers expected me to know the specific grid co-ords of exactly where I hit the water and how frigging deep it was! They insisted that I should have never released the gear, until I took them down to the shop and had them pick up and place on thier own back, a buddies identical seat of gear. That sure shut them up. It weighed out at 132 lbs with enough batteries for two weeks in the field.

Know what your saying. Spent a couple years as RTO with the 3/19INF at FT. Stewert. Crap gets HEAVY after a couple miles!

I did it for two years as radio operator/ forward observer with 11th Marines. Kick myself in the ass for not wising up quicker for not getting my mil drivers license so's I could just drive the damned jeeps!

Had tons of fun calling in firemissions. Got pretty good at it to. I got so I could place my initials up in the night sky with illum rounds. I once put up a illum mission that spelled out FU*K U.....caught holy hell from Battalion Co for that one.

Gunny, a couple of batteries can get heavy. Anyway, on our float someone threw their night sight overboard into the ocean so that they could go home, or so they thought. So there's a night sight somewhere on the bottom of the ocean too. By the way, he didn't get to go home, and he got a lot of attention for his efforts.

Geez, Harry.. you're almost as ugly as me!!.. [ but I got more hair. .]

Rocketeer, thank you for the words of encouragement. They used to thin my hair because it was so thick. The back of my head is even worse because I have scars my wife calls a marble game.

Last night at the clubhouse, Me and the Ole Lady

Billy:

you a Triumph, Indian or Harley man?

Do like the Indian. dang shame the company sold out to a non american company

Me and the Ole Lady at the clubhouse Friday Night