Gabby’s Blog: End of "My bus tour of America."
- Published on Sunday, 01 January 2012 16:25
- Category: Opinions
It was a very short stay at the US Naval Academy, the duty personnel at the receiving office gave me a place to sleep and were very much accommodating. After the rough life in Boot Camp and a few weeks of Naval schooling, the reception I got in that small office made me feel more acceptable in the US Navy. Hungry but very tired after the long bus travel, I went to sleep and it was daylight when I woke up. I dressed up for the day and hoped to go onboard my ship today.
I walked out of the barracks and there I saw a part of the academy, a beautiful place. There was no time of viewing, I proceeded to the office where I checked in last night. I was directed to the galley to get me something to eat and the duty Personnel Man told me that they will get me to my ship today as soon as they can arrange a hop for me to Mayport Naval Air.
Here I am again, lost. I have reached the end of my travel, but USS William C. Lawe is nowhere to be found. My sea bag was lost and I had been traveling for several days with the same uniform. Luckily, the dress blues uniform did not show that it had been worn for days. I was again worried just like the feeling I had when I left San Diego. What is a hop?
After breakfast I went back to the office to find out what will happen to me. I was given back my travelling orders and will be brought to the airport for a hop to Mayport, Florida. I was really lost and prayed that things will come into place like it should be.
A hop was to board a military plane headed to a destination a military man would like to go. Things went the way as set up by the receiving office in Annapolis and after a few hours I was in Mayport, the homeport of the USS William C Lawe. I was told to wait for someone to pick me up. The place was hot and humid, as a Baguio boy, I hated hot and humid places.
Someone came to me and asked if I was the one headed to the Lawe. I replied that I was going to the USS William C. Lawe DD 763. Welcome aboard was his reply and he said he was the ship’s duty driver and will bring me to the ship but we have to pick up my sea bag at the bus station. Things are falling in place now.
I made a bus trip to see the US of A and I did. The bus route made me view ten states and was able to step on some of the states during the bus short stops or change bus. Join the Navy and see the world
The bus station was in Jacksonville, so here is another new place for me to step on to. It did not take that long to get to the bus station. There was no hazel in claiming my bag, being in uniform made it that easy. My new friend, I do not remember his name now, told me that Jacksonville was a liberty place for sailors stationed in Mayport. He gave me several pointers about the place.
I had everything needed to report onboard for duty. Our trip back to Mayport was an indoctrination of ship board life onboard the USS William C Lawe. Some of what my new friend told me scared me, especially about the ship at sea. We were scheduled to be getting underway soon. It looked like there was so much to learn and get used to onboard a destroyer.
Here I was an ordinary guy from Pinsao, Baguio City joining a fighting US Navy ship. There was not that much we learned in Boot Camp and the Naval school I just got of from, about destroyers. A year ago I was so excited to get my call card from the US Naval Recruiter in the Philippines and prayed hard to be able to pass all the requirements to join the US Navy. Someone up there made everything come to a reality, I had to accept whatever would come my way.
USS William C Lawe DD763, here I come.
Class: Gearing-class destroyer
Named for: William C. Lawe
Complement: 336 Officers and Enlisted
Displacement: 3460 tons
Length: 390 feet 6 inches
Beam: 40 feet 10 inches
Flank Speed: 35 knots
Range: 4 500 Nautical Miles
Final Disposition:Sunk as a target 14 July 1999
www.explorephilippines.net (Tourist Information)