“I graduated from Atlantic Highlands High School NJ in early June 1947 and was sworn into the US Navy on July 3rd., 1947 at 90 Church St. in NYC. That night we were bound for the NTC at Great Lakes on one of the crack New York Central trains headed for Chicago. The dining car supervisor was in the Navy during the war and he took pity on us with our 75 cent meal tickets and fed us like Kings.

Was in Boot Company 60/47 at Camp Downs until Sept 1947. Went on Boot leave and returned to Great Lakes, and transferred to the Receiving Station, Philadelphia. Orders posted for VF-10A. What kind of ship is that I ask? I wanted to be a Shipfitter on a Tin Can. Ended up at NAAS Charlestown RI in CAG 9 assigned to the USS Philippine Sea (CV47) with F8F-1 Bearcats. Made the USS Philippine Sea’s first Med cruise. Subsequent organization of the CAG, I ended up in VF-93 and F8F-2’s where I learned to safety wire. The cylinders were stretching from the hold down bolts and the pal nuts and had to be safety wired. Nice job for a young airman.

Made short cruises on the USS Leyte (CV32), USS Kearsarge (CV33) and the FDR (CVB42). After two years of dodging props on the flight deck and almost getting killed once or twice, an opportunity came for transfer to VP-21 at Patuxent River, MD. And I jumped on it.

VP-21 still had the PB4Y2s and I ended up as a second wiper and was truly indoctrinated by the senior people by opening the bomb bay door while passing chow up the flight deck and turning the hydraulic pressure off in the blister turrets and dumping. You, thought you were falling out of the aircraft.

We finally received the P4M’s and I was a crew member on the 22 hour endurance flight, flying between Norfolk and Baltimore. Still had an hour’s worth of gas left. Went on the Port Lyautey deployment and the Londonderry ASW School in Ireland. We were the last squadron to use tents as quarters. Three years went fast, orders for shore duty, NAS Anacostia, DC, ended up on the VIP line, flying Cabinet members, SEC Nav, Sec Defense and Flag officers all over the country in the new R4D8Z, square tailed R4D with 1820 engines.

Two years of duty went faster, orders for that beautiful Atlantic Ocean paradise Lajes, Fasron 106 DET 1. 18 months felt like an eternity, orders for VR-6 at McGuire AFB in NJ. Worked in the nose docks and EBU. Qualified as a R6D (C1 18) flight engineer. Eventually all right crews transferred to VR-3 at McGuire. Many trips all over the world.

Orders to Navy Transport Training Unit at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma as a C118 flight and simulator instructor. That’s where I learned I like the West, two years and back to McGuire and VR-3 for C130 transition.

Received my C130 training with the 76ATS at Charleston AFB, SC, all over the world with the Herky Bird and many WEST Pac trips to Viet Nam. Four years of good duty came to an end when the Navy was decomissioned from the Military Air lift command in June of 1967. Transferred to Naval Weapons Evaluation Facility, Kirkland AFB, Albuquerque, NM. Qualified on R5D (C54) BuNo 50955, a Berlin air lift bird. Some say it still had coal dust in the belly. A replacement came in R6D (C118) BuNo 131569. I made my first trip to Europe on this MC when I was at McGuire. We received it from VR-21.Orders came in for Keflavik, Agana, or Barking Sands. Time to throw the anchor out.

Retired in July of 1973 with 26 years as an ADRC(AC) and 10,000 hours pushing throttles. Married 48 years, two sons, daughter, 9 grand kids and one great grand child. Taking life easy, but have some serious health problems, so I sit on the West bank of the almost dry Rio Grande in Rio Rancho, NM… right next to Albuquerque hoping for more water so we can get the submarine races going again.

Red Ruch
27 October 2003”