I didn't serve active under Caspar. I went in under Rummy. I got to my ship mid February 77. Things were pretty much a mess as far as morale and discipline went. I knew quite a few who took the 30 day instant civilian way out. Some I went to high school with and some I saw leave while on the ship. I also saw daily ship U.A. and desertion numbers as for a few months I worked in the Engineering Log Room. It was pretty bad in general up till about late 1979. Some things had came under control like addressing AWOL and desertion. I don't know who it was but someone began tacking bad time plus making them stay their obligation :>}. When Sec of Navy changed in late 1979 more positive changes came mentioned in a previous post. I do remember the only reason we ever did not get underway was some brief stand downs for the fuel crisis.
We had our share of problems don't get me wrong but we stayed mission ready. We never failed not one readiness inspection. One of the Inspectors I remember well because he was the Main Propulsion Assistant on the ship when I first got there and left to become an Inspector. He was perhaps one of the most brilliant Engineering Officers I had seen. You didn't get nothing past the man. Anyone who can off the top of his head quote valve numbers and locations of those valves of a carrier propulsion and auxiliary equipment as well is someone to look up to. It was ones like him who kept things going.
I remember one other thing. We went into overhaul October 79 for a year and I think this was a first possibly because of the Iranian Crisis. The Navy was using us to do a lot of the shipyard work. But at least we were in the yards. Duty sections at one point was 3 section meaning every third night spent onboard vs a more traditional 5-6 section. Things were better when I left than they were when I got there I do remember that much.
One other thing I did get out at the end of my enlistment. Two years later I tried to go back in. There was no room in the inn so to speak and I had worked in a critical rating. I enlisted in the Army NG's in 1984 so technically I served under three POTUS and their Sec of Def.
I reckon one of the biggest things that burnt me about Cheney was losses that came under his watch like the F-14 project and a newer conventional carrier ran unnecessarily to an early end by him and Clinton combined but that's another story.