USO Canteen FReeper Style....Gunnery Mates....Thank You....June 26,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

USS Bulkeley

The primary job of the Gunnery Division is to maintain and operate all shipboard weapons systems.

Normal day to day tasks include ensuring all weapons systems are functioning properly and prepared for such evolutions as surface and air combat and exercises, as well as ensuring that the weapons are available for any law enforcement need. Gunnery Division is also responsible for providing small arms training to all Boarding Team Members.

Within Gunnery Division there are two different rates...Gunner's Mates (GM) and Fire Control Technicians (FT). Gunner's Mates primarily deal with the actual firing weapons and their associated ordnance while FT's primarily work with radar systems specifically designed for targeting and firing long range weapons.

Chief Gunner's Mate (SW) Virgil Kilpatrick, an instructor at Fleet Combat Training Center (FCTCLANT) Atlantic, has spent the last three years providing Sailors with skills he hoped they would never truly need -- operating and maintaining shipboard weapons systems in war.

Gunner's mates work in almost every kind of Navy environment: ship, shore, in the United States or overseas. Their work and specialties may involve indoor or outdoor situations, clean or dirty work, deck or shop, and any kind of climate or temperature. They work alone or with others, independently or closely supervised. Their work can be both mental and physical.

River Boat Gunnery Mate.......Vietnam

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the campaign against terrorism, training commands like FCTCLANT are at the ground floor of the battle.

Veteran Sailors like Kilpatrick are in classrooms, laboratories and simulators, arming their students with the tools to fight terror.

According to GM1(SW) George Cumings, careless safety procedure can be a gunner's mate's deadliest enemy.

"It is important to take your time and go through all your steps, whether you're operating the gun or performing maintenance," Cumings said. "If you don't, you can get yourself -- and your shipmates -- killed."

Technology has changed the face of naval training during the past two decades. For gunner's mates, computer literacy has become nearly as important as skill with a weapon.

"Gunner's mates do a lot more than just fire guns," said Kilpatrick, a 17-year Navy veteran. "It may not seem like a technical rating, but it is."

Battleship Iowa firing its guns on the starboard side. You can see it shoving the ship sideways thru the water. What power unleashed! For those who don't know about these guns (the 16 inchers) they can fire a shell weighing as much as a VW Beetle 30 miles thru the air with some accuracy. That is awesome! Of course, we no longer have these ships in our naval service. They have all been decommissioned and mothballed or disposed of in some other manner.

What They Do:

The duties performed by GMs include:
operating and maintaining guided missile launching systems, rocket launchers, gun mounts and other ordnance systems and equipment;

training and supervising crews in the use of all types of ordnance equipment, from large caliber guns and missile systems to small arms;

stowing, securing, requisitioning and reclassifying explosives:
operating and maintaining magazine flooding and sprinkling systems;

making mechanical, electrical and electronic casualty analysis using technical publications, circuit diagrams and blueprints;

repairing, maintaining, testing and calibrating ordnance equipment;
servicing hydraulic and pneumatic systems;

repairing, maintaining, testing and calibrating microprocessing equipment;
repairing damaged hydraulic sealing surfaces, mating areas and threads;

performing mechanical wire connections including soldering; operating and maintaining night optical devices;

operating optical scanning and marking devices to label, identify and report explosives' utilization/expenditure.

This 5"/62 caliber gun can be used to defend against ships or planes.

And this big ship has all the latest in weapons technology: Using the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, the ship's crew can launch up to 96 missiles, including Standard surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk surface-to-surface missiles and VLA antisubmarine missiles--64 from the back of the ship or 32 from the front. USS Bulkeley is also equipped with two MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems and a 5"/62 caliber deck-mounted gun, which uses Extended Range Guided Munitions projectiles and looks like a machine gun on steroids. According to one crewman, the 5"/62 is so powerful that once when it was fired from the front of the ship, he could feel his pant legs shaking, even though he was standing at the stern.

USS Bulkeley's MK 41 Vertical Launching System fires a combination of Standard surface-to-air and Tomahawk surface-to-surface missiles.

There's a story about John Paul Jones' chief gunners mate. It was during the gore and thunder of that most historic battle. He was loading and firing cannon and carrying the wounded to the medical officer, cutting away the tangled rigging. And apparently in the midst of that first fight, John Paul Jones went below momentarily and changed into a new uniform. And as he emerged on deck a voice rang out through the smoke and fire -- it was the British captain asking, ``Have you struck your colors?'' And the gunners mate, sweat and blood dripping from his body, turned and saw Jones now in his fresh uniform reply: ``I have not yet begun to fight.'' And the gunners mate said, ``There's always somebody who didn't get the word.''

The challenge is great. Our Navy is meeting a heavier responsibility than we had in the sixties and meeting it with fewer ships. And that means the officers and crew of every vessel must work harder, carry a heavier load, and endure longer, more strenuous cruises.

Men and women on these and other ships are under great stress, handling advanced weapons systems and sophisticated equipment. And that's all the more reason to salute them after setting a new record for aircraft safety last year. Many who served could easily have better paying civilian jobs. Sailors on the carriers are away from their families 70 percent of the time; yet 60 percent of these fine young people reenlist.

In today's Navy, as with the other services, the Reserves are playing an increasingly important role. Who are they? Citizens concerned about the future of this country and determined to do their part. They share their time, energy, and talent to keep America strong, safe, and free.

[Pippin]

I'm not on the phones but I'll take calls from Arizona. LOL!

[SpookBrat]

Hey there Clara. How are you? I'm doing ok.

[Pippin]

Hey, HJ, I think I scared Sam. I tried to tell him I'm not THAT kind of Fed! LOL

[HiJinx]

Well, it was worth a try!!
I knew you weren't on phones, but I had to drop that dime!!
My last eight years in the Army were desk duty with GS-132's, Intelligence Research Specialists.
Federal Service has it's good and bad people...just like anywhere else.
CUL8R, meetings beckon....ugghhh!!

[SpookBrat]

Thanks sweet pea. They are beautiful.

[Pippin]

I'm doing fine. I think I scared Sam, though. I didn't mean to!

[SAMWolf]

That's good news, at least for now, I won't end up like this.

[SpookBrat]

Gosh I'm loving these pictures you have been putting up. They are incredible.

I think the pictures we put up are one of the best things we do in the Canteen.

[Pippin]

LOL! That's good! I aint about to help out Liberals no way! no how!

[SpookBrat]

That picture is precious and a keeper. Thanks for pinging me.

[Eastbound]

Thank you, SAMWolf! For your service and love of country, salute returned! Your home page is inspirational. Thanks for that too! Best to you, Bro. -- Dave (Another ex-Chicago guy)

[SpookBrat]

He'll be fine I'm sure. I don't see SAM as being afraid of anything.

[SAMWolf]

1042nd Air Ambulance Members Deployed

ASTORIA, Ore. -- More than 100 Oregon soldiers are just weeks from deployment to the Middle East as part of the war against terrorism.

Salem's 1042nd Army National Guard Air Ambulance unit is training at Camp Rilea on the Oregon Coast.

Their deployment serves a need overseas, but could leave a void here in Oregon.

It's been a grueling week. The 1042nd Air Ambulance Co. is training to treat casualties and evacuate the wounded in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

"When they hear the sound of that rotor blade coming in, they know the level of training of the 1042nd -- my medical people. We don't lose people," Major Mathew Brady said.

One mass-casualty exercise used three of the 12 Blackhawk helicopters that will be deployed, along with 108 medics, medical technicians, pilots and mechanics.

"This is why I joined. I didn't join for college money or anything like that. That's a good aspect, but being away from my family is kind of a bummer, too," Sgt. James Tournay said.

This will be Sgt. Andrea Westfall's first military deployment. In her civilian life, she's a surgical technician at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eugene, Ore.

"There is fear, but if I focus too much, then it takes away from focusing on my job and being able to do what I need to do out there," Westfall said.

The training at Camp Rilea is military, medical and cultural, dealing with local customs, delivering babies and avoiding potential enemy fire.

The 1042nd assisted the Air Force 939th Rescue Wing during the Mount Hood climbing tragedy.

With the 939th losing its helicopters to other units, many feel that the 1042nd deployment leaves Oregon vulnerable the next time.

"We will still have three aircraft here in Oregon. All three of those aircraft are mission capable. The crews are here to provide that service."

For the others, the focus is on trying to save lives thousands of miles away.

The 1042nd will be in Fort Bragg, N.C., by the 24 of this month. They'll be deployed from there to the Middle East. The deployment could last up to a year.

Twenty members of the 1042nd are already at Fort Bragg.

Many of those headed to the Middle East have already seen active duty in Bosnia, and the Persian Gulf War.

[SpookBrat]

Stepping away for a bit. BBL

afternoon xoxoxoxo's

(PS: HiJinx, glad to see you around. It's not the same when you are gone).

[JustAmy]

A middle aged woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God she asked, "is my time up?"God said, "No you have another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live."

Upon hearing this, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have liposuction and a tummy tuck. She even had someone change her hair color. Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.

She was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance. Arriving in front of God, she demanded,"I thought you said I had another 43 years? Why didn't you pull me from out of the path of the ambulance?"

God Replied,"I didn't recognize you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now you have forced me to go back thru my old e-mails.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks.

I always thought Chicago was a good place to be FROM.
I'm just not a big city type.

[MistyCA]

Thank you Bunny for all the information about Gunnery Mates. What a job that must be! Hope you are having a wonderful day! :)) I will probably be stuck in a box somewhere by the time you get this! :)

[SAMWolf]

Well, Victoria's 2x4 gives me the willies. She has a real mean swing.

And there's Nan's SMACKS. She has a good right swing.

[Jen]

Hi Johnny, I don't quite understand what you wrote about the accuracy of the Iowa's guns, but it sounds like they're really accurate. Right? Jen

[MistyCA]

LOL...I crashed right after I saw you on line last night! I noticed this morning that Spook was doing dishes! I thought I was the only one who ever did dishes at that time of day! :)))