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Memories.......
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This
article chronicles the experiences of four young
men during the transition from civilian to sailor.
The transition begins at the Naval Training Center
in San Diego, then continues aboard the heavy
cruiser USS Rochester. During this transformation
they develop skills in seamanship and other facets
of navy life. |
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BEFORE THE NAVY |
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In the California town of
Ventura during 1950, activities of those in their late
teens centered around Merle's Drive-In. Among them
were Ted Hobson and Jim Romig (l-r, above left). Life
was uncomplicated for them at this time, but changes
were on the way. Above right is the middle of the line
for the 1950 Ventura Junior College Pirates. The right
guard is Romig, the left guard is Hobson and in the
middle, at center, is Russ Goldman--a marine
reservist. The North Koreans had invaded the South
during the previous summer, but Jim and Ted thought
little of it until the week before the fourth game.
That is when Russ was called to active duty, and he
was just the first of a number of teammates that, as
reservists and members of the National Guard, left the
team for active duty before the football season ended.
By then the conflict in Korea was on all of their
minds. Ted was particularly concerned because he had
spent more time with football than with studies and
knew that his grades made him a prime candidate for
the Draft. Then one Friday during early December, he
made the mistake of asking the local Draft Board when
he could expect to be called. The Draft Board
representative was surprised that he had not been
called weeks before, and informed him he could expect
to be inducted into the Army within a few days.
This development was not totally unexpected; in fact,
Ted had already discussed options with the local Navy
recruiter and had asked Jim whether he'd be interested
in the Navy. Jim agreed that enlisting in the Navy was
the way to go, and they approached two of Jim's
high-school buddies with the same proposition. Dinty
Moore was at that time working in an oil field in
Montebello, near Los Angeles, while Buck Buchanan was
working on his family's farm on the outskirts of
Ventura. Both had played football with Jim during all
four years at Ventura high school, while Ted had
captained the Oxnard Yellowjackets, their arch rivals.
Neither was enrolled as a student, which made them
vulnerable to the Draft, and they wanted to avoid the
Army. Dinty jumped at the chance to enlist in the Navy
with Jim and Ted, but Buck had already decided to join
the Marines. (Buck's choice proved tragic, as little
more than a year later he was killed by a Chinese
mortar on a Korean mountain side. There is a tribute
to Buck, written by Romig, at the Korean War Web
site.)
Although it was early in December when Jim, Ted and
Dinty signed up at the Navy Recruiting Office, their
induction was deferred until after Christmas. It was
before dawn on the morning of 27 December 1950 when
they boarded the bus in downtown Ventura that would
take them to the Navy Induction Center in Los Angeles.
Also boarding that bus was Art Cox, who they did not
know at the time, but who would share experiences with
them over the coming years. |
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Art Cox, Jim Romig, Ted Hobson & Dinty Moore (L to
R), spend their last night as civilians in a L. A.
hotel at Navy expense. The next day they completed
their physical exams and were sworn in. The date was
28 December, 1950. |
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