Shipmate,
This is like walking through a space topside and having BM1 Welch
yell at me again.  Great to look back and remember, did a lot of growing-up
on those decks and with all the help from the old salts aboard it paid off.
I'm still active, have almost 28 years in now and stayed in deck.  Currently
on the East Coast out of Little Creek, Va at Assault Craft Unit Two
Detachment Officer In Charge.  Bad Bob Arnott my running mate on the decks
of the Marvelous Marv and fellow screaming seaman is also doing well and
lives in upstate New York.  I was assigned to what was then called "WD
Division" but it appears to have become "First Division" over time, left the
ship as a BM3 served aboard from 1975-1978, saw Leo Warden's name here and
already contacted him, learned a lot from Leo.

    I still remember CDR Jerome Frost Smith and how excited he got when he
noticed a bright orange T-shirt I was wearing that had emblazoned on it "Get
your shit together" with two human like turds shaking hands, I thought I was
promoting a favorite Navy Saying back then.  This was my first encounter
with my new Skipper, I left in 1978 with Bad Bob Arnott when CDR Kelley was
the Co, made the trip to Samoa, earned the Shellback title after 7 grueling
trips through the line (lotta folks liked me then), Bad Bob and I went to
the USS Kilauea AE-26, Bob got out I stayed and have been to several
commands since but nothing sticks to me like the Marvin Shields. 

     This is a terrific sight, thanx a bunch.      v/r   CWO4 Pete Brennan