HAVE YOU CHECKED THE HOME PAGE FOR THE LATEST INFO?
I have managed to resurrect some of the Guest Books from the previous FDR Websites. There are some that are lost forever but this is the best there is at the moment. There is a lot of good stuff there.
Click on the year you want to view. Click on the left arrow at the top of your browser to return to this page.
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006-09
MISUSE OF INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN COULD BE AN INVASION OF PRIVACY!
Sign in using the comment form at the bottom of the page and please leave a valid email address. It will NOT be viewable to visitors! If you want to hear from your shipmates leave your email address IN THE MESSAGE ALSO.
SO
Please put your email address in your message so your shipmates can get back to you (if they can remember you).
There is software on board that makes it unreadable to the “bots” who collect that sort of stuff.
All entries must be approved before they will appear in the book. Any inappropriate entries, as well as those with invalid email addresses, will be deleted and will not appear. I check daily so don’t despair if your entry doesn’t appear immediately.
Due to a rash of automated spam messages we now use “captcha” authentication. Just enter the “captcha” code and then SUBMIT. Don’t worry about upper or lower case….either will work. If you have trouble reading it just click the little button to the right and it will “refresh”. Thanks!
Many shipmates have told me, via email, about having visited this site. Oddly many have not left entries here for their shipmates to see. THEY do wonder how you are and probably would love to hear from you. This is a great way get back in contact.
REMEMBER….THE ONLY WAY FOR YOUR SHIPMATES TO GET IN CONTACT WITH YOU IS HAVING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR MESSAGE
For YOUR protection – No home phone numbers or addresses please. Please save that for when you make email contact.
REMEMBER….IF YOU WANT TO BE CONTACTED MAKE SURE YOU PUT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE BODY OF YOUR MESSAGE
recived my FDR mouse pad today in the mail,still waiting on my ball-cap,should be here by Tuesday.I see theres an old 1st division guy on line,I’ll write,don’t remember you because iwas in 1st 71-72,we probably had the same boses thou,I can’t seem to remember going to Capri?guess it was all that free beer 1-fellow said.yes,free dental,medical,food and a bed,travel everyplace,who’s going to offer you a job like that?GO NAVY.best pilots in the world,they don’t call anyone else top-guns do they?I was about to join the marines,had a staff-sergeant at home giving me the pitch,walked out of his office to use the head,saw the poster of a carrier,join the navy and see the world?walked into the navy recruiters office and said,Iwant to join?sergeant king came threw the connecting doors,ask me,what are you doing john? I said,joining the navy,sorry.bsides,my whole family is army/navy.midway carriers,an ensign in gwam,saratoga/ranger in nam and the med cruise cousin,his son is a marine,we are a bird-farm family from all wars,don’t kow how that happened?get this,FDR stayed at my grandparents hotel in Frederick Maryland on weekends to get away from the DC city life and go to the moutains,so did Nixon andjack kennedy,we have newspaper pictures and photo’s of my mon,then 5,with my grandparents as he was leaving with his secretary in a buggy,yes,thay did have an affair we think.that hotel at braddock-heights burned down.the braddock-hotel.so I end up on the rosie,its who you know I guess,met Nixon at the republican headquarters tent,frederick fair,whn he was running against kennedy,he shook my hand.what luck wouldn’t you say,we actually knew franky.had me a lawyer at the DC naval yard,guess who?LT Roosevelt,his grandson?luck again.glad I wasn’t there on the 4th floor for all the recent excitemet they had.latter swab jockeys.
all our deck divisions and quartermasters division was all the way foreward,hanger-bay level,1st-6th divisions,past the smoke shop.1st had the foxsil work area and office,4th had their office all the way aft by the fan-tail,past the ships lounge.1-deck down.work area,the hanger-bay boats aft.there were 6-wooden enlisted 55-footers,6-cylinder Cummings engines,an officers liberty launch,mine,45-footer,fiberglass,twin screw,captains gig,45-footer,and the admirals-barge also a 45-footer.criss-crafts.inboard cryslers.some had Detroit engines,also 6 cylinders.semi engines bassically.foreward and reverse.remember when we got the universal-gym weight equipment(2) on the foxsil?1st divisions lounge,was there also.TV and chairs.WFDR TV.remember watching the planes on the deck taking off on TV.anyone remember the Russian bear-cat spy plane taking pictures of our fleet?some joker took pictures and was selling blown ups for $2 dollars on the mess deck.our 2-phantoms escorted it away.also,remember the spy boat,also Russian that was suppose to be a fishing boat?was following us for days picking up our garbage we threw overboard.so the marines brought up the M1s and our GMs in deck got to shoot the bags as they threw them in before the boat could pick them up,ha ha.I sank 2 bags of trash,1-clips worth.the marines had their M14s.never trust a rue-skee.latter.
E-mail—nameste3@comcast.net—-come on all you ships company swabbies,don’t let these air-dales beat us out da gate.come on all you old timers,put down your toby keith and garth brooks CDs and git to writting,cheaper then a stamp these days.all you nam era vets give your metallica and judas priest CDs back to your grand kids before their missed and write.those of us from the planet headrum salute you.lets all meet up at the gut and party?no matter who I talk to the main topic about the med is,have you been to Palma?nobody ever wanted to leave that place,even the marines.san-miguel beer at the boat landings vendors.and suflaky at the greek ports right after you get off the boats,50-cents.just a grill and a smile.talk about no small business liceanse?driving the liberty-boats I was amazed at all the stereo equipment people brought back to ship,cheap,and their zoom lens camera’s with tri-pods,71-73,got promoted to the officers liberty boat,trained some middys down in port after steering on their 2-week training cruise.loved being a helmsman on the bridge,still got my helmsman card and security I.D.they gave us,saw the captain alot on the bridge-watch.called him captain razorblade.he was a good sort.remember executive officer fowler?can’t remember the admirals name?hope I bring back some good memories for you.my hats off to all the lifers,civilian life suks.here the gut cost more and then you get arrested ha ha.support our 6th fleet please,we would be there now if we were still in.their ready as we were.latter shipmates.
guess the hair will have to go if I re-inlist?ya know what those spaghetti-snappers say at the jersey shore don’t you,fa-git-about-it?just kidding,I’ll cut the hair,make me an E-4 with a crow and I’m ready to go.
can I re-inlist?
back again,am I boreing you?does anyone know the true story for the 72 med cruise extension to 10-months?lost a lot of planes.caught some rays on the after sponsin decks while drinking ouzo from Greece,listening to Black-Sabbath on our 8-tracks.nothing in the world like watching night opps on the flight-deck,especially to ossie?how about movie night.watched the karate guys before the movies started.remember you fly and I’ll buy?I flew a lot.ships 7-11 store,ice-cream/popcorn store,what about dehart the ships cobbler.bet he’s out of a trade now.portsmith,va.use to smell the weed comin thru the vents out in our gear-locker,don’t know ware it came from?guess they were out of drinks?we would laugh and crank up the ossie for them.that Woodstock bunch no doubt,or so they said.remember the ships rock bands that practiced in the lounge?they were good,couldn’t play ossie a lick.I was working for Ltjg Johnson in 1st division then Ltjg Clifford c.olsen in 4th,deck.talked to a female ex swabbie who said she couldn’t get a ship because she was to young,17,she got shore duty,also said,no more beards unless you got a medical chit.I was to but couldn’t grow a hair.they made me shave anyways.but hey,i got one now at 59 and hair down my back,don’t blame me,blame ossie and Iron-maiden?I’ll never forget my ship or all the people on it.home away from home only much better.what a job,spain one minute and Corfu the next.rented mopeds and climbed the acropolis,went everyplace on them in every port,didn’t even have a drivers liceanse.
anyone remember Hamilton or Mitchell from 1st division,71-73?
anyone remember the captains gig crew from 4th division?oden,mclendon,and bridges?71-73.what about miller from 1st division.
whats up?wares all my 1st division deck apes from 71-73?are you still in the swab-jockey business?painting anchor chains can be boreing can’t it?the pride of the navy,bottom of the barrel-head,the Boatswains-mate,ships real company.how I got a GM rateing out of boot and ended up a BM I’ll never know,but as we said in gun-mount 51 starboard side during GQ,death from above and death from afar?go get um 6th fleet,don’t let that crook get off in Syria.
We crossed the Equator on 04 JUL 66 enroute to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As a result of crossing on that significant date, we were named Star Spangled Shellbacks – one of my proudest moments! While I’m not certain whether any other ship’s crew attained that distinction, it’s certainly unusual.
VA-12 Vietnam 1966-1967. When was the Bob Hope show on CVA-42??
Was a radioman on board from 1974-1976. Can be contacted at hthiel3@comcast.net
I served aboard the “Rosie” from Dec 59 to Dec 61 and I was in the 2nd division. I wonder if anyone remembers me.
My Dad, S. Clinton Shockley, MMC, served on the Rosie in the late 50s,
I served in E Div Jun 76 to decommissioning in Oct 77. EM2 Michael Shockley
My father was John H Ewersmann Jr. He served on this ship from 1963-1966. I believe those years are accurate. he died in 1968, just 2 years after leaving the USS Franklin D Roosevelt. I believe he deployed 3 times to assist in the Vietnam war. I know he served on the Flight deck. I cannot remember his rate. My sister and I would love to hear memories of him.
Anyway, when I was 4 everything we had was lost in a fire. This included his sailor uniform, flag, discharge papers, letters, books, and pictures. If anyone knows how my sister and I can replace these items or has any pictures with my father we would greatly appreciate it.
My son is currently serving in the US Navy on the USS Leyte Gulf CG55. This ship is with the Strike Group 12, which includes the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Parallels keep showing up between my father and my son. I would love to give him something from my father’s ship.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. jlritter701@gmail.com
Recommissioning crew 1956 – 1957
Wondering if any of my Old Shipmates are still around, The1John@yahoo.com
Fred Taylor. OI Div, 1958 – 1960 (June).
Still working and likely to keep on till they plant me.
Fred@profassociates.com
Website: http://www.yourwealthcoach.net.
1972 va87 aviation electrican
I was aboard in the Public Affairs Office during 1970 and 1971. I’d love to hear from old friends during that cruise.
Made one cruise in 1971 as a member of VA-87 and a shakedown to Norfolk, Va.
Would be nice to hear from any Squadron Members or Ship Company friends from that year.
Some of us that served within the Personnel Office, Public Affairs Office during 1970 and 1971 have been getting together annually for the past several years. Next year we plan on visitng the Midway (San Diego) sometime in August 2014. We have been attemping to locate some of our buddies. Thanks to all of you for serving.
Tom Angus
tomangustja@yahoo.com
1971-72: served in VA87 Golden Warriors. Looking to catchup with fellow squadron mates.
661104 Flash fire, killed 8 & injured 4. Storage compartment with oil and hydraulic
fluid, #4 deck, fire extinguished in 15 minutes.
See Oper. History this website.
1964 thru 1967, V-4 div and S-6 div. does anyone rember the fire we had on the Rosie
sometime in Oct. 66 while in Tonkin Gulf. If you do please let me know what the the
actual date was.
Would enjoy talking with any ship mates during Nam cruise.
Thanks
Larry
S-1 division mayport fl. office was below galley. sleeping quarters a few steps away. on board from about October 69- may 71. ltcmdr Barnett used to play the steel guitar. pretty good.