Posted on 04/30/2014 3:56:19 PM PDT by Sioux-san
It was a warmer than usual summer day in Clark, South Dakota when a rather large and ungainly young man, a recent high school graduate, set about finding his way in the world. The salivating Navy recruiter asked the youngster what it would take to have him sign up: “why, I’d like to go to Australia .” It was as good as done. After all, in 1966, if you were lucky enough to ship out on the USS Canberra, more likely than not, during the course of your hitch, there will be a port call to the ship’s namesake— Canberra , Australia .
This young man came from a solid, patriotic Norwegian Lutheran stock that believed when your country called, you answered. You did not go to the bus station but to the recruiting station. You did not go to Oxford , you went toVietnam. So Douglas Brent Hegdahl III shipped out to boot camp at San Diego , where he slept through the Code of Conduct lectures since he would not be fighting in the trenches. Lo and behold, he did get orders to the USSCanberra. At that time Canberra with 8-inch guns mounted on the pointy end and missiles on the round end was assigned to steam with the Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam.
Doug’s battle station was the aft ammunition handling room for the 5-inch guns, located aft in the bowels of the ship. One morning he had the 0100 watch while the Canberra was steaming down the coast of North Vietnam firing its 8-inch guns against targets of opportunity (bicycles, water buffalo and occasional trucks) on Highway 1. At about 0330 he rolled out of the rack...
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Geez, what a great blog! I really enjoyed that satory and subscribed.
Looks like I found a new site to read while having lunch. many thanks for sharing this.
Great story!
A day of quiet celebration for John Kerry,Bill Ayers,Bernadine Dhorn,Saul Alinsky and the Former Twelfth Lady....among others.
Read the Comments: One very interesting one, which should be a tribute to Adm. Jeremiah Denton, concerned the teaching of the Morse Code TAPE to fliers who might become POWS.
Jerry used it to “blink” the word “tortured” at a Hanoi propaganda show. Gave the world the first direct proof that the No. Vietnamese were torturing American POWS in the Hanoi Hilton.
Jerry passed away a few months ago, a patriot to the end. The US Navy, led by the stupidest man ever to be SecyNav, Mabus, has (possibly along with the AF and Army), ordered the dropping of the teaching of Morse Code to Navy personnel.
We never learn, and under the Obama regime, we are meant to never learn.
Morse Code, can, in theory, defeat an EMP attack. Jerry used it to defeat the North Vietnamese. Obama’s emasculated and extremely stupid JCS, has decided to drop a weapon of tremendous potential in an emergency.
Adm. Denton, a friend, had more intelligence in the blink of his eyes than the whole military leadership of the US today (the girlymen eunuchs of Political Correctness).
Jerry: RIP. You led like an officer and a gentleman. Hope you didn’t see the cowards who succeeded you.
I’ve read about this young sailor before.Amazing bravery and cunning.Had to be ordered by his commanding officer to take early release.
Thanks so much for your post - truer words were never spoken about Adm. Denton. I didn’t know that the Navy isn’t teaching Morse code any more. Not surprising these days. Don’t want anyone to tax his brain trying to memorize anything of use when the technology isn’t available for whatever reason.
PING
What an amazing story. Thank you.
Just say no to Liberalism.
Agreed - shameful
While in A school in 1989 I had to learn Morse Code.. sticking it for 16 gpm. Of course, that was a lifetime ago now and I have no idea if it is still taught.
/I won the Samual F B Morse award even, passing proficiency in 3 weeks 2 days.
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