Navcommsta Sicily

Became interested in electronics as a kid growing up and got a "First Class FCC with Ship Radar Endorsement" License at age 17. Walked into the Navy recruiter's office during Vietnam War and showed him the license, and apparently that got his attention. He put me through a bunch of tests, and gave me 2 options...A) Nukes or B) Advanced Electronics. I chose B. After 2 years of electronics schooling (comm., radar, cryptography) I was sent to Iceland where I lived and worked on base at Keflavik, and also at the American Embassy to maintain the crypto equipment there. Lived in Iceland 1 year, and it was BEAUTIFUL! Next was Catania, Sicily where I spent 1.5 - 2 years. Again, worked at the Comm. Station there, but this time also 2 additional posts...the Nuke weapons facility, and also the Anti-Submarine warfare unit. All of these facilities had crypto equipment in them, so I was one of those "goto" guys for that stuff. Also while I was in Sicily, I installed an FM radio station for our troops to listen to while overseas; received a "Letter of Appreciation" for that. Last, was Londonderry, Northern Ireland where I spent my last year and also "Decommissioned" that base when I left at Sept. 1977. It was there where I saw and heard things that "normal" human beings should not experience, because that was during the "Irish Troubles" (ie. Urban gorilla warfare) and our government decided that it was time to leave due to the "troubles". It was there that I received a "Letter of Commendation" from the base Commander (ie. Capt. Tom McKeown) who also wrote a book about it called "Farewell, Londonderry" many years later. At the time we closed that base, it was "confidential" as to who would be receiving that base when we left...in his book, he describes the process, and the emotions that went through us military folks while living there. I was stationed there around the same time as he was, and we both "decommissioned" that base on Sept. 1977.