Shipmate Article [Nov‘04 issue] Class of 1971 17 September 2004 Mike Longworth
Time, tide & formation wait for no man and it seems there is just no changing this immutable law regardless of the effort I put toward that end. Time just flies by too quickly. Last month was 17 days ago; however, it seems like yesterday. Fortunately, just when I thought there would be only a short column, I receive lots of interesting email. Thanks to all who keep the column in mind when writing classmates. Please do “get the word out” via email to me. You’ll recall I started a humorous input from John "Corky" McCorkle in the previous issue. The following is the second half of Corky’s missive. “I well remember suffering through the long hours of Drill and Ceremony. It seemed at first that none of us had a clue as to the location of our left and right, with the exception of men like Gary Combs who came to Navy from the enlisted ranks of the Marine Corps. Gradually, however, through the hours of practice and the watchful eyes of men like George Kuck ‘69, Nat Pace ’69 and Ron Gumbert ‘69, we began to get it right. I do not believe that the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team had any worry of competition from us. But, we did look pretty sharp! In fact, we came together so well that we were selected as Color Company at the end of Plebe Summer. “How about those torturous PT sessions and "come arounds"? Having played sports throughout high school I thought I was in pretty good physical condition. And I guess I was for a country boy from Metropolis, Illinois. However, for the Naval Academy, my physical condition was not even close to being 'sat.' By the time I left Navy, my physical condition had improved dramatically. “After I left Navy I enlisted in the Army eventually getting my commission via Infantry OCS at Ft. Benning and subsequently serving as a Rifle Platoon Leader with the First Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam. It did not take me long to realize that the discipline, physical training, camaraderie, etc. that I experienced while at Navy truly prepared me for my service in the Army as well as my civilian career with the Illinois Department of Corrections. Yes, my brief year and a half at Navy affected my life profoundly. I well remember the look of astonishment on the face of my Drill Sergeant in Basic Training at Ft. Knox, KY the first time he ordered me to, "Drop and give me ten!" I immediately replied, "Aye,aye, sir," hit the deck, sounded off with each pushup, then did "One to Beat Army, sir," and requested permission to "come aboard." Needless to say, I paid dearly for that. “My Company Commander while in Vietnam (Dolf Carlson) was a 1969 graduate of West Point. He and I had some interesting discussions, especially around Army-Navy Weekend. I have the utmost respect for him and was able to learn so much from his leadership. I was blessed to attend his retirement ceremony in Carlisle Barracks, PA in April 1999. “During the last eleven years of my civilian career I was responsible for the design and implementation of Illinois' Impact Incarceration Program. That is a specially designed program for youthful offenders which utilizes the procedures and philosophies of military style basic training (Boot Camp) programs. In developing the program I relied quite a bit on my experiences at Navy. I cannot tell you how many times I "flashed back" to the days of Plebe Year as I heard inmates sound off with things like, "By your leave, sir," "Sir, inmate So-and-So requests to make a head call," etc. Since my retirement from the Department of Corrections in 2001 I have been able to contact many of the men with whom I survived Plebe Year. It has meant so much to speak with Field McConnell (another roommate), Mike McBride, "Jocko" Jastrab, John Peterson, Ken Richardson, Joe Johns, Bill Bashore and others. We have shared memories of Tea Dances, football games, Dodo the dog, variations on standard uniforms (i.e. "White Works - Love"), and who the culprits were who moved the construction site "porta-potty" to Tecumseh Court during June Week, 1968. I look forward to making contact with the rest of 3rd Company in the near future. “I am now serving on the pastoral staff of Midwest Christian Center here in Jacksonville, Illlinois. I mentioned earlier that my first roommate, Craig McFarlane, had more of an impact on my life than I could have imagined back in 1967. Craig was a man that did not beat you over the head with his faith in God, he simply lived it. Looking back to that time, I thought I was a Christian, but did not realize how wrong I was until August of 1992 when I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Since that time, I have thought of Craig often. I remember his beautiful singing voice, his humble manner, his willingness to always be there. I look forward to the time when I will be reunited with him in glory. Well, I did not mean for this to turn into a sermon, but I guess that is what happens when you allow a preacher to ramble on his laptop. In closing, I will always cherish the time I spent at Navy because of the lessons I learned, the friendships I formed and the memories (some more wonderful than others) I have. I guess this brief document is meant, in some small way, to say thank you to all the men with whom I served and from whom I learned so much. May God truly bless you all as you seek and serve Him. Respectfully, Saved to Serve, from Cavalry to Calvary, John "Corky" McCorkle.” What a nice email! Corky’s email certainly brought back fond memories of great classmates & experiences which are understood only by those who were there with us. All the best to you, Corky, and please send another update as the saga continues! The next email is from a classmate who is doing good work in exotic places, Phil Sagi. “Dear Perry, Wow have things happened fast since we last spoke! After finishing my PhD in Business at your alma mater, GWU, I won a Fulbright grant to teach business in Russia! I’m living in Kazan, Tatarstan, about 600km due east of Moscow, for the Fall Semester 2004 while teaching electronic commerce at Kazan State University. The university is the second oldest in Russia, and alma mater of the famed novelist Leo Tolstoy and to statesman Vladimir Lenin. The attached photo shows me operating from the Kazan Amateur Radio Club. I obtained a Russian “Ham” license as R4/N3YZ while in Kazan. Not bad for a former American Naval Officer! Maybe you could pass this to the Shipmate Class News folks! Thanks! Da Svedanya! Phil” The column continues to do its work of bringing in the emails! I received the following note from Dave Poyer in response to my column this summer, “Hi Duke, Just read your note to me in the column for Sept -- you could have just emailed me! What can I tell you? THE COMMAND is out, Dan Lenson's first command at sea, of a Spruance class that goes to the Red Sea on an interdiction mission . . . and also as the first warship to integrate women aboard. That's my 26th book or so . . . have kind of lost count. I'm putting the final touches on my third "blackshoes in the civil war" novel, THAT ANVIL OF OUR SOULS, about the Monitor-Merrimack battle. It'll be out next spring from Simon & Schuster. I live on Virginia's Eastern shore with wife and daughter. Wife writes too, as Lenore Hart; daughter is 12 and so far is resisting hints to save Dad lots of money by going to USNA. Don't see many Classmates here but can do Chapter meetings occasionally. My email is