My story is of the inherent drama and humor that is common to military service wherever it occurs. I am not a hero, but I have been honored to know and serve with many heroes. My story captures the dynamic that exists whenever men and women work together to accomplish a mission and achieve a preparedness that conditions them to serve in any location and perform any duty in defense of the United States of America. My associations range from battle-hardened veterans to recruits fresh out of boot camp. Each is necessary to the other; the veteran's example is vital in the teaching of the recruit, and the recruit is blessed to serve and learn under the veteran's leadership. The military person works and trains hard and, when not doing those things, plays hard; my story is intended to capture how that happens. Twenty-Three Days at Sea A Sailor's Story By DAVID BANAGIS Abbott Press Copyright © 2013 David Banagis All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4582-1116-3 Contents Acknowledgement............................................................xiiiForeword...................................................................xvChapter 1..................................................................Chapter 2..................................................................Chapter 3..................................................................Chapter 4..................................................................Chapter 5..................................................................Chapter 6..................................................................Chapter 7..................................................................Chapter 8..................................................................Chapter 9..................................................................Remembering Special People.................................................147Glossary of US Navy acronyms and abbreviations.............................151 CHAPTER 1 The high school grad On the 5th of June 1958 I became the first of seven siblings toactually graduate from high school. Just having a diploma fromOvid High School in Ovid, Michigan was a source of greatpride to my family. It was an indication that I had received somebreaks which my older brothers and sisters did not have. Leavingthe sheltered life of a student would bring me face-to-face withthe question of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Thedaunting task of taking charge of my own life's decisions was oneI handled with tactical procrastination when I granted myself sixmonths to mull it over. Ovid, a small farming community in central Michigan, did notoffer many opportunities for employment. A large number ofits youth would gravitate to the automobile factories in Flint orLansing. So it was natural that during those six months I wouldmake the rounds of the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navyrecruiting stations. Military service was attractive to me since myhigh school diploma, combined with being eighteen years of age,made me a hot commodity. I ruled out applying for college since Ihad not proven myself as a student and I did not have the personalconfidence to challenge myself academically. My main reason for choosing the Navy was due to many of myfriends having gone that route ahead of me. The general consensuswas that the best opportunities were with the Navy, thus makingthe Navy the winner of the Dave Banagis Sweepstakes. The decision had been made and I would be enlisting right afterChristmas. First try, December 1958 A day or two after Christmas, 1958, my buddy, Alan Lawrence,and I were driven to Detroit where we would be processed forenlistment into the Navy. During the ride to Detroit our recruiter, Chief Springer, continuedto feed us stories of how great the Navy was going to be. It wasas though he wanted to reinforce everything he had pitched tous and motivate us to not get cold feet and back out. It musthave worked (at least on me), as I passed the physical and mentalexams and was poised by late afternoon to raise my hand, repeatthe obligatory oath and be on my way to the Recruit TrainingCommand (RTC) at Great Lakes, Illinois. There were a coupleof catches, however. My buddy, Alan, did not pass the physical and would not beenlisting with me. The other catch was that people who hadscored lower than myself on the written test and were labeled asGroup II were sent out ahead of Group I. This infuriated ChiefSpringer, but, despite his protests, I found myself returning homewhile receiving every imaginable promise from the Chief that Iwould be accepted for enlistment after New Year's and he wouldnot leave Detroit until I was on the train to RTC Great Lakes. It was a bit awkward to walk through the door at home. I hadsaid my good byes and would have to do it again in a few days.Besides, my folks probably had plans for my bedroom and havingme back would delay those plans. Nevertheless, they did seemhappy to see me. Seco