41715

JasmineHuntSilva
InterviewofJimMosteller
Humanities
Jasmine
Alrighty,so,whatisyourname?

Jim
JimMosteller

Jasmine
Whatserviceofmilitaryhaveyoubeenin?

Jim
Iwasinthenavy,activedutyandreserved.

Jasmine
Whatisthat?

Jim
Well,aftercollege,Iwentintothenavy,Iwenttoofficercandidateschool.Becameanofficer.
Servedforaboutthreeandhalfyears,activeduty.Andthenthechoicewaseitheryoustayinorgetout.I
didgetout.Igotaninetofivejobintheoutsideworld,butIstayedintheReserves,andstayinginthe
NavalReserves,whichisweekends,parttimedoingoftwoweeksayearduringthesummer.Thatkindof
thing.Andthatway,youreabletolooktowardretirementintheNavy,butnotasactiveduty,whichis
calledReserveDuty.SoIwasinthatforthirtyyearsandIretiredfromtheNavy,butasaReserveOfficer.

Jasmine
Howoldareyou?

Jim
74

Jasmine
Wherewereyouborn?

Jim
FortRiley,Kansas,mydad(wasinthe)army,soIwasanarmybrat,asIwasbeingraisedasIwas
growingup.

Jasmine
Whatisyourfamilylife?

Jim
Well,ah,mywifeandIhavebeenmarried(for)52years.Wehavethreechildrenandfive
grandchildren.Welivedhereintownformanymanyyearsnow,butnotbornhereinitially,beenherefora
verylongtime.Andourthreechildren,Ihaveanolderdaughter,upinthebayarea,inMonterey,andtwo
sonsupinNorthCountyhereinthe(unclear)andthegrandchildrenaretheirs.

Jasmine
WhendidyoumovetoSanDiego?

Jim
Whendidwefirstmove?

Jasmine
Yes.

Jim
Well,initiallyrightafter,rightaftercollege,in1963IbecameanofficerintheNavy,andgot
assignedouthereonboardonaDestroyeronabasehere,inSanDiego.ImfromtheEastCoast,initially
Florida.(Iwas)herefrom63to66,well,thatswhenIleftforPennsylvania.Workedforacivilianfirm
andtheNavyReservesinPennsylvaniaforaboutnineyears.Andthenin75Igotatransferredbackhere,
beenhereeversince.Socombined,timeinthearea,beenhereforabit.

Jasmine
Whydidyoujointhemilitary?

Jim
Well,Ihavetoadmititreally,probablytwofactors,one,Iwasraisedinthemilitary,mydadwas(in
the)army,mygrandfather,mygreatgrandfather,mygranddaughter,uncle,stepdaughter,allinthe
military,sothatwasaviablecareerchoiceIsortaknewaboutit,Ilivedit.Rather,Ihadreceiveda
BachelorDegreeinEconomics.IdidwanttobeanEconomist,soIthought,well,letmetakeafewyears
off.Gooutandgetsomeexperiencefromtheworld.Getsmoreexperience,seeifIcansortafind
somethingthatIwouldreallyenjoydoing.Asitturnedout,Idid,becauseIactually,welldataprocessing,
whichiscomputers.Whichiscomingalongasitsinsystems,youknowNASAsystemsthesizeofrooms
andallthatsortathing.Butprobablyhavelessstrengththanyoursmartphone,thatsitsoverallpower.Its
true!*chuckles*Butitwasjustbeginningtocomealong,companieswerebeginningtousethemandin
basicallyalltheirfunctionswithcomputers.AndIbecameinterestedinthat,actuallyintheNavy,forthe
exposurewiththesystems,enjoyedit.SowhenIlefttheNavyIlookedforpositionsinthedataprocessing
andthenIworkedindataprocessingforninetofivejob.Forbasicallyalltherestofmylife.

Jasmine
Soyouwentintothemilitarybecause(of)computers?

Jim
Combinationof,itwasachoice,thatwas,Iknewaboutinmyfamily,afamiliaroption.Andagainit
gavemeachancetospendsometimesortofexploringsomeotherthingsbesidesjustwhatIstudiedin
college.AndIguessthereisathirdfactor,too.Itsortoftookitsownshapelater.Ithink,well,Idont
mind,thatpeoplesupporttheircountry.
Anoldsayingisthatfreedomisntfree,ittakespeoplewhoare
willing,todefendit.
YouknowIlovethetagline,youveseenthis,ifyourereadingthisthankateacher.
Anditsabsolutelytrue,butthatshalfofit.
Ifyourereadingthisthankateacher,ifyourereadingthisin
English,thankasoldier.*Pauses*NotGerman,notJapanese,notRussian...English.Defendingthe
country,allowingittocontinuethewaythatithas.Not,juststandingby,watchingitbedefeatedand
overrunned,changing,andsomedefense.
Yeah,Ithinkisappropriateforpeopletoperform.Ididntmind
thatatallIthoughtitwasfunthatIcanhaveaparttimejobasaReservistandall,thatsupportedthat
kindofthingandhelpdefendthecountry.Sothatsjustalittle,littleicingonthecake.

Jasmine
*laughs*Alrighty,whatwereyourfirstthoughtsaboutwarandmilitary?Hasthatchanged?

Jim
Aboutwarandmilitary?

Jasmine
Yes.

Jim
Welltheactualtiming,thatwentonwithmyservice,Iwasneverinafightingwar.IwasintheNavy
beforeVietnamheatedup,justayearortwo.WehadatourontheDestroyeroverintheWesternPacific,

notinvolvedatallwithVietnam,ithadnotyetjustflaredup.So,wedidntgoincountry,didntgoin
Vietnamandthen,becauseIwasonlyactiveforthreeyears,inmyreservedtimewhichdidtraining
aroundtheU.S.areaandsomeoutlinefringeareainthelastmentsofwar.SoIneverreallyexperiencedit
myself,waritself.Itdidntaffectmepersonallythewayit(did)toalotoffolksthatwere.Thatactually
livedthroughit,survivedit.Allofthat,sowhatdidIsay?
Ithinkitsstillanecessaryingredientfora
countrytohavepeoplewhoarewillingtodefendit.

Tomaintainwhatwejusttakeforgranted,itssonice
totakeitforgranted,andyetitsnotfree.Ittakespeoplestanding,guardingit,defendingitandthenyou
gotit.Youcanenjoyit.Itsgreat.
SoIdontthinkanythinghasreallychanged,maybemyperspective
insteadofayoungmanIhavebecomeanolderman.
Sowhatthebasicprinciplesaboutwaris,itsterrible,
warisdefinitelysomethingyoudonotwant,itsaterriblething,sometimesyoureforcedtodoit.Attackin
PearlHarbor,etc,etc,etc
and(unclear).
So,andyouhavetoactonthat,ifyoudont,youcanbe
overrunnedandcanchangeawfully.
So,youknow,IthinkIveheardaquote,theUnitedStateswasnever
involvedina,startedtobeinvolvedinawarbecauseitwastoostrong...Itstheperceptionofothersthat
theU.S.isweakenoughthattheycansucceediftheyattack.*Pauses*
Andsokeepingastrongdefenseis
thebestdeterrentagainsthaving,eventhoseattemptsstartingtobemadeagainstus(unclear).Keepinga
strongdefenseisthebestwayeveryonekeepstheirfingersoffyouknow
likea(unclear)andso,andit
didntreallybasicallychangemyexperiences,myexperiencedidntchangemysenseofwhatthewarand
militaryareabout,ithelpedfirmupsome(unclear)butIthinkitsbeenprettyconstant.

Jasmine
Alrighty,whathasreallyopenyoureyesthroughyourexperiences?

Jim
*Contemplatesforabit*Thesamethingthatanyonewouldsay,whethertheircareerinthemilitary
ornot,justlife.
Asyougothroughanexperience,yousee,moreaboutlifeandlearnmoreaboutit.Learn
moreaboutpeople,thegoodandthebad.Andinthemilitary,itsthesame,Imnotsureifthatsany
particulardifferencethere.

Andasyearspass,youdogainperspectiveaboutthings,*Comtemplates*that
helpsyoudo...Putsomeunderstandingintowhatyouseeandexperienced.
So...Again,Idontthinkthe
militaryisparticularlydifferent,sometimesthelessonsarealittlemoreabrupt,alittleharsher.Ifyourein
apotholeandyourfriendnexttoyougetsshot,anddied,rightthere.Thatsalittlemoreabruptthanmost
peopleintheaccountingdepartmenthavetogothrough.*Chuckles*Ok?
Forgranted,butitsstill,asyou
seelifeunfolding,you,yougainsomeexperiencejustinknowinghowto,readwhatyou,howtointerpret
whatyour,whatyousee,whatyouexperience.Sothatsaboutthesame.

Jasmine
Ok,whydopeoplefight?

Jim
*Contemplatesforabit*Oh,ifyouknewarealanswertothat.*Thinksharder*
Figure,iftheyneed
tofightyoufirst,beforeyoufightthem.ThatswhatImsayingreallystartssomething,becausetheythink
yourewouldnt,becausetheyreforcedintoit,ohgosh,(unclear)itsnotthebrightestdecisioninthe
world.It(war)doesntreallysolve,solvedanything.It...Causesmorepainandproblems,Ithinkthanit
resolves,butits...Itsbeenwithusforever.Probablyalwayswill
.As...Whenpeoplecomeout...
Youthhas
the,certaintytheyretherightandtheyhave...Theyhavetheabilitytotriumph.AndsometimestheydoI
guess...Itsjusta,roughwaytogoaboutit,itsdoesntreallygettotherootcauseofdissatisfaction,the
injusticeness,whatevertheyretryingtoovercome.Thereoughttobebetterwaysofdoingthat.Waris

kindofthelastresort...Itsanextremelyformofforeignpolicy,which,whichleavesalotofbodiesinthe
way.

Jasmine
Whatotherwaysdoyouthinkthatpeoplecanresolvetheirproblems?

Jim
*Sighs*Iknowitsoundsidealistic...Talking.Understanding.Tryingtoseewheretheotherperson
is.
Whatforcesareapplyingonthem,forcingthemtogetdesperateenoughtothreaten,andthen,ifthere
isaway,trytofindtheway.

Ithinkthereisprobablyisalmostalwaysis,youhaveto,haveeveryoneaccept
ittofindotherwaysthatcaneasethepressure,solveaproblem,putabalanceintoarelationship,national
relationships,internationalrelationshipsthatcansolveproblemsandeasethattenseotherwiseisforcing
peopleintoviolence.

Jasmine
Doyou...WhatwasIgoingtosay?...Whatdoyouthinkwillhappenifthereisnowar?

Jim
*Thinksandsighs*Wellthatworksonafewlevels,iftherewasnowar,youmeanwarthatdidnt
happen..anymore?Just,endofwar?

Jasmine
Mmhmm.

Jim
Wowthatsanidealworld.

*Photographerlaughs*

Jim
Because,well,actually,werewereananimal,wereactuallyahumananimalthathasalways,edge
oneextremehasedgedintoviolenceandourreactioninresponseallthetime.
Ithashappenedeversince
wepickedupaclub,didnthitthe(unclear)hitthenextguy,youknow,*laughs*fromthereoccasional
enemy.Weoftenmoveon.
Theresalwaysbeenwar,intheory,whichisareality,thattheresnowar.You
dontneedanyarmedforces.Youdonthavetospendtheresources,thepeople,toprovideprotective
forces,equipmentandpeople,becauseyoudonthavetodefendanything.Youonlyhavetodefendagainst
violentconfrontation.
Stillhavetodefendyourselfeconomically,andallsortsofwayswehavetoholdup
ournationalrights.
Inpractice,practicalitynow,Ithinkthewayyouavoidtherebeingwar,asIsaid,be
strongenough,youperceiveandhavetheactualitythatyouhavetheresourcestofrontanythingthat
comes,sopeoplewonteventry...Andjustmaintainstrength.
Thecountrynevergotpulledintothewar
beingtoostrong.Itsbecausetheyreperceivedasbeingtooweak.Sothatswhythewarstarts.Some
peopleobtaintheirstrongposition,thatsamorepracticalanswer.
Imeanintheidealworld,allthe
butterflies,youknow,flyingaround,(unclear)warcannothappenanymore.Disbandthearmforces,one
ofthem.Inpracticethough,itdoesnt,itwonthappenthatwaybecauseweregivenit.

Jasmine
Whatdidyouhavetoadjustduringandafterthemilitary?

Jim
*sighsandthinks*Imreally...Sortastuck...
Answeringthisbecauseasyougrow,yougothrough
lifeexperiencingbeinginthemilitaryornotinthemilitary.Experiencegivesyoumaturitythatgivesyoua
basicunderstandingofthings.That,thatimpactsyou.Itaffectsyour(unclear)youcanexperienceallyour

youthyouwere,youknow?

Yougoexperience,gainperspective,information,knowledge,wisdom...
*thinks*So,thesamething,samethingwiththemilitaryisexperiencethere.Itsjustanotherjob,when
youspecializein,adifferentkindofreading,differentkindoftools,youknow?

Butstilltheexperience
throughlife,matureasthepersongetsthenIthinkadeeperperspective,anunderstandingofwhatsgoing
onaroundthemandall.
AndImnotsure,again,thatthemilitarywasanydifferent.MaybebecauseIdo
notknowdirectlyknowcombat,Iwasntonthefieldwitharifle.Ihonestlydontknowhowanexperience
likethat,mightimpactpeople.ButitsbecauseIreallydontknowthat,Icantanswerthat.
Ijustthink,as
theyearsprogressyougain,yougainanensuring,yougainexperiencethatreflectsitselfasamoremature
outlet.
ThenIthinkthemilitarywastheverysamething,inmyparticularcaseitwasmyexposuretodata
processingtocomputers.Ihadntbeenexposedtothatbefore,collegedidntteachmeinschool,whenI
wasthere.FirstexperiencewasintheNavy,itwasjustthejobthatfeaturedtheoccupationfieldthatIwas
inmywholelife.
So,asfarasithowtogetinthemilitaryasafactorinacertainchangeorchangesImade,
iftherewasanythingmore,moredifferentthantheexperienceofgoingthroughlifeandagingwithchange
ofperspective.ThatwaswhatIwasgonnasay.

Jasmine
Whileyouwereonactiveduty,wereyoualwaysonthedestroyer?

Jim
No,(Iwas)onforaboutthefirstyear.Iwas,wehadwestpacdeployment.OneweekafterI,afterthe
shiphadleftSanDiegoandwasoveraroundChinaandJapan.AndthePhilippines,about8monthstotal.
And,andwereturned,hadtogointotheyardandfixthe,amajorproblemwiththeship.Then,atthat
pointtheshipIwason,itwasanoldone,itwasinWorldWarII,itsufferedamajorcasualtyandwentto
theyardtofixit.ButthentheshipwasmovedintotheReservedfleet,thatmeansinsteadofbeingan
active,activedutyship,itwasmovedoverandbecameashipthatReservistwouldcomeaboardandtrain
on.Youwouldbeinportmostofthetime.Youwouldgooncruises,withtheReservecrewonthe
weekendsorsomethinglikethat.Andyouwouldntneedasmanypeopleontheship.SoIwastransferred
offatthatpointandIwasmovedintoaresearchjobthatuseddataprocessing,ofallthings,outinPoint
Loma,notfarfromhere,manyyearsago.So,aboutalmostyear...Alittleoverayear,IwasatanRandD
centeroutthere.AndthenwhenIwastransferredfromthere,somewhereelse.ThatwaswhenI,optedto
getoutoftheNavyasanactivedutyandstayinasaReservist.Parttimeontheweekendsandstuff.Thats
whatIdidformanyyearslater.

Jasmine
Whatwaslifelikeontheship?

Jim
*sighs*Verybusy,Iwasbrandnewatthis,so,asJuniorOfficerandallthejunkjobs,youknow?Ok,
ok,youdoit.*laughs*ButsoIhadadivisionthatwasaworkgroup,itwasthegunnery,themainguns,
andthefirecontrol.Itstheradarthatcontrolstheguns,theaimsandtargetandeverything.So,those
werethefunctionsandtheillicitandthechiefsandallwhointhatfunction,theyworkedforme,Iwas
theirdivisionofficer.Andtheresalotofadminandalotofformsyousign,alotofthingslikethat,also
theguidance,thatkindofthing.Andadditiontoyourworkandjobinthatdivision,Istoodwatches,that
meanstheykeepthebridgewatch,wheretheydrivetheshipthebridgeisupthere,wherethewheelisand
theycontroltheship.Theofficerofthedeck,theonewhoiscontrollingtheshipandwatchfor4hours.
AndsoIhadthosewatchesandtherewasaplacecalledCombatInformationCenter,CIC,thatiswhere
theradarsare,andthewholetacticalpictureandtheresanofficeralwaysonwatchthere.SoIwouldbeon

watchfor4hoursandofffor8hours,therewas3watchshifts,3watchesisIdbeenonfor4,offfor8,on
for4,offfor8,allthetime.Thatsanadditiondoingyourworkwithyourdivisioninthereyoumightwant
togetalittlesleep,youknow?*everyonechuckles*Whataconcept,right?Andso,yourealwaystired,
yourealwaysup,youknow?Becauseyoureworking,betweenthewatchesandthenyourdivisionwork.
Andthejournalsthatpracticesyouvebeenthrough,evenwhenyourenotonwatch.youhavetotrainthe,
thecrewtohandletheguns,andallthethingstheydo,theresamachineyouusedtoloadpracticerounds,
howfastcanyouloadtheminandcyclethroughthefiringthe,thetinfiringofagunandgetthenext
roundintherereadytogo.Soallthatsmanualnow,andnowadaysitsautomatic,youknowthereare
machinesbuilttobringupthecartridgestoshootem.Thiswasallmanualbackthen.
So,Ijustalways
rememberbeingtired.*everyonelaughs*Butitwas,itwasfun.Lookingbackonit,itwasmorefunthanit
wasatthetime.*chuckles*Itwasagreatexperience,ImreallygladIwentthroughit.

Jasmine
*murmurs*Thatsgood.

Jim
Ithinkeveryonewho...FirstthatsintheNavy,joinstheNavy,needstohave,theirfirstexperience
onaship,youlearnwhattheNavysabouthowlifeisonaship.Thenyoumayhavesomespeciality,you
transferoff,youdothespeciality,butyoucanrelatebackto,youknowwhattheshiplifeislike.Alotof
peoplegointotheNavy,pickaspeciality,exercisethatspeciality,andhaveneverbeentosea.Andthen
(havea)hardrelatingtowhatsuseful,andwhatisntusefultoashipatsea.
Ithinkitsawonderfulskill.
ActuallyIdid,whenIwentintotheReserves,IdidnotstayintheshipNavy,thedestroyerNavy,Igotinto
acompletelydifferentarea,calledNavalSecurity.Codesandciphers,itscryptologicstuff,forneededalot,
foralotofthetrainingandoverseastouchingbasesthatweredoingthatkindofwork.Itsallverytop
secretandallthatsortofthing,butIreallyfounditinterestingbecauseitdoesusecomputers,ina
completelydifferentway,thanthebusinessworldusesit.ButIfoundsomeareasoverlapped,areasofa,
youknow,whereIhadsomeexperienceinthebusinessworldwasapluswiththeNavy,thenIlearned
somethingsintheNavythatwerehelpfulbackinthebusinessworld,so,itwasoverlapped.

Jasmine
Doyouhaveanyadvicehowtoovercomechallenges?

Jim
*blowsoutthroughmouth,thinking*Numberone,admityouhaveone.*laughs*Itssoeasy.
Everythingsfine!EverythingNo,nonono,first,doyou?Whatisit?
Yougottobeasaccurateas
youcan,toyourselfortoanother.Definingtheplus,theproblem,whatstheproblemhere?
NotjustthethingImaybeafraidof.Whatstheproblem?Whatsreallygoingon,thatneeds
tobefixasofrightnow?Defineit.Defineitproperly,completely,yourealreadyhalfwayto
theendofit.Itswhenyoudeny,youdontquiteunderstandthewholedepthofit,youdont
admitthewholedepthofit.Thatcouldbetheproblem.Itsmorethanactuallydoing
somethingaboutit.

Jasmine
Whatweresomechallengesthatyouhadtofacewhileyouwereontheship?

Jim
Well,beingabrandnewofficerrightoutoftheOCS,OfficerCandidateSchool,thatswhereyougot
theincentbarandyouknow,thebrandnewofficer.Dripdripdrip,wetbehindtheear.*imitatessweat
drippingbeingear**chuckles*SoIhadntbeenaboardaship,andallofthesudden,Boom!Imaaboard

ship,withadivisionthatsresponsible,thatImresponsibleforandthatlooksuptomeforguidance.
Yeah,themilitaryreallyisafastwaytomoveintoapositionthathasalotresponsibilitywithoutawhole
lotofbuilduptoit.
Youdontgetmuchofachanceto,youknow,youkindofhavetolearnonthefly.Kind
ofhavetodoittolearnit.Andsogettingto,again,forallthesefolks,almostofthemwasolderthanIwas,
moreexperienceofcourse,folksinmydivisionthatwereresponsibleformethough,Ihadtobetheir
advocatetospeakforwhatwasbotheringthemorwrong.ForthemtomysuperiorsandseeifIcouldhelp
fixtheirproblem.
Andjustunderstanding,takingthatresponsibilityonrightfromtheverybeginning,you
know,andgetachancetoworkintoitslowly.Notjust,
splush
,throwitin.Thatwasprobablythemost
challenging.

Jasmine
Whatweresomeexperiencesthatyourememberveryvaguely?Wellnotvaguely...Clearly?

Jim
Clearly.Distinctly.

Jasmine
Yes.*laughs*Distinctly.

Jim
Well,therewereafewadventures.We,twomonths,ofthemonthswewereinwestpac,wewereon,
whatsitcalled?Travelingpatrol,theU.S.Navyatthattimewashavingadestroyergoupanddownthat
bitofoceanbetweenTaiwanandmostofitwaswheretheNationalistChinesemovedoffthemainland,
whenthecommunistgotthemainlandChina.Andcommunistwereonthemainland.Soyougotthe
nationalist,Chinese,andcommunistChinese,there'sbeenastraceinthewaterbetweenthetwoofthem.
Kindofaneutralelement,nomanslandbetweenthesestwosides.That,theycomesocloseinsomecases
theyhaveexchangedfirebackandforth.ButwesortofhavingbeenguardingthenationalistChineseon
formostof,totell,themainlandChinese,thecommunist,dontmesswiththesepeople,leavethemalone.
Dontinvadeandconquerthem,causeweregoingtosupportthem.So,fortwomonths,onemonthata
time,wewould
puttputtputt
upanddownthestripveryslowly.Withourgunsmount,mannedofftothe
side,soitwasboringdutyinaway,eventhoughwewererighttherebetweenthesetwosides,*interviewer
agrees*andwhilewewereoutthereonenationalistChinese,thesewerethenoncommunistfrom,for
mostofthemhadactuallyoneoftheirairforceplanescrashoutintheocean.Theydidntknowwhereit
was.Theyhadapproximatelocation,theyaskedustosearchforthepilot.Thiswasajetatthetime,very
uptodatejet.Andso,thebeginningofrightthen,webeganasearchpattern,youhaveawayofstartingat
apoint,thelastpointknownwherelastknowntobe.Theresasearchpatternusedthatissupposetobea
waytocombthatarea.Andwewentintothatallnightintothenextmorning.Itwasabout9inthe
morning,wefoundtheliferaft.Hehadsurvived,theejectionoutofhisplane,brokehisarm,hisarmwas
broken,shatteredbecauseastheejectseatwentouthisarmwas...*interviewermakesgrimacingnoises*
But,weactuallybroughthimaboardandinaveryhighspeedrun,wewentbackintoFormosa,theship,it
wasaveryfastship,thoselittledestroyersfromWorldWarIItheycando,almost45milesperhour,thats
fastforabigship.Itkickeduparoostertail,youknowbackintothewaterasitgoesalong.Andwewere
justplowingandwegothimbackin.Turnsouthewasthehusbandof,probablythebestknownactress,
movieactressinFormosa,ofallthings.*laughs*

Jasmine
Wow.*amazed*

Jim
Pressweredownonthepierandeverythingastheytookhimofftothehospital,andwerescued
him.So,anadventureinaway,onourwayback,finally,toSanDiego.Wepulledintothemidwayisland.
ThestopfromtherewouldhavebeenHonolulu,PearlHarbor,andImentionedthattheshiphadamajor
causality,hadtogointotheyardswhenwegotbackhere.AndwhathappenedinWorldWarIItheship
hadtakenaKamikazehit,aftertheJapaneseaircrafthadgonethroughtheshipandpunchedaholeright
throughthebottom,buttheydidntsinkit.Theshiphadenoughwatertightdoors,theycloseditright
when,theyisolatedthedamage.Butwhathappenedthe,whattheycalledtheshaft.Thedryshaft,which
leadsbacktotheenginebacktothepropeller.Wehad2ofthem.Theygotjusttweekedoutoflineandthat
wasin1945.Okay?Andtheygotjusttweekedoutoflineenough,thatcomingonthistimein1963,from,
goingtoMidwaybacktoHawaiiitwasafullpowerone,itwassupposetogoasfastasyoucan.Andsowe
startedupandtheshaftsbroke.Andthatsabigdealwhenyourepropellershaftbreaks.Itaboutthatbig
ofround*makesacirclewithbothhands*andboom!Wow!*interviewerchuckles*Sowehadtopassa
wiredownaroundtokeepitfromshiftingonoutthereoneverythingwelimpedintoPearlHarborandin
theyardthatwasa,November23,63,Ithink,nono,22?Imnotsureoftheday,butitwasthedaythat
presidentKennedywasshot.AndIrememberbeingbackinthefantailandthis(unclear)andthiscranein
PearlHarborhadhookedontothepropellercausetheyhadremoveditfromtheshaftsowecangobackto
here.WiththesBecausethatsadrag,youknowifyoupullitthroughthewateritslowsyoudown.So
theyhaditupintheairandIhaveapicturetakenofthis,bigpropellerwayupintheairwiththiscrane.
Andovertheshipsloudspeakersystem.PresidentKennedyhasbeenshot.*pausesandblowsoutthrough
mouth*Itskindof,itskindofashocktohearthat.

Jasmine
Yeah...

Jim
Anyway,so,thoseweremomentousmoments,notallfunbutthingsIrememberclearly.