Navy Deployment Shopping

USS Sellers (DDG-11) 1971 Mediterranean Cruise.  I was a YN1.

We were homeported in Charleston, S.C. and during the deployment I used the opportunity o conduct some onboard shopping.  The Armed Forces Exchange System had a list of approved Vendors who would visit ships and sell merchandise to the Sailors.  Some would be delivered while inport and some would be shipped to an address in the USA depending what was purchased.

During one port visit a Shipmate ordered a custom tailored leather trousers for $150.00 which was to be delivered on the morning of our departure.  Unfortunately the Sailor had spend his funds on Liberty so the Vendor was looking for anyone to purchase the trousers at the reduced price of $75.00.  Fortunately I had the same body profile and the cash so I purchased them.

I also purchased a set of china and crystal as well as a set of stainless steel flatware.  This was shipped to me and arrived after I returned to Charleston.

This is just one square of a corn husk floor matt which I purchased and took delivery before we left port.  There are fifteen squares in this, five squares long and three squares wide.  I do not recall what  paid for this, however I suspect that it was a great value.  

While we were in Athens, Greece I frequently went on Liberty and visited the Daphne Wine Festival.  We were in port for 30 days during September and also anchored out in the harbor.  So we had to catch the Liberty Launch to return to the ship.  This was a 26 foot Motor Whale Boat.  However at the Fleet Landing there was a Merchant who sold urns to us Sailors.  The price always was $5.00 cash.  I ended up purchasing a total of five.  The two shown here are what I have left.  Two were given away and was broken.  I was able to store these urns in the Commodore's Shower for the Trip back to Charleston.  We did not have an embarked Staff for this trip.

In summary I think I enjoyed the shopping opportunities I had while on this Cruise as part of the U. S. Sixth Fleet.

USS Hull (DD-945.  1978 Western Pacific Cruise.  I was a YNC.  The Hull was homeported in San Diego, CA.  I purchased the following and took delivery while on the Cruise so there was no waiting for the shipments to arrive once back in the USA.

The USS Hull had a proto type eight inch gun for test and evaluation while I served in her!!

This was the WestPac Gift that I purchased for My Wife.

This is a reproduction of the "Flying Cloud" of 1869.

The U. S. Navy Exchange in Subic Bay, the Philippines had a great selection of Hand Made Wicker Furniture.  I was able to purchase ten items for less than $225.00.  The Exchange delivered it to the ship in a Sunday afternoon just before we departed to return to CONUS (Continental United States).  I was able to put this in the Captain's Sea Cabin just behind the Bridge for the return trip Home.  The Captain never used the Sea Cabin and I hoped that we would not go to War so my Stash of Wicker would go undetected.  The Officers were all at the Club for a Party and the Wicker was loaded onboard undetected by any Officers assigned to Hull.  The Wicker traveled well and once we returned to San Diego it was offloaded while we were pier side during the Afternoon we returned.  Once again, there were no Officers on Board.  Some Chiefs and a few  Sailors assisted me and I was able to get all this WestPac loot to our Home in South San Diego with one pickup load.  It was a large load, yet light weight, but well secured with ropes which I most likely borrowed from the Hull.

Again, a Navy Cruise with plenty of shopping opportunities which I enjoyed!!

I post this today, 9 November 2020 to point out the excellent opportunities that we who serve in our Nation's Military have to shop overseas while on deployments.  The separations were a challenge, but there is some reward!!

 

We Remember in Bibb County

Georgia

As we look forward to observing Veterans Day 2020 I took the opportunity to visit a very simple, yet timely site on the Dixie Highway, which we know as Highway 41 from Macon to Bolingbroke, Georgia.  These six markers are between Broadleaf Drive and Fairmont Drive less than one mile Northwest of the Bass/Foster Road intersection with Highway 41.  The most recognized landmark is Martha Bowman United Methodist Church.   As you travel to Bolingbroke these special markers are on the right side of the road.  In order to learn about the orgin of these markers I conducted some research.  Here is what I found:

Memorial Day and the Dixie Highway Road of Rememberance

A remnant of the Road of Remembrance is located on US 19/41(Forsyth Road) just north of downtown Macon. These memorial markers were installed by the Dixie Highway Women's Auxiliary of Bibb County in 1927 to honor the veterans of World War I. Memorials placed along Houston Road, south of Macon, were later removed during roadwork and are now housed in the Porter-Ellis Community Center.

May 27, 2014

Here are several pictures that I took today, November 8th as I prepared to make this post.  I was able to get close up photos of each Heroes Plaque on these marker post which were appropriately honored with a small U. S. Flag. You will be able to read the names and the organization of each Hero.

I do not know who places the Flags on these Markers, however a Thank You is appropriate.  "Thank You." 

I think You can click on each photo and view it in a larger format.   

I suggest that you take the short trip out U. S. Highway 41 and view this emotional tribute for yourself.  

 

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 Remember!

For more than ten years I have visited this Cemetery in Crawford County, Georgia.  It is a small one just West of Highway Marker 6 on U. S. Highway 80  This is also West of Roberta, Georgia.  The Mailbox across the street indicates that it is 4333 U. S. Highway 80.  During My visit today I observed a new Marker:

You an quickly determine that Young Samuel served in the Confederate State of America Army.  The inscription on the Marker reads:

Samuel A Kendrick

CO. E.

6 GA INF

C.S.A.

1842 -1862

There is also one more Marker in this Cemetery that looks like this:

The edge of the Marker indicates 1847 - 1924.

Prior to publishing this Post I conducted some research and found this on the U. S. Senate Page:

Civil War Veterans in the Senate

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In the years following the Civil War, more than 150 Union and Confederate veterans served as United States senators, helping to chart the nation’s course well into the 20th century.

The last Union veteran, and the last Civil War veteran, to serve in the United States Senate was Francis E. Warren of Wyoming. Warren earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for disabling a Confederate artillery as a young soldier at the 1863 Seige of Port Hudson, La. In 1890 he became one of Wyoming’s first two senators. Warren is credited as being the first senator to hire a woman to a professional Senate staff position, as well as the first senator to hire an African American to the Senate’s professional staff. He was the Senate’s longest-serving member when he died in office in 1929, at age 85.

Charles S. Thomas of Colorado was the last Confederate veteran to serve in the Senate. Born in Georgia, he served briefly as a teenager in the Confederate Army. He settled in Denver after the war, where he built a law practice and pursued a Senate career. Following three failed attempts to gain a Senate seat, the 63-year-old Thomas finally became a U.S. senator in 1913, a position he held until 1921. During his years in the Senate, Thomas became known for a rather unconventional habit that marked the arrival of springtime in the Senate Chamber.

I share this information simply to inform the readers here that these individuals were allowed to serve their country after the Civil War.

Here are a few more pictures of this Cemetery which according to the Right of Way Markers is about 50 feet wide and about 150 feet long.  There are only two markers that I could see.