Lincoln -- Another memoir.
In the Summer of '63, I was given orders, as a member of the NROTC unit at the University of Nebraska, to report to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi for orientation and training. My classmates and I, along with those from other universities, spent three weeks there doing physical training (obstacle courses, swimming tests) and learning to fly the T-34 trainer. My trainer is pictured in the upper photo, below.
Our T-34 goals were achieved when, usually after four sessions with a flight instructor in the rear seat, we were able to take off, fly a prescribed pattern, and land without guidance or intervention from the instructor. If we liked to fly and wanted to become Navy pilots, that option would be open to us upon getting our commissions two years later.
To entice us, the Blue Angels came to Corpus and gave us a show. We later socialized with them at the officers' club. I was not sold on it.
From Corpus Christi we traveled to the Navy amphibious base in San Diego, California, for three weeks of orientation in Navy amphibious operations. Here we were instructed in the ways of the Marines, learned how to operate small boats (LCVPs, LCMs), and conducted an amphibious landing from an LST onto the beach at Camp Pendleton, up the coast. At Pendleton, we dug in overnight against a land attack and trained in helicopter assaults.
In the lower photo below, my cruise mates Peterson (looking away) and Moritz (facing), among about six of us, are preparing to land from inside a Marine helicopter. The weapon is the M-1. The Marines would not adopt the M-14 for another two years.
This was good training for those who would go on to serve in what was called the "gator navy" and for those who wanted to become Marine officers upon commissioning. I was not sold on the Marines, although I enjoyed training with them, even being bossed around the clock by a Marine gunnery sergeant. Challenging, all those runs on the beach in full pack.
