Reinstated My Cherished Gift

{bitem: 3606721}

It was January 1979, we had one more month before we reach US Naval Station San Diego, California. I'm sitting at the "B" side monitor station of our after Mark 10 Terrier Guided Missile launching system. My arms are crossed, I'm still disgusted and yet laughing inside as I watch the mayhem going on all around me. All of the ship's senior officers are gathered around helpless and frustrated. A squad of Marines have been topside for hours already. The senior Gunners mate Missileman (GMM for short) Petty Officers are frenzied, running around looking into cabinets, grabbing and searching a multitude of technical manuals try to fix the launching system.
We've been on loading missiles since early this morning. It's now about 6PM, 1800, and the last two missiles are assemble but stuck on their hosts! Both of them! The launching system has two rails (an "A" side and a "B" side) and able to fire dual-salvos of missiles. The system has two "rings" of missiles below deck. These rings are like the chamber ring of a revolver. Except the launcher holds twenty missiles in each ring.
Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder,! It's my newly assigned division Officer, Lt Santana. "You're a specialized technician on this system aren't you?" "Yes sir!", I quipped, with my arms still folded. "Then why are you just sitting there like this?" "You need to get over there and give them a hand with fixing this damn system!" "But sir, I'm just a lowly Seaman, I'll let all those Petty Officers figure it out!"
"Now listen here sailor!" "I had no part in you getting busted to seaman." "I'm the new guy, remember?"
"I didn't get Lt Magbee in trouble!" "He did that all his own too." First of all, he was prejudice against Mullinex and I reported him to the Captain." "The Captain didn't do one thing!" "All he did was tell me about how great a' wrestler Magbee was at the academy! Crazy!" And when Lt Magbee found out that I was going to be a witness for Mullinex at his Captain's Mast he told me that my word wouldn't be worth a "s***" up there!"
So, when the captain asked for witnesses, they called for me, Gunnersmate 2nd Class Petty officer Frances. The Captain then asked, "Well, Petty Officer Frances. What do have to say in this matter?"
I replied" Well Capt'n, when I signed onto be a witness for Mullinex, I thought that my words, as his superior, would have a bearing in the case. However, my division officer told me that my words, quote unquote, would not be worth a s*** up here! So, I now do not feel that I have anything further to say!"

Then LT. Magbee interrupts my history lesson and says, "Yes, yes I know all that I read the transcripts of the Captain's Mast and your subsequent bust and suspension of three months pay. However, that was then and this is now. Will you please get over there and see if you can assist?" "Aye Aye sir," I grumbled.

I peered over the each of the Petty Officers shoulders that were huddled around the main console, searching the technical manuals for answers.

I can understand why they might be too frenzied to think straight. After all, it has been a very long day already. Marines are topside guarding the missile load. All the seniors officers are huddled around the "A"side rail, helpless and dismayed at the lack of progress. Worse yet, there are two thirty-feet long missile stuck five feet in the air with only about six inches of brass holing each of them on the hoist that takes them down into the missile ring. In other words, neither of the missiles is safe and hanging securely on a railing system. The system failed after the hoist raised up high enough to push the missile from the rail onto the hoist. Then the rocker arm pulled the missile backward a foot to the "notched out" section of the railing so as the let the hoist lower the missile safely into the ring and lock it in place. IIt is just sitting there, on 6 inches on brass resting on a hoist! Then they tried the "B" side the same thing happened!"

"How can two seemingly independent railing systems fail the same way at the same time?" The Chief frustratingly asked as I was grabbing the system's "last to close, first to open" relay troubleshooting guide. "I have no idea Chief," I calmly replied. In addition, I do not care; I plan on fixing one side at a time. And if it's the same failure then good. But if not, once I fox the "A" side, I'll troubleshoot the "B" side. I grabbed two can relays out of the cabinet and told the Chief that I was going below to replace the parts. I scurried down the ladder as quickly as possible. Once replaced the hoist on the "A" side moved down as designed to the cheers of everyone. I smiled a bit but hurried over the "B" side in hopes that would fix it too and yee ha! It surely did!
When I made it topside, everyone was standing in line, cheering, patting me on the back, shaking my hand! It felt great. Chief Dezi was the last one in line, he was bright-eyed, proud, grateful held out his right hand to shake mine and grabbed my shoulder with the other and said, well done sailor, well done!

"Seaman Frances reporting as ordered sir." I announced as I stepped onto the bridge. Ok, Seaman Frances let's step out on the bridge wing, commanded the Captain.

"That was one hell of a job you did down there today sailor!" Thank you sir, I replied as I waited for the "but, and then the hammer. "I looked at you service record while we were getting underway." "You are a complicated young man." Meritorious advancement out of boot camp, you doubled the minimum required scores for advancing to Seamen and 3rd class Petty Officer. Then nearly doubled the minimum score for 2nd Class! You were 2nd in ranking in both your "A" school and "C" Advanced missile launching school. Good s***!" Then he became more formal saying, "Listen Frances, I've decided to reinstate your rank back to 2nd Class Petty officer, give you all of the pay that was taken from you. In addition, I'm going to tear up all of this nonsense s*** with the bag of shrimp and with you and Lt Magbee."

Still in shock I said, "Sir, you've got to be kidding me! Right? You're just kidding me?" He sadly replied, I figured you would say that. Anyway, I have reinstated everything. I know you muster out in about nine months, isn't that right sailor? Yes sir. Well, you have plenty of time to think it over. Dismissed. And again. Thank you.

Whenever I get in a jam, or start to think things are not working out. I go back to a time, a very brief time; I was actually respected, appreciated and better still, like for me just being myself.