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Liberty Boats and Long Laughs: Sea Stories with Dave Knapp of the USS Towers
15 Plays2 months ago
In this episode of the World’s Finest Strike Podcast, host Patrick Riley reconnects with longtime shipmate Dave Knapp from the USS Towers (DDG-9). Together, they revisit life underway in the late '80s and early '90s—from crossing the Pacific and pulling into exotic ports, to the unforgettable liberty adventures in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Italy. Dave recounts his journey from boot camp to the USS Seattle and reflects on what it meant to serve as an Electronic Warfare Technician during one of the Navy’s most operationally intense periods.
This candid conversation covers everything from outrunning Liberty boats in Pattaya, laughing uncontrollably on Japanese trains, to the quirks of East vs. West Coast duty. Packed with humor, history, and heartfelt memories, this episode is a reminder of the bond that never fades between shipmates.
Ship served: USS Towers (DDG-9), USS Seattle (AOE-3)
Era: 1988–1994
Keywords: Navy Liberty, Sea Stories, Yokosuka, Hong Kong, EW Techs, USS Towers, Pattaya, 7th Fleet
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Origins of the Podcast
00:00:53
Patrick Riley
Oh, hey, Dave, good seeing you.
00:00:56
David
Hey, Patrick.
00:00:56
Patrick Riley
Yeah, thanks for joining. Yeah, it's, ah I was, I think, yeah, it's, I'm really excited to have you on.
00:00:58
David
Yeah, man. Appreciate it
00:01:04
Patrick Riley
we We've been talking for quite a while, so, and I do want to talk to people other than the Hewitt. It mentions the Hewitt earlier. And that's how I kind of came up with a the World's Finest Strike podcast. And when it said World's Finest Strike Destroyer, was like, crap, that's right.
00:01:20
Patrick Riley
i've I've said it so often that I forgot about the Destroyer part. And it's now the podcast. I've kind of just took over that name. So i I'll go with that.
00:01:29
David
Nice, awesome.
00:01:29
Patrick Riley
So, yeah, absolutely.
Meeting Dave Knapp and Military Service
00:01:31
Patrick Riley
Hey, I want to introduce everyone. This is Dave Knapp, one of my good friends from the USS Towers. I met you the first time in 1989 when I first got over to the the towers.
00:01:42
Patrick Riley
But if you could introduce yourself.
00:01:42
David
Yeah, about a minute.
00:01:47
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Of course, the dog's barking now. But yeah, you can introduce yourself.
00:01:52
David
Hey, yeah, thanks, Patrick. Yeah, Dave Knapp did six years in service. Like I said, met you on the towers back in 89. Served a towers for just under two years, right until we got decommed right there at the end of...
00:02:08
David
90 and uh we were we were ew's electronic warfare techs together uh so i headed back to uh to um c school a little bit earlier and you did you you went to the hewitt i went back to c school got my uh v2 and then i went up to uh uss seattle aoe3 up in new jersey did a couple years up there yeah and then finished up there that was a that was a beast man you know uh
00:02:23
Patrick Riley
Okay.
00:02:32
Patrick Riley
Oh, that's right. Okay.
00:02:39
David
that That ship, I forget what year, like one year, I think it was like maybe 92 or 93, we were the most underway in the fleet. It was that thing, we were always gone.
00:02:50
David
It was like always, always gone. It was crazy.
00:02:53
Patrick Riley
wow so you were you were out of new jersey and i know you came over to see me once when we were in norfolk when i was on the mount whitney so you pulled in
00:02:54
David
Yeah.
00:02:56
David
Yeah.
00:03:01
David
Yeah, I think I was down in school. I was going to a threat wreck school or one of those down in Damnek, right?
00:03:08
Patrick Riley
yep yeah yeah yeah i did one of those as well and since wow was already in norfolk it was easy just to get over there but
00:03:09
David
Yeah. Yeah. yeah
00:03:15
Patrick Riley
Oh, that's great. So how would you compare the West Coast
Port Experiences and Cultural Differences
00:03:20
Patrick Riley
to the East Coast? Because when you were out to sea on the AE, ah did you pull into ports a lot or was it similar to when we were on the towers, we were able to pull in?
00:03:30
Patrick Riley
How was it as a supply ship?
00:03:32
David
So we were a deep draft. So was a little different what ports were allowed to go to, kind of like a carrier's a deep draft. So a lot of our COs ended up being these wannabes that wanted to go to aircraft carriers to be COs there because we were deep draft.
00:03:39
Patrick Riley
Mm-hmm.
00:03:44
Patrick Riley
oh OK. Wow.
00:03:45
David
Plus we were a replenishment. So a lot of ports we were going to mostly were like had to have some sort of fueling capability. So
00:03:54
Patrick Riley
Mm-hmm.
00:03:54
David
like the one over in uh italy actually in sicily i can't quite remember the name of the port but it was a big refinery and that's where we pulled in but it was like it was 15 or 20 minute ride to town because uh you know it was just you know refuel refuel refuel yeah
00:04:09
Patrick Riley
wow
00:04:15
Patrick Riley
Yeah, I could definitely understand that. you know It would be a lot easier to get onto those ships that we were able to pull in. i think it was a nice thing when we were on the towers, we weren't with the battle group with the Midway and the Midway went on to on the Desert Storm.
00:04:29
Patrick Riley
So we stayed behind and in Japan, but we went pure side in Hong Kong, which is really unusual.
00:04:30
David
Yeah.
00:04:36
Patrick Riley
So that was pretty nice because we went, I think it was in October 89, we went to Hong Kong.
00:04:36
David
Yeah.
00:04:42
Patrick Riley
And we had to anchor out with everybody else. So yeah, taking those Liberty boats into Hong Kong. so ah Yeah,
00:04:50
David
Yeah. Just like in, uh, yeah, think, Thailand too, right. There was no place, no peers. We had to, we had to take the boats in and out.
00:04:57
Patrick Riley
exactly.
00:04:58
David
Yeah. Yeah.
00:04:59
Patrick Riley
Well, now I heard in Thailand, they do have a port close by. So it's in between Bangkok and Pattaya.
00:05:03
David
Oh, wow, really?
00:05:05
Patrick Riley
So they can go pure side and even cruise ships, ah cruise ships will pull into there and people can go either North to Bangkok or South to Pattaya. So we'll, we'll figure that one out later.
00:05:16
David
Wow.
00:05:16
Patrick Riley
We'll have to see how that, how that goes.
00:05:17
David
Yeah, that was interesting. Yeah.
00:05:20
Patrick Riley
But yeah, I remember those long boats that they had in Thailand and they had the, like the outrigger motors that went with the long shaft. And that's how they were able to get us in.
00:05:28
David
Yeah.
00:05:30
Patrick Riley
And we still had to wait in a little bit. They couldn't get us as close as I was. It would be nice, but.
00:05:35
David
It was nice, we took a couple of the speedboats. I remember, ah was his name, Keithley? Was it Keithley?
00:05:41
Patrick Riley
Yeah, Keithley, yeah.
00:05:41
David
right
00:05:42
Patrick Riley
Uh-huh.
00:05:42
David
Yeah, remember Jason? um remember me, him, Cicero, I forget whoever else, but we're like, because Cicero had been there. So he's like, oh, let's go get ah cool get a motorboat. I'm like, what? He's like, he's ah yeah, let's get one of these guys.
00:05:54
David
And they let him come up to the ship and we just hopped on. And the guy let Keithley drive the boat, like twin outboards.
00:05:58
Patrick Riley
Yep.
00:06:01
David
And we're just hauling ass up up to the pier.
00:06:02
Patrick Riley
Oh, wow.
00:06:05
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:06:05
David
Yeah, it's funny.
00:06:06
Patrick Riley
Oh, that's great.
00:06:07
David
But yeah, yeah.
00:06:07
Patrick Riley
Yeah. And it was funny. Have you heard from Keith Lee at all? Have you, I don't even know.
00:06:11
David
You know, so cicero Cicero went to my wedding when I got my first finding first wedding.
00:06:11
Patrick Riley
He just off. I mean,
00:06:18
Patrick Riley
Oh,
00:06:18
David
um But I haven't heard from Keith Lee. I haven't heard of Annie.
00:06:24
Patrick Riley
oh
00:06:25
David
You're like the only one.
00:06:27
Patrick Riley
Yeah, well, and that was the thing with, um I remember Keith Lee, him and I, and this is sort of the most etiquette things i always tell you about in Japan. It's like when you're on the trains, don't don't talk you' on your phone. Now you don't talk on your phone.
00:06:39
Patrick Riley
yeah but But back then we didn't have phones to really talk.
00:06:42
David
Yeah, didn't exist.
00:06:44
Patrick Riley
I remember him and I, ah we went to Tokyo and I think on the way back, we just started laughing. I don't know what happened, but we were laughing so hard, we were almost crying. And we were laughing about nothing.
00:06:56
Patrick Riley
And it was kind of embarrassing to kind of looking back on it now like, oh, we were a little ah unorthodox and kind of not what the culture was really doing, but we couldn't stop laughing.
00:07:06
Patrick Riley
It was a weirdest thing. like we And we weren't on any drugs, that was for sure. But
Journey to Japan and Off-Duty Adventures
00:07:11
Patrick Riley
um those weird things that we were on the the train.
00:07:11
David
Yeah.
00:07:14
Patrick Riley
But yeah, and the trains are pretty you know pretty cool still.
00:07:14
David
Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:17
Patrick Riley
I love ah you know taking those trains in Japan. because we don't have that around you know in uh in colorado or i think the closest thing you get is like chicago or new york with the different trains but uh yeah i remember yeah thailand was something else with the the boats
00:07:21
David
yeah Yeah.
00:07:29
David
Right. Yeah.
00:07:34
Patrick Riley
be able to get in there. I know we hit Caligula's, that was the one of the the bars, like you said, we were 20.
00:07:38
David
Yeah. Yeah. yeah
00:07:41
Patrick Riley
that was That was a little rough, they especially, I think I was 19, but oof.
00:07:44
David
Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:47
Patrick Riley
I think that was my first port of call too, outside of Japan.
00:07:48
David
Yeah.
00:07:50
David
Really? Was it?
00:07:52
Patrick Riley
Yeah. think we're on our way over to.
00:07:53
David
Yeah. Cause you, you came on you came on, uh, what?
00:07:54
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:07:57
David
Six months after I did or so, something like that. Maybe I got there and, um, let's see.
00:08:00
Patrick Riley
yeah
00:08:03
David
Um, December. It was like, it was new year's Eve. I think 88. Yeah.
00:08:12
David
It's crazy.
00:08:15
Patrick Riley
Oh, wow. Yeah, that sounds right. Yeah, yeah, that's that's perfect. So when did you join? When you go into the Navy?
00:08:22
David
I joined in April, April 88, right? right Did boot in Orlando and then went to a school over Pensacola and got done.
00:08:33
David
It was is weird. it got done right before Thanksgiving and I took an extended ah liberty because, you know, they going overseas, they allowed you to, you know, take ah an extra long vacation.
00:08:45
David
vacation there so did that and course getting getting there it was that was the worst trip ever I left the day after Christmas it took me five days five days it took me because ah left I left a fun out of Albany flew into Chicago into a snowstorm flights delayed had to spend the night Chicago
00:09:04
Patrick Riley
Oh, geez.
00:09:06
David
Flew to St. Louis, almost hit the, we're trying to land.
00:09:07
Patrick Riley
Mm-hmm.
00:09:10
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:09:11
David
The pilot had to pull up because the the crew was on the runway trying to clear snow. We almost ran to them.
00:09:18
Patrick Riley
wow
00:09:19
David
Went to Oakland mit because we were late.
00:09:22
David
I think I missed my flight. We were stuck in Oakland. Went from Oakland to Anchorage, had a short delay in Anchorage.
00:09:22
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:09:26
Patrick Riley
Mm-hmm.
00:09:30
David
And because I was delayed the first one, I missed my Mac flight.
00:09:31
Patrick Riley
Yep.
00:09:34
David
i was supposed to get a Mac flight. Missed that.
00:09:37
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:09:37
David
So Anchorage down to Okinawa. Had to spend the night overnight in Okinawa.
00:09:44
Patrick Riley
Oh, jeez.
00:09:44
David
Wait for another plane. And then up to Clark. And then I can't remember the last... Base we got to, but it was like it was like an hour and a half bus ride from Yakuska. And we had to spend the night because we had wait for the bus. We were sleeping on the just on the um the chairs, on the ground, whatever, dude.
00:10:02
David
It was crazy.
00:10:03
Patrick Riley
Wow.
00:10:03
David
It took five freaking days to get there.
00:10:06
Patrick Riley
Wow. So that was Yukota that you probably flew into close to Yakuza.
00:10:09
David
Yeah, that was probably the last one then.
00:10:10
Patrick Riley
Yukota.
00:10:11
David
Yeah, Yakota.
00:10:12
David
Yeah, yep.
00:10:12
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:10:13
Patrick Riley
Yeah, and I had it oh i had a little easier, but I mean, I kind of almost screwed it up on my own getting over to Japan because I was in Chicago already, so I just kind of knocked that little leg out that you had.
00:10:26
Patrick Riley
But when I got down to
00:10:30
Patrick Riley
to St. Louis, just like you, forgot my orders in the back of my buddy's car who dropped me off at the airport. So... My mom actually had to take the orders back up to Midway Airport in Chicago, paid for a flight.
00:10:47
Patrick Riley
So basically my orders sat next to the captain, flew down behind me because I actually, I think my flight was only $50 to get down to St. Louis. But it took, it cost $200 to fly the orders down.
00:11:00
Patrick Riley
So was like, oh my God. My mom's like, yeah, your orders were more expensive than you fly. And okay, great.
00:11:05
David
And you, that's funny.
00:11:06
Patrick Riley
But yeah, same thing. It went from St. Louis to Oakland, Anchorage, Anchorage, right into Dakota. And then the bus ride down.
00:11:15
David
Yeah.
00:11:15
Patrick Riley
But yeah, I didn't have any other delays besides what I almost.
00:11:17
David
Yeah. I had that extra trip down to Okinawa. Yeah. It was nuts.
00:11:21
Patrick Riley
Yeah, yeah.
00:11:22
David
But yeah, that was my experience getting there.
00:11:22
Patrick Riley
But yeah, like yeah.
00:11:24
David
Then I get there New Year's Eve and I don't know anybody. And I think, I don't even know who it was. It like, come hang out with us. I'm like, all right, whatever. It was crazy. Yeah.
00:11:35
Patrick Riley
That's great. So once you were on, I think you guys were out to sea before I was there. What was your first port of call that you went to?
00:11:47
David
Dude, you know, honestly, I really don't remember. ah It was probably
00:11:54
David
five five Philippines.
00:11:58
Patrick Riley
Okay.
00:11:58
David
Yeah, think it was.
00:11:59
Patrick Riley
Okay.
00:12:01
David
Yeah.
00:12:01
Patrick Riley
Yeah, because I know like where we were, went to the Philippines quite often. So that was definitely something we would do normally.
00:12:07
David
Yeah, we're always going to the PI. Yeah.
00:12:10
Patrick Riley
Yeah. And then Korea, we would go to Korea occasionally, not as often, especially for
00:12:16
David
Were you on when we when we went we went to towers went to Korea once
00:12:23
Patrick Riley
I'm trying to think, I'm the same way. Like, okay, I went to Korea several times. I think I probably did. I know I went on the Hewitt for sure. We did Team Spirit on the Hewitt.
00:12:31
David
Yeah, yeah Tassaboe I think we went to Sassaboe Sassaboe
00:12:34
Patrick Riley
And we went to Pusan and there was another one. Yeah, that one was a little different. Which one?
00:12:43
Patrick Riley
Sasibo's in Japan. So...
00:12:45
David
Oh, geez. why am i thin Why am I getting that wrong?
00:12:48
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Yeah.
00:12:49
David
Where the hell was it?
00:12:49
Patrick Riley
So I went to Sassaboe. Yeah, we did go to Sassaboe with the towers. And I remember, yeah, and we went over and, oh, where did we go?
00:12:54
David
Didn't we?
00:13:00
David
like
00:13:00
Patrick Riley
We went to Nagasaki. Yeah, because I remember I was on the towers going to Sasibo because those guys, we went skiing together in Megamiko out of in Japan.
00:13:14
Patrick Riley
So I met a few people when we went skiing. So skiing in Japan is a little different. Did you ever do any like side trips with MWR in Yakuska at all?
00:13:24
David
i had never I never did. I yeah and don't know why. was young and stupid and more interested in drinking in women than I was in seeing stuff.
00:13:36
David
I remember you going out. like, oh, Pat's going out. You went to Fuji, I think. I'm like, oh, man, he's going out and doing this. And I'm like, here I am just going out to the haunch and chasing girls and getting hammered.
00:13:43
Patrick Riley
ye
00:13:49
David
Yeah. Yeah.
00:13:50
Patrick Riley
Yeah. I was kind of the guy that always, um, if you needed to get around Tokyo, I was the guy that you had to call it and get around Tokyo. Um, because I remember Cicero, I kind of scared him when he was leaving.
00:14:02
Patrick Riley
um Yeah, I know he was there for quite a while, but he, I think he was there for four years in Japan and he really never left base.
00:14:03
David
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:14:11
Patrick Riley
I was like, dude, you got to go out and see Tokyo a little bit. And I kind of scared him because it was golden week. And said, how are you going to get to the airport? You kind of have like a noon flight.
00:14:21
Patrick Riley
You're not going to get there on by the bus. And, uh, he was a little freaked out and he talked to the chief. And I think it was Schultz. Schultz, I think was our chief at the time.
00:14:34
Patrick Riley
If I can remember that, Mark, he came over with me.
00:14:36
David
All right.
00:14:37
Patrick Riley
I mean, we got on the ship right around the same time because he was an instructor at Quarry Station. And I kind of met him when I was out there, but nothing real close.
00:14:47
David
right
00:14:47
Patrick Riley
But yeah, so he talked to him. He's like, hey, Pat's got to take me to a ah the airport and I sure I took him up. There was no problem. And he was really cool. You know, we, we bought us or he bought me a lunch.
00:15:00
Patrick Riley
Yeah. And that's all I was really looking for. It's just train ticket a day off and lunch.
00:15:06
David
Yeah.
00:15:06
Patrick Riley
That's how, it that's all we charged.
00:15:06
David
that Nice.
00:15:08
Patrick Riley
Yeah, and if it was like, hey, I need to get to the Tokyo Dome. Cool, let's do a beer as well. But normally, loved getting around Tokyo. That was really a great place. and It was safe, was clean. And even when I transferred over the Hewitt, the Hewitt, when they pulled in, I grabbed those guys when we went up to Roppongi.
00:15:30
Patrick Riley
So Roppongi was kind of the place that always just hung out at all the time. But was it was cool. I think that's... That next book that I'm writing. Oh man.
00:15:44
Patrick Riley
How about that? Now, hopefully the, when I do the processing of the the episode, you don't hear the the coughing. You the nice thing and it takes out of it for us.
00:15:52
David
yeah
00:15:55
David
yeah I don't i don't know if I ever I think I might have went to repugn one time but but I don't I don't really recall going up there a whole lot yeah
00:15:57
Patrick Riley
But yeah, I did my Fuji. Hmm. Okay.
00:16:07
Patrick Riley
okay I should have taken you out a lot more. What the heck?
00:16:11
David
I know dude i don' know what's promise yeah it was what ah okay yeah yeah next time
00:16:11
Patrick Riley
I think, um yeah. And I think it was, yeah. Hey, don't worry. Next time I'll take you to Roppongi. How about that? Well, I'll take you to Roppongi.
00:16:23
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Although that's the thing. think you and I were talking about, or we are talking about, you know, do on our own little trip and just hanging out.
00:16:30
David
Yeah.
00:16:31
Patrick Riley
and It's more of the research for the book or for the next book. I, and, I kind of, know, we're going to leave out Japan. I think I've got enough material or just experience with Japan where I don't need to go back there. But yeah, Hong Kong, I need to kind of go back. I was there a couple times and it was great.
00:16:52
Patrick Riley
And yeah, we did go there. And I think I do still have a picture of you and i we did go jumbo floating restaurant in Hong Kong.
00:16:57
David
Jumbo. Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:00
Patrick Riley
Yeah. And that's gone.
00:17:01
David
That a trip.
00:17:02
Patrick Riley
I heard it.
00:17:04
David
No way, is it?
00:17:05
Patrick Riley
I was like, Yep, it is gone.
00:17:07
David
Oh crap.
00:17:08
Patrick Riley
There's no more Jumbo floating restaurant because I heard it caught fire and it sunk. was like, that's not good.
00:17:13
David
Oh shit. Yeah.
00:17:17
Patrick Riley
That was a great place. Yeah, I think it was in Aberdeen Harbor is where it was. And one of the guys I hung out with, um oddly enough, was ah Chief Bowling. He was an OS chief.
00:17:31
David
Gosh, I know the name.
00:17:31
Patrick Riley
I need to contact him.
00:17:33
David
I'm trying to remember who he was though.
00:17:36
Patrick Riley
who Yeah. Yeah. He was, it was funny. If I talk to him, I'm sure he'll probably be like, yeah, it was like late thirties. I mean, you know, I would think that he was like in his fifties or sixties, but I know he's, I know he was probably young at the time, but it's early older than me.
00:17:45
David
I know, right?
00:17:53
David
Yeah, right?
00:17:59
Patrick Riley
So yeah. Yeah, but I'll have to get a hold of him, see if he can join one of the podcasts and kind of get his experience too. Because I think he's down in Kentucky now. but um And there was another OS1 that went out with us.
00:18:08
David
Nice.
00:18:12
Patrick Riley
And he was just, I want to say his name was,
Memorable Shipmates and Anecdotes
00:18:17
Patrick Riley
I can't, I can't i don't even want to guess.
00:18:17
David
Erky. Was it Erky?
00:18:21
David
Yeah. Oh, it's what Mike Erky. What did we call him? um
00:18:21
Patrick Riley
Was he a little rough to deal sometimes?
00:18:30
David
Shoot. Oh, I can't remember what hell we call him. we had He had like a, he had like this, a nickname from like, it was a movie or movie character. Wyatt Earp.
00:18:45
David
Remember we called him Wyatt, Wyatt?
00:18:46
Patrick Riley
wider Yeah.
00:18:46
David
Cause his last name was I-R-K-E, Earkey. Wyatt Earp.
00:18:51
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:18:51
David
So we call him Wyatt Earp. Yeah. Remember we, I think we hung out with him and what
00:18:56
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:19:00
Patrick Riley
yeah He made a poor girl cry.
00:19:01
David
was that?
00:19:05
Patrick Riley
Yeah, we we went out and we were in Hong Kong, so we were over in Kowloon. And I don't know if you remember, there was there was a bar in Kowloon where it was even featured in one of the James Bond movies.
00:19:19
David
The Australian, the Australian outlaw bar, right?
00:19:20
Patrick Riley
I'm
00:19:26
Patrick Riley
i'm not sure.
00:19:26
David
Right. There's a German outlaw that had the metal, like had the metal.
00:19:33
David
Helmet. What the hell was that?
00:19:36
Patrick Riley
Yeah, that's true.
00:19:36
David
And people are going to watch this and go these guys can't remember shit, man.
00:19:39
Patrick Riley
and Right? We're getting there. we're you know I think we'll just name this. we're getting a little old. But we need to go relive our experiences again so we can ah talk about it a little better.
00:19:50
David
Yeah.
00:19:50
Patrick Riley
But no, this is perfect.
00:19:52
Patrick Riley
And that though the bar, it was...
00:19:53
David
Ned Kelly's. Ned Kelly's. Is that it?
00:19:56
Patrick Riley
and kellylles so that was That was one of them that we went to. I need to go.
00:19:59
David
okay.
00:20:00
Patrick Riley
We need to go that one again.
00:20:01
David
That's the one I remember going to. I don't remember who I went with, but yeah, Ned Kelly's.
00:20:05
Patrick Riley
i thought it was like bottoms up or something like that. And the thing was, there was a girl that's the, the bartender was topless and she sat on like a little couch.
00:20:07
David
Oh, shoot. I know.
00:20:16
Patrick Riley
It was round and she basically rotated around and served your drinks. And there was a poor girl from the UK. She, she was okay looking, but maybe your breasts weren't as nice, but Irk was just,
00:20:33
David
Bottoms Up, you're right. That's the James Bond bar.
00:20:35
Patrick Riley
um tonight That was it. It was bottoms up.
00:20:37
David
Yeah, that Bottoms Up.
00:20:38
Patrick Riley
I did remember something.
00:20:39
David
Yeah, Bottoms Up. Yeah. I was like, I think I went to the – we must have been hanging out just kind of maybe don't remember well because I went to Bottoms Up with somebody.
00:20:46
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:20:47
David
i don't know who it was. don't remember. And we went to Ned Kelly's. I remember going both of those.
00:20:52
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Yeah. There was another one we went to.
00:20:54
David
Yeah.
00:20:55
Patrick Riley
i remember. pretty well in Hong Kong, or I'm sorry, with the Hewitt. And that was um Mad Dogs. I think Mad Dogs was the one. And the cool thing there was, yeah, I did get a massage next door.
00:21:08
Patrick Riley
And I remember it was like kind of an open bay massage parlor where there was, it was like, it was kind of cold in the stinking room, but this little old Chinese lady, and that's when they had the little handlebars on the ceiling.
00:21:21
Patrick Riley
She just worked me over, but it felt great.
00:21:23
David
So walk on your back. Yeah.
00:21:25
Patrick Riley
Yes, she walked on my back. that It was awesome.
00:21:28
David
Nice.
00:21:28
Patrick Riley
but but Yeah, she's probably like 60 or 70. She was older, but she was pretty damn strong. And I just needed that massage to work it out.
00:21:38
Patrick Riley
And it worked worked out fine.
00:21:40
David
Nice.
00:21:41
Patrick Riley
so um But and then I got, for some reason, that Mad Dog's, and was Ned Kelly's as well. I know got a suit tailor-made for me right next door as well. And it was it was awesome. But the problem with the suit,
00:21:55
Patrick Riley
Now I'm just, I'm too old. I had to get rid of the thing because I was a lot bigger than I was when I was 19. It's amazing how that works out.
00:22:04
David
Yes.
00:22:04
Patrick Riley
But yeah.
00:22:05
David
Yeah. My dress whites don't fit anymore.
00:22:08
Patrick Riley
Right? Yeah, I think I tried once. I couldn't even get my leg into the damn thing. But. Yeah, and last night we went to Yacht Rock Review.
00:22:19
Patrick Riley
My cousin I went for a show. And it was funny because there were people dressed up. There was a guy, he he had his, like, a dress white shirt on, but it was an officer's shirt because he had the lieutenant commander shoulder boards
00:22:36
David
Shoulder boards, yeah.
00:22:37
Patrick Riley
And that was what he was wearing. And then his wife actually had his officer's cap with the scrambled eggs on it. And I was like, that's not too yachty.
00:22:46
David
Well, that's... Well, scrambled eggs aren't... Scrambled eggs are either you're the captain or you you have to be an 06 or the commander of a ah a ship or a base to have scrambled eggs, right?
00:23:03
Patrick Riley
No, I think it's just anything with beer. Is it 05 and higher? And then once you get into admirals, then it's double rolls.
00:23:09
David
I thought it was 06 and higher, but yeah, I thought it was a commander of a, of a, of a installation or a ship or an 06 to get scrambled eggs, but either way, whatever.
00:23:13
Patrick Riley
Yeah. That could be.
00:23:21
David
Yeah. So yeah.
00:23:22
Patrick Riley
Interesting. Yeah. yeah And it was at a concert. I was like looking at it going, that's not a yacht. You know, we we didn't sail on yachts. And because a lot of people, they had the stupid little yacht hats on.
00:23:31
David
Yeah.
00:23:36
Patrick Riley
didn't do that. But yeah, it was an interesting show. It was pretty cool to be able to just, you know, I saw that guy. was like, I'm not going talk to him. And my cousin pointed out because it looked like there was brand new shirt because the creases were really sharp on it.
00:23:51
David
Right
00:23:51
Patrick Riley
So I, I just remember trying to get my stuff somewhat squared away. you know, especially on the towers, it was such a small space that we had and I had to tuck up underneath.
00:24:03
Patrick Riley
I had one of the big pipes going right by my rack and I had to kind of swing my, yeah, that was always yeah, I had a top rack.
00:24:06
David
but by your rack, yeah.
00:24:09
David
Oh, you were on a top rack, huh? Oh.
00:24:13
Patrick Riley
So were you lucky enough to get the middle rack or were you on the bottom?
00:24:17
David
I got I got really lucky when I got there. They put me in a bottom rack. And then I think I forget who was above me. mean, JJ or somebody, whoever was above me when they left. I i swooped into the middle rack and they stayed in the middle rack for the rest of the time I was there.
00:24:34
Patrick Riley
Was JJ one of the ETs?
00:24:36
David
ETS. Yeah.
00:24:38
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Yeah, I think he was like one of those. I think he was talking about, i think he spent some time over in Saudi Arabia just as a civilian. Then he came back in. And I always remember that story where he just did not like Saudi Arabia.
00:24:47
David
Really?
00:24:51
Patrick Riley
And of course we went in into Bahrain and he was just like, I don't want to deal with these people. don't, he was just done with, um, any.
00:24:58
David
Yeah, there wasn't much to do there anyway, right? We went to the the ASU, right? The alcohol support unit and played shuffleboard and drank.
00:25:05
Patrick Riley
Yeah,
00:25:07
David
and And then other than that, I mean, I think the only thing I did outside of that was went and bought some gold.
00:25:08
Patrick Riley
exactly.
00:25:14
Patrick Riley
Right. Yep. I did buy some gold. um When I was in, can't I think it Oman, I bought some gold there. And I, because I was with the tower, or I'm sorry, was I was with the Hewitt.
00:25:26
Patrick Riley
And when I finally saw my girlfriend from Japan, I had a ring for her. was just a gold ring. And I kind of was joking around, you know, how you kind of bite into a gold and you see, it was so damn soft, I actually bit
00:25:35
David
Yeah.
Life in Bahrain and Interactions with Locals
00:25:39
Patrick Riley
into it.
00:25:39
Patrick Riley
And left little like oh geez so it's real it's real gold but yeah i remember they always had this stupid um you can get the the cologne everything but yeah just trying to find alcohol in those places little difficult and uh asu i forgot about that yes i went there
00:25:40
David
You're like, damn it. Shit.
00:25:45
David
Yeah.
00:25:55
David
It was, yeah.
00:25:59
David
Yeah, i remember? Oh, it looked like a cafeteria where you could buy beer.
00:26:03
Patrick Riley
yep
00:26:05
David
And then I remember the shuffleboard table. And then there's like some couches with some TVs. And I'm like, this is it. This where we're getting hammered. Blind shuffleboard.
00:26:12
Patrick Riley
does
00:26:16
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Even though those other places, you have to find a hotel, like an international hotel, well and they would have it.
00:26:20
David
Yeah.
00:26:21
Patrick Riley
And stupid elephant beer.
00:26:22
David
Yeah.
00:26:23
Patrick Riley
I think that was the stuff that we would have ah occasionally.
00:26:26
David
I thought that was, what was, that wasn't from Kenya, the elephant beer?
00:26:31
Patrick Riley
Oh, shoot. That's right. Oh, that was nasty stuff.
00:26:33
David
Remember we went to Kenya? we We pulled into Kenya, Mombasa, and they had the elephant beer there.
00:26:35
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Oh, God.
00:26:40
Patrick Riley
Yes. Yep.
00:26:40
David
Tusker, Tusker, right?
00:26:41
Patrick Riley
Yep. Yep.
00:26:42
David
it was called Tusker.
00:26:44
Patrick Riley
Tusker, yep, yep. Did you do little safari when we were in Mombasa?
00:26:47
David
No, I was stupid, dude.
00:26:50
Patrick Riley
Hey, you didn't do anything.
00:26:50
David
you guys without You guys went on a safari and I'm like, where can I get beer? I'm like, beer.
00:26:56
Patrick Riley
Oh, God.
00:26:57
David
Find some hot freaking Kenyan woman, man. I'm like, no. And Beatty had us so scared to death of AIDS.
00:27:01
Patrick Riley
and
00:27:04
David
It was like, oh, my God. like better Better stay away from these African women, right?
00:27:09
Patrick Riley
Right, right.
00:27:10
David
You remember Beatty, ET1?
00:27:12
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Uh-huh, yeah.
00:27:13
David
Had us scared to death of AIDS. Scared to death. Just out there. And, you know, hey, you know, I'm a different man and now than I was then, you know, ah you know, good Lord is is awesome.
00:27:24
Patrick Riley
and
00:27:24
David
He's he's he's he's the man.
00:27:25
Patrick Riley
Yes, sir.
00:27:27
David
But Beatty was like he was like some sort of crazy like Bible thumping. Like just I don't know. where He was like he's off the deep end with with that.
00:27:36
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Wow.
00:27:37
David
And it was like, you know. You're going to hell. ah fake Everybody's going to hell. You're all going to hell. That's what Beatty was.
00:27:45
Patrick Riley
Right.
00:27:46
David
Remember, he wouldn't do he wouldn't do he wouldn't remember we cross across the equator.
00:27:48
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:27:51
David
He wouldn't do that. He sat up in remember our E.T.
00:27:52
Patrick Riley
yeah
00:27:55
David
Remember are up there and and in our in our work area.
00:27:55
Patrick Riley
Really?
00:28:00
David
he he He and the some ensign sat up there because they wouldn't they wouldn't participate in the ceremony.
00:28:00
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:28:05
Patrick Riley
Okay.
00:28:07
David
They're like, all right, you guys got to sit up here all day and just do nothing.
00:28:11
Patrick Riley
Wow.
00:28:12
David
Here's a book.
00:28:13
Patrick Riley
Was that when you crossed the line for the first time?
00:28:15
David
Yeah.
00:28:15
Patrick Riley
Or did you cross earlier? Okay.
00:28:17
David
Yeah, no, Singapore, yeah.
00:28:19
Patrick Riley
Together, yeah. Yeah, because, yeah, I i participated. guess You got to do it. Even when I was on the Hewitt, I left before they went back over.
00:28:31
Patrick Riley
And of course, they were upset because they went over before I got there and they thought they were going to take advantage of me. I was like, no, no, I went over in the tower. So I had my paperwork squared away.
00:28:39
David
Yep.
00:28:41
Patrick Riley
Here it is.
00:28:41
David
Here's my card.
00:28:42
Patrick Riley
And the captain of the Hewitt, never crossed in his whole career. So he actually participated as the captain of the ship.
00:28:52
Patrick Riley
He, he was a sport and that I, so I,
00:28:55
David
Dude, that's awesome.
00:28:57
Patrick Riley
Yeah, yeah, because he's just like, I think he probably wanted to go on a little further, but he's like, I can't have that on my record that I didn't participate. So, yeah, he was a shellback.
00:29:05
David
Yeah.
00:29:06
Patrick Riley
He became a shellback, and he's in the the cruise book. And I was like, well, that's pretty cool. And, of course, I wasn't there to participate. I'm sure, I don't know if guys laid off on him, but and they might have.
00:29:17
David
I'm sure they did a little bit, but, you know, probably, you know, in the certain areas, I'm sure they laid off on them and probably other areas like get the olive, buddy.
00:29:17
Patrick Riley
Yeah, yeah.
00:29:23
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:29:27
David
You're getting that olive.
00:29:28
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:29:29
David
Bury your face. Dude.
00:29:31
Patrick Riley
That was nasty. Yeah, I remember that. and that out theres
00:29:34
David
I forget who who would who it was on the towers, but boy, he he had a big old.
00:29:40
Patrick Riley
And the steeplead lard, they put the lard in there. And was like, big round full of olive.
00:29:43
David
Yeah. Yeah. You know,
00:29:47
David
the You know, the worst, i think the the the worst part for me uh, To me, I'm like, it wasn't that bad at all. i'm like, this i I really had fun, honestly.
00:29:58
David
Tell you the truth.
00:29:58
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:29:59
David
I had fun. um I forget whose walk dog I was the day before, but um I had a good time. i mean, they really were, they were sports, I'm sure, you know, years before.
00:30:11
David
Other guys are like, you know, even hardcore. But, you know, letting us tape the shower shoes onto our knees because of the non-skid was was nice.
00:30:18
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:30:19
David
ah But, you know, diving through that torpedo tube, with all that nasty shit and had, I forget what he told me.
00:30:23
Patrick Riley
Uh-huh.
00:30:26
Patrick Riley
I lost
00:30:27
David
had to fish out with my mouth. That was the worst. i was like, that shit was nasty.
00:30:32
Patrick Riley
ah
00:30:32
David
i was like, Oh my God. Freaking gross. And then after that was the Royal baby. I'm like, after this, this ain't nothing, dude. A piece of cake.
00:30:42
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
Shellback Initiation and Naval Traditions
00:30:43
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:30:43
David
Yeah.
00:30:43
Patrick Riley
Yeah. <unk> I still had the paper or and my, my cards sitting over there. i still have that. Yeah. might
00:30:49
David
I'm pissed. I've got my card, but I can't find my, um, the the big printout.
00:30:55
Patrick Riley
Right. I don't know where that I'm the same way. i don't know where that is, but yeah. Yeah.
00:30:59
David
I think my ex threw it out because she was probably pissed at me. She's like, oh, F him. Get rid of this.
00:31:04
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:31:04
David
Threw this shit in the trash.
00:31:06
Patrick Riley
yeah Yeah, I remember you know yelling for flipper off the the bow. So that was always nice. It was a nice way to start the day. Just yelling for flipper.
00:31:15
David
Yeah.
00:31:17
Patrick Riley
But yeah, that was always good. Yeah, I was going to say about with Mombasa, I did a safari and that was pretty cool. Went up to Mount Kilimanjaro. But when we got back, we did hit one of the bars.
00:31:29
Patrick Riley
And at the bars, we started drinking. And I remember this native place. woman from Africa stopped by and she was, she was just like jumbo. I'm like, oh, jumbo.
00:31:41
Patrick Riley
And she's like, do you want a blow job? I'm like, Jesus Christ. And the same thing, baby just had an sucked in your head that there was AIDS. And I'm just like, no, no, I'm getting out of here.
00:31:50
David
Yeah.
00:31:53
Patrick Riley
I was like, I don't want to deal with it. But yeah, I remember she was just so black. I mean, was like, I've never seen somebody that black, but it was just, you know, she's so blatant. Like, oh, you want a blowjob? I'm like, no.
00:32:06
David
yeah
00:32:06
Patrick Riley
And I think there was some OSs. Actually, I saw some pictures from some of the OSs. They picked up a girl and they had her in their hotel room. And was like, guys, what you doing?
00:32:18
Patrick Riley
I didn't want to deal with it. So I was like, we'll wait from Australia.
00:32:20
David
That's funny.
00:32:23
Patrick Riley
So Australia with Bunbury, that was...
00:32:24
David
ah So yeah, so so that cruise, I guess we should maybe just go back, right? So that cruise, we went from, we stopped in PI, right? Did we hit Hong?
00:32:35
Patrick Riley
Stopped on the way back. We didn't stop on the way there. So it
00:32:38
David
Where'd we hit first on the when we left?
00:32:42
Patrick Riley
it was Thailand. we We hit Patia Beach.
00:32:44
David
We went Thailand. It's a hell a way to start a cruise, going to Thailand.
00:32:46
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. and We skipped Singapore. We didn't go to Singapore. Then we went to Bahrain, um hung ah you did some circles in the Persian Gulf, down to Mombasa, and then over to Diego
00:33:00
David
Kenya now we hit dude I went I went to Singapore we went to Singapore in that yeah that would have been the only time I would have made Singapore because we hit we went from Thailand to Singapore then we crossed the equator scooting up between there Malaysia going up to get into the IO yeah
00:33:09
Patrick Riley
Garcia.
00:33:12
Patrick Riley
Okay. Right.
00:33:17
Patrick Riley
Okay.
00:33:22
Patrick Riley
yeah i guess did i
00:33:23
David
And then, yeah, like you said, we went up to ah Bahrain, up to the North Arabian, which was always fun going through the Straits.
00:33:33
Patrick Riley
yep the silkworm it was a silkworm envelope i remember scoot through there because uh they had the silkworm vessels uh kind of tracking us or just we had to be aware of them and i think they
00:33:34
David
And then, yeah, we came out. What's that?
00:33:46
David
Yep. Yeah.
00:33:50
Patrick Riley
They, we were locked down, uh, basically.
00:33:52
David
We were in GQ for that.
00:33:53
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:33:54
David
Yeah.
00:33:54
Patrick Riley
Yeah. yeah
00:33:56
David
Yeah.
00:33:56
Patrick Riley
And then, um, yeah.
00:33:56
David
But yeah, then we went down to Mombasa and then we stopped at Diego.
00:34:01
David
Remember, what was that cruiser that got hit by a training?
00:34:01
Patrick Riley
yeah
00:34:06
Patrick Riley
The read it was the read.
00:34:07
David
The Reeves. Yeah.
00:34:09
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:34:09
David
A buddy of mine was an EW on there and a piece of shrapnel. busted through because they had a V3. It busted through their cooling unit and their heat exchanger and took out their their cooling unit for the V3 on their ship.
00:34:26
Patrick Riley
Wow.
00:34:27
David
Yeah.
00:34:27
Patrick Riley
And of course, the reason why I knew it was the Reeves is because two weeks ago, I spoke to one of my buddies who was on the Midway at the time and he went into Perth.
00:34:35
David
Oh, wow.
00:34:38
Patrick Riley
So, and then eventually he did transfer over to the Hewitt with me.
00:34:42
David
Yeah.
00:34:42
Patrick Riley
Uh, that's how I met him. But yeah, he, he told it. I thought it was the Cochran for some reason that got hit, but in the.
00:34:49
David
No, it was Dropped 500-pound couple miles off target.
00:34:50
Patrick Riley
Yeah. yeah And dummy bomb. yeah right oh geez i don't if he's flying anymore but yeah but what do you remember about uh
00:35:02
David
Yeah. No, that guy is not, I'm sure. But, yeah. But, anyway, yeah, Diego, and then we went Bunbury. Bunbury.
00:35:13
Patrick Riley
yeah i think there was like 24 to people in that town
00:35:16
David
Bunbury.
00:35:19
David
Yeah, there wasn't that many.
00:35:19
Patrick Riley
um
00:35:21
David
that What was the OS Chief's name again? what was his name?
00:35:25
Patrick Riley
I think it was Boeing, Chief Boeing.
00:35:27
David
Bowling. i think he was the one I think that first day when we got in Australia,
00:35:28
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:35:33
David
There was a chief with us, but we went out, we we found this hotel. it was like on like this ah point up on these rocks out looking, looking over the water.
00:35:45
David
And we're like, found this place. for Everybody was going to get some rooms there, but it was like 10 o'clock in the morning and they opened the bar for us and we started drinking.
00:35:53
Patrick Riley
Yes.
00:35:54
David
And he was with us, I think. Because we got, oh my God, that was, I think the drunkest in my entire life I've ever been. Because we started, I said, at 10 in the morning and the entire day drank.
00:36:08
David
That was my my epic my epic puke in Main Street in Bunbury, Australia.
00:36:08
Patrick Riley
Right.
00:36:12
Patrick Riley
Uh-huh.
00:36:15
David
I think I told you this, but yeah, i was we were were at the hotel drinking white Russians. Why? Don't know. ah Drinking white Russians.
00:36:22
Patrick Riley
right
00:36:23
David
We're there for a couple hours getting hammered. We go down into town, start checking everybody out, seeing where the bars are. Everybody's down there partying up. We're having a good time. I think it was Keith Lee and Cicero wanted to go get pizza. It's like two in the morning.
00:36:39
David
We're just keep drinking.
00:36:39
Patrick Riley
Oh, yeah.
00:36:40
David
I'm like, two in the morning, go get some pizza. I'm like sitting out there. They're like, come in, come in. I'm like, no, I don't want to, man. I'm not hungry. They're like just come in, come in. They bring me in. They sit me down in a booth and I'm like lying down like, oh.
00:36:52
Patrick Riley
Oh.
00:36:53
David
All sudden, the the fumes just overwhelmed me. i' like, I got to go, man. And I run out, cross the sidewalk, put my hand like on the side of a car, and i just barfed all over the street.
00:37:07
David
but It was just horrible. It was like, yeah, my first night in Australia. Wonderful.
00:37:13
Patrick Riley
That is great.
00:37:14
David
Yeah, dude, it was crazy.
00:37:15
Patrick Riley
Yep. Yep.
00:37:17
David
Yeah.
00:37:18
Patrick Riley
One of the craziest things I remember, and of course, you know, I was, I think I was 19. Yeah, that was that was that first cruise. i was so like I was still naive about what was going on because people had to tell me that, hey, a prawn is actually like shrimp.
00:37:32
David
Yeah.
00:37:35
Patrick Riley
I'm like, god I love shrimp. I love prawns, but they're bigger.
00:37:37
David
Yeah.
00:37:39
Patrick Riley
And so I went to um a Chinese restaurant and it was right there on that main drag Bunbury.
00:37:39
David
Yeah.
00:37:46
Patrick Riley
And I remember I ordered prawns and chili. I'm like, Hormel. I love Hormel, right? I'm thinking like American chili. No, these were stinking like Thai chili.
00:37:58
Patrick Riley
They were nice, big prawns.
00:38:01
David
yeah
00:38:02
Patrick Riley
But my God, I was just crying because I was trying to eat it.
00:38:05
David
So hot.
00:38:07
Patrick Riley
Sweating. I was like, I don't, I like spicy food, but that was so spicy. I'm trying to scrape off as of as much sauce as possible. Trying to power through
00:38:17
David
we We can save this for later and don't forget. But yeah, one of the trips I was in Thailand, I was with and a person, a female from Thailand and we went to a food market and I was like, oh, sweet and sour chicken.
00:38:23
Patrick Riley
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
00:38:30
Patrick Riley
Uh-huh.
00:38:31
David
like That sounds good.
00:38:34
Patrick Riley
Right.
00:38:34
David
Oh, dude, Thai food, so hot. i was like dying.
00:38:39
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:38:39
David
Like just it like lit me up.
00:38:41
Patrick Riley
Uh-huh.
00:38:42
David
But yeah, yeah.
00:38:43
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:38:43
David
It's like going overseas, right?
00:38:44
Patrick Riley
Uh-huh.
00:38:44
David
You're like you think you're trying to, you know, be a part of it and you have no idea what you're eating. But yeah, man, prawns and chilies
Australian Port Visit and Community Interactions
00:38:52
David
in Australia.
00:38:52
Patrick Riley
You're wrong.
00:38:53
David
That's funny.
00:38:54
David
That was a good trip.
00:38:54
Patrick Riley
In Australia.
00:38:56
Patrick Riley
ah that was such a great.
00:38:56
David
Australia was a hell of a trip, man. I mean, ah i i think, ah you know, being
00:38:58
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:39:03
David
so That was what, 89. That was a fall, like November, right?
00:39:07
Patrick Riley
Yes.
00:39:07
David
That was our last port.
00:39:08
Patrick Riley
Yes.
00:39:09
David
So November 89.
00:39:09
Patrick Riley
Yep.
00:39:10
David
I was 21, just shy of 22.
00:39:14
Patrick Riley
Okay.
00:39:16
David
Yeah.
00:39:16
David
And I was still, I mean, it was the same thing as you. i was just like, you know, chasing girls and drinking and partying. And I think that's all we did all week. I was i think I was fortunate in a way to have two duty days while we were there.
00:39:17
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:39:31
Patrick Riley
Okay.
00:39:31
David
Cause we there, I think for a week. So like, I think only one, one of them had one duty day.
00:39:33
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:39:35
David
Everybody else had two, but yeah, we're there and drinking the, the, the local.
00:39:37
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:39:42
David
Remember we were talking, I think we were talking about that before and instead of orange juice, they had high C commission orange, orange, high C with their drinks and getting, yeah.
00:39:47
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:39:51
Patrick Riley
Yeah, so those are the type of screwdrivers I had, yeah. and And for some reason, I was on a screwdriver kick at that time. Besides the...
00:39:58
David
Dude, I was too. After that trip, well, after that first day, I was like, i'm not drinking these white Russians ever again. so
00:40:04
Patrick Riley
Right.
00:40:04
David
they had this swan beer. I was like, beer's okay.
00:40:06
Patrick Riley
Yes.
00:40:08
David
had Had a couple swans here and there.
00:40:08
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Uh-huh.
00:40:10
David
But I was like, oh, you know, hey, i one of the girls and the bartenders, they're all... flipping gorgeous. I think one of them was like, here, i have a ah a screwdriver, but it was with the orange high C.
00:40:17
Patrick Riley
Yes.
00:40:21
David
I was like, oh, it's so smooth. was like, oh, this is really smooth.
00:40:24
Patrick Riley
Yes.
00:40:25
David
I was like, there was not that bitter, you know, sharpness of the orange juice to it. It was had the orange flavor, but it was smooth. i was like, oh yeah. So, I mean, I think I switched to that for the rest of the time I was there is drinking those things.
00:40:36
Patrick Riley
Yeah. I think as the night went on, for me, the the amount of orange juice got less and less.
00:40:38
David
Yeah.
00:40:43
David
Yeah.
00:40:44
Patrick Riley
So it was more and more vodka.
00:40:46
David
Well, that's Andy Barr, right?
00:40:46
Patrick Riley
I was like, this is just...
00:40:48
Patrick Riley
Yeah, and i think that was like the night before we left. I just got plowed, and ah remember i getting back to the ship. I can kind of see the the twilight where it's just like the the dawn was breaking. It was like, and I just slept in the, I didn't even get to my rack.
00:41:06
Patrick Riley
I just went right upstairs to the equipment room and just kind of fell asleep on the floor, and I was out.
00:41:11
David
i was I was on, yeah, that was that last day there was duty day. I think that's where i was kind of going with that before.
00:41:17
Patrick Riley
Okay. Oh, you're lucky.
00:41:18
David
I felt lucky because I didn't have to worry about it because I met this model.
00:41:22
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:41:25
David
Well, in my brain, she was a model-esque, just blonde, beautiful blonde girl.
00:41:28
Patrick Riley
Uh huh.
00:41:32
David
Absolutely gorgeous. I was just, wow.
00:41:36
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:41:36
David
And yeah, I don't know why I never got her contact information, but
00:41:42
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:41:43
David
Yeah, it could be a little Dave running around down there in Australia somewhere for all I know.
00:41:43
Patrick Riley
Yeah. They took care of us there. Uh,
00:41:47
Patrick Riley
There you go Yeah, that was kind of what um and my boy said about this book. They're like, how many kids we have to worry about? Don't worry about it. I thought I kept it clean. But of course, they they're like, what about Ireland? What about this? What about? Yeah, I know. I get it. I get it. But I try to keep
00:42:05
Patrick Riley
Yeah, you're right. What do we got in Australia? Like I said, they took great care of us in Australia. and after we left, and luckily im we're so lucky that we went to Bunbury we were on our own.
00:42:11
David
yeah
00:42:17
Patrick Riley
I think they, yeah, because the Midway and I know the Fife for sure and the rest of the battle group were up in Perth.
00:42:24
David
Perth and Cochran went because Cochran the other DDG that was up there.
00:42:24
Patrick Riley
And I think that's a big enough...
00:42:28
David
No.
00:42:28
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:42:29
David
Was it their DDG 21 or something?
00:42:30
Patrick Riley
Yes. And I think they were north
00:42:33
David
Right. They went to some little town north.
00:42:34
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:42:35
David
Yeah. So they were on their own.
00:42:36
Patrick Riley
yeah Yeah.
00:42:38
David
So they looked ah hopefully they had ah as great of a time as as we did.
00:42:42
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Because who knows about Bunbury? I've spoken to people. Like one of my offices is in Perth, my former company. And I was talking to one of the guys that runs that. And I was like, yeah, I was in Bunbury. He's like, how the hell do you know Bunbury? I know Bunbury.
00:42:59
David
Spent a week in Bunbury.
00:43:01
Patrick Riley
Right.
00:43:02
David
Yes.
00:43:02
Patrick Riley
And I think the towers went to Darwin. was like, really? You guys went to Darwin? But that sounds cool. But yeah, they're just it's good to be on a smaller ship where you can pull into those little areas where if you're on an aircraft carrier, you're just with 5,000 people.
00:43:13
David
Yeah.
00:43:18
David
Oh, you're just another, another Joe Schmo.
00:43:19
Patrick Riley
you know
00:43:20
David
Yeah.
00:43:21
Patrick Riley
Yeah, and even in the Philippines, I think we were able to escape, you because I think we went to Barrio lot. That was a lot better than hanging out in the Longapo with all the other sailors.
00:43:31
Patrick Riley
And yeah, I think, ah
00:43:33
David
Yeah, I forget. Is that what it was called? Barrio?
00:43:36
Patrick Riley
yeah, it was because it's in between Longapo and Subic.
00:43:37
David
i can't remember.
00:43:40
Patrick Riley
So Subic was, Subic City was a little further out. And that was where it got a little more raunchy than, course, Longapo.
00:43:48
David
you know, I never went. I don't think I ever went to Subic City.
00:43:52
Patrick Riley
Okay, yeah, it was...
00:43:53
David
Yeah, I just stayed right right there, usually just in a long apo or right, you take ah up and over that hill and then down along that stretch that next stretch. That's where a lot of the ETs hung out at one of those places up there and went up there quite a few times, yeah.
00:44:02
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Yeah.
00:44:09
Patrick Riley
And that was Barrio. That was Barrio Beretta.
00:44:11
David
Yep, yep, yep.
00:44:12
Patrick Riley
So that's where we we usually hung out. I did make it down to Subic a couple times. That's down where Below Haven is. So... of Flow Haven's a little rough.
00:44:22
David
Yeah.
00:44:25
Patrick Riley
We'll talk about that one later.
00:44:27
David
Yeah, okay. Yeah.
00:44:29
Patrick Riley
I actually have i have pictures of that. It's like, oof. The tables are up a little high. And then I had a picture.
00:44:36
David
Playing smiles or something like that.
00:44:39
Patrick Riley
Yep, that was it. That was the game.
00:44:40
David
Yeah.
00:44:41
Patrick Riley
So that was there. but and Well, that was the thing. because so So you spent some time on the East Coast as well. And like you see um you mentioned the ship you were on with deep drafts.
00:44:49
David
Oh, yeah. East Coast is completely, it's like G-rated.
00:44:54
Patrick Riley
here
00:44:54
David
and Maybe PG-13 at best.
00:44:55
Patrick Riley
It really did. Yeah. Yeah.
00:44:58
David
yeah
00:44:59
Patrick Riley
but Because when I was over in, when I was on East coast, ah I went to Nassau, went Cork in Ireland, Kiel in Germany and Stavanger in Norway.
00:45:11
Patrick Riley
Norway was awesome. Where you mentioned the girls in Australia, the girls in Norway, incredible. They're all blonde.
00:45:19
David
Oh, yeah, we went to so yeah, we did a North Atlantic um and we went to a place called NAMSOS and
00:45:19
Patrick Riley
It amazing.
00:45:29
David
they were very conservative, I guess is the correct word.
00:45:33
Patrick Riley
Okay. Yeah.
00:45:35
David
So it wasn't, it wasn't much fun.
00:45:36
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:45:39
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:45:39
David
was sort of, and it was so expensive to remember I was like, yeah, Laura was expensive.
00:45:39
Patrick Riley
yeah
00:45:45
Patrick Riley
yeah
00:45:45
David
But uh, yeah.
European Ports and Comparisons with Asia
00:45:48
Patrick Riley
Well, that was kind of that's one of the reasons why, like in Japan, we we really lucked out because did you ever stay at the Nusano in Japan? No?
00:45:56
David
Nope.
00:45:58
Patrick Riley
So, yeah, because it's a nice hotel there and it was real close to Roppongi. And what we always do is we'd hit the Nusano first because there were dollar beers in our own club there.
00:46:10
Patrick Riley
So we'd get good and juice there, pour ourselves into a taxi cab, go take five minute ride into Roppongi and then instead of paying $7 a beer and trying to get drunk, you just have to milk.
00:46:21
David
Yeah.
00:46:22
Patrick Riley
You pay one drink and just kind of take it easy. And that was a lot better. But yeah, I know those, like Norway is little expensive.
00:46:31
David
Oh yeah. super expensive. Yeah.
00:46:33
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:46:33
David
But yeah, so back to the East Coast thing, like like you said, we did a lot of Caribbean drug ops.
00:46:33
Patrick Riley
and
00:46:40
David
Like we're always down in the Caribbean doing drug ops all the time.
00:46:40
Patrick Riley
Okay.
00:46:43
David
It just seemed like it was constant. don't know how many times went down there. So we we hit a bunch of the islands down there. ah Did a did a north North Atlantic and did a Caribbean.
00:46:55
David
So, you know hit kind of like the general places. Went to Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, you know,
00:46:59
Patrick Riley
Oh, nice.
00:47:04
David
Norway, and then, like said, a bunch of the Caribbean islands pretty much was about the gist of it.
00:47:10
Patrick Riley
Yeah, I never did a Mediterranean until I got out of the Navy and then I went on a cruise ship and that was a lot better. That was lot better than trying
00:47:19
David
i don't know. We had fun. ah little little island called Corfu in in the Adriatic.
00:47:23
Patrick Riley
Oh, yeah.
00:47:24
David
It's part of Greece. That place was crazy. That was fun. Yeah. the Had a good time there.
00:47:30
Patrick Riley
Okay. So was it a little closer to what it was?
00:47:31
David
Yeah.
00:47:33
Patrick Riley
Because I don't even know what kind of ports they have that would kind of rival what we look at with Thailand and the Philippines.
00:47:40
David
No, nothing Corfu would have been about the, the, the closest probably, um, lot, lot of, uh, I think it like a lot of college kids went there and a lot of tourists.
00:47:40
Patrick Riley
Okay.
00:47:51
David
Um, so there was a lot of clubs and stuff, but it was kind of like, think of, you know, Miami beach.
00:47:59
Patrick Riley
Right.
00:48:01
David
sort of style that's what corfu was neon lights big you know loud music lot of people but just you know nothing nothing nothing nothing like you know at all like what you know going through a head with like uh philippines or thailand yeah
00:48:01
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:48:05
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:48:13
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:48:17
Patrick Riley
Mm-hmm.
00:48:21
Patrick Riley
Right. Yeah. And you're you're right. Because, I mean, one of the things I was looking at and I can do with my current role, I can do work remote for one week anyway.
00:48:34
Patrick Riley
And I could really work anywhere, which is great. But I thought about like, hey, what if I work in Hawaii for a week and then maybe do our trip where I can do the research for the next book, you know, going from Hawaii, I'll go straight to Hong Kong.
00:48:48
Patrick Riley
And it was a little better, but it would run me right through the Philippines. And I was like, oh, if I land of the Philippines, going have to get lost a little bit.
00:48:56
David
Like, no, i'm like, no, not do that.
00:48:57
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Yeah. Because I was like, I can't really put that into the book because it's not really, although I can probably have my character do a little diversion through the Philippines because, course, we were there in Subic.
00:49:09
Patrick Riley
I think maybe I'll write that for another book. But I want to get like these shirts made up for like the Hewitts because, I mean, this is this is the Tower shirt. And I get those through the reunion because we have a ah reunion through the Towers.
00:49:21
David
Yeah.
00:49:23
Patrick Riley
And they have these shirts made up. But I was like, I want to do the same thing, get some Hewitt shirts or Mount Whitney. I don't know if I'd get a Mount Whitney shirt or not. But if I got the Hewitt, I can get them made up in the the Philippines.
00:49:37
Patrick Riley
But I don't have any connections in the Philippines anymore. Right.
00:49:42
David
Yeah, i don't even know what's i don't even know where people go.
00:49:42
Patrick Riley
Right.
00:49:44
David
I mean, a lot of people I hear go to Cebu.
00:49:49
Patrick Riley
right
00:49:49
David
I don't know if people really go up anything outside of of what's the capital the Philippines there. I don't know why I'm drawing a blank.
00:49:58
Patrick Riley
Manila.
00:49:59
David
Manila. Yeah, i don't know if people really get out of Manila much, but it seems like a lot of people go to Cebu.
00:50:00
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:50:03
Patrick Riley
yeah So I've heard there's yeah exactly. And they do. I, and I definitely heard that one of my buddies, he'll, he'll go into the Philippines, but up by Clark air base, which, you know, there's no more Clark air base.
00:50:19
Patrick Riley
That's Angela city. And I think if you want to have,
00:50:21
David
Oh, yeah, Angeles City. Yeah, they go up. Yeah, that. Yeah, Cebu and Angeles City. Yep.
00:50:27
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:50:27
David
Yep, those are the two ones you see.
00:50:28
Patrick Riley
And Angela's city is little rough.
00:50:29
David
Well, I think they're both a little rough.
00:50:30
Patrick Riley
Yeah. It's, it's definitely rough up there.
00:50:32
David
Yeah.
Reflections on Subic Bay and Nuclear Policy
00:50:33
Patrick Riley
No, no, Cebu is actually pretty chill. It's more touristy.
00:50:38
David
Is it?
00:50:40
Patrick Riley
Yeah, and a lot of expats down there.
00:50:40
David
Yeah. Yeah.
00:50:43
Patrick Riley
And then I also, I saw like Subic with Olangapo. It's like an industrial port now. And I guess they cleaned it up pretty nice. So I think that's one of those places I'd like to see again.
00:50:55
Patrick Riley
Like to see what's what does Subic look like now?
00:50:57
David
See what it looks like. Yeah.
00:50:58
Patrick Riley
Yeah, yeah.
00:50:59
David
I mean, I mean, we did the same shit, you know, the government just, you know, did with this last administration.
00:50:59
Patrick Riley
I've seen it.
00:51:04
David
We just left like, here you go.
00:51:07
Patrick Riley
Yeah, exactly.
00:51:08
David
Just left.
00:51:09
Patrick Riley
Yeah, that's, it was so sad. And no, we did, there was a, so after you flew, I think, when did you leave Japan? When did you leave the the towers? Yeah.
00:51:22
David
So we decommed and i think I left in, want to say it was right at the end. it was like October or November. can't quite remember.
00:51:32
Patrick Riley
Okay. Okay. So right around that time, because I was on the Hewitt, we didn't go, oh no, no. So anyways, the following June or May or June, something like that, um Mount Pinatubo blew up outside of Clark Air Base.
00:51:53
Patrick Riley
um And when it did, i talked to a few guys, they were on ships in, um, uh,
00:52:02
David
Wow.
00:52:03
Patrick Riley
in Subic at the time and they were shoveling ash off the ship so bad.
00:52:06
David
Wow.
00:52:08
Patrick Riley
And actually that was kind of the beginning of the end. That's when we were kind of like, you know what, I think things are pretty screwed up and they pulled out because of that.
00:52:18
Patrick Riley
Well, the lease was up, but we didn't fight very hard for it because of the volcano really screwed things up.
00:52:23
David
Yeah.
00:52:26
Patrick Riley
We were on the way to the Persian Gulf at the time. for the, Desert Storm on the Hewitt when that went off.
00:52:33
David
Desert storm. Yeah.
00:52:34
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Yeah. I was like, ooh, that was, that was not good. But, yeah.
00:52:38
David
Yeah, but I mean, that was crazy. You know, we had, they had the airstrip there. they had all the, all the, they had that, the depot on the other side.
00:52:44
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:52:49
David
That was where the towers, I don't know if you were there for that. We smashed into the ammo pier on the towers.
00:52:49
Patrick Riley
Yep.
00:52:57
Patrick Riley
Oh.
00:52:58
David
were Were you there for that? Or that, did that happen before you got there?
00:53:00
Patrick Riley
Yeah. It might have happened before. I think I remember.
00:53:03
David
That happened before. So and we were going over, right? We were going over to get some munitions and some junior ensign, didn't know what the hell he was doing, smashes into the ammo pier.
00:53:09
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:53:17
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:53:17
David
Remember on the towers, we had the screw guards in the back part of the ship, at the stern of the ship sticking out because the screws stuck out wider than and the the beam of the ship at the aft part.
00:53:20
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:53:22
Patrick Riley
Yep. yeah
00:53:27
David
So those two screw guards, they stuck out.
00:53:27
Patrick Riley
yep
00:53:29
David
The starboard screw guard was just crushed and we and we And we tore up, we cracked the shaft, tore up the screw.
00:53:32
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:53:37
David
And so we were stuck there for like six or seven weeks. Dude, I went broke.
00:53:44
Patrick Riley
Right.
00:53:46
David
I can't be a PI for six weeks. Are you nuts?
00:53:49
David
I was broke. That's when I learned about how people borrowed and borrowed money.
00:53:50
Patrick Riley
ah Right.
00:53:56
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:53:56
David
was like, oh my God.
00:53:56
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:53:57
David
yeah I was borrowing money from somebody. I was like, Yeah, 40 for 50, 40 for 60, whatever. i was like, yeah.
00:54:04
Patrick Riley
Yeah. I luck. So I was not there because I wasn't there that long. So yeah, it before my time.
00:54:10
David
Yeah, it was tough.
00:54:12
Patrick Riley
And it was always, that was kind of the running joke.
00:54:12
David
Yeah.
00:54:14
Patrick Riley
Even when I, let's say I'm pulling my truck into a parking spot and I hit the curb of it, maybe hit the parking block a little hard. always, and I still say this today.
00:54:25
David
Yeah.
00:54:26
Patrick Riley
I'm like, more shift colors. Yeah.
00:54:28
David
yeah Yeah, exactly.
00:54:31
Patrick Riley
Because think that was a joke at that time because whenever you just hit the pier hard, it's like, oh, Lord.
00:54:36
David
Yep. Or shift colors.
00:54:37
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Yep, yep, exactly.
00:54:40
David
That's funny.
00:54:40
Patrick Riley
That was, um I remember, yeah, because with the Hewitt, we had vertical launch and we would have to go over there and we'd get the tomahawks that way.
00:54:51
Patrick Riley
And we stopped on the way over to Desert Storm just because we're like, are we getting some specials?
00:54:51
David
Yeah.
00:54:57
Patrick Riley
But I don't know if we got specials.
00:54:58
David
Yeah, yeah.
00:55:00
Patrick Riley
um
00:55:01
David
Yeah.
00:55:01
Patrick Riley
But yeah, we...
00:55:01
David
We kept specials on on the on the top on the Seattle when I was on there, had specials.
00:55:06
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
00:55:07
David
Yeah, pain in the ass.
00:55:07
Patrick Riley
Yeah. And of course, they always talked about that with the the towers. And they're like, I was like, what, on the ASRock?
00:55:14
David
On the ASRock, yeah.
00:55:15
Patrick Riley
You can't... Yeah, you could. but I was like, that's the dumbest thing ever.
00:55:18
David
You could, yeah.
00:55:20
Patrick Riley
It only goes out 15 miles and it looks for a sub and you got to run the other way.
00:55:20
David
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:55:24
Patrick Riley
not going work.
00:55:24
David
Well, yeah, I think that that would have had to have been a mod to not actually been a a special ASRock. would have had to have a, the ASRock launcher modded to hold a special, I think, you know, but yeah, that was just anyway, but yeah, man.
00:55:38
Patrick Riley
Yeah. And I remember when we were in Bunbury, kind of looking at Bunbury, I was the top side Rover when had duty.
00:55:49
Patrick Riley
And so they were giving tours. And of course, I'm walking around. I've got a sidearm. um And I remember these girls, they're cute. They're like, do you have nukes on board? had to go through the whole, can either confirm or deny.
00:56:05
Patrick Riley
I just wanted to be like, no, look at this ship. We can't have a nuke on this. But yeah, that was just a little much.
00:56:10
David
Yeah.
00:56:13
Patrick Riley
But yeah, it was such a good time. know, really look at what it did for me, where I'm at now, and you know, our stories that we go through now and, you know, thinking about our future trip. I'm i'm doing that future trip because I need to be able to get that.
00:56:27
Patrick Riley
I got to get that book done. I'm still working on it. It's going to take me a little while, but that'll be the follow up. But what do you think really helped you with the Navy or well, what did you get from the Navy that really helped you today and what your life is like today?
00:56:45
David
You know, boot camp was, you know, boot camp was boot camp. You learn a lot in boot camp, right? One five day for anybody who remembers what that was like. I don't know if they still do it the same way, but one five day was like, holy cow, right?
00:56:56
Patrick Riley
Oh,
00:56:59
David
And you learned learned a lot in boot camp about just, you know, um dealing with other people, getting instruction, of command, all that crap, you know.
00:57:00
Patrick Riley
yeah.
00:57:10
David
And Towers was, I really... ah Believe it or not, I think I really enjoyed the towers out of the six years, one month and seven days I was in the Navy.
00:57:23
David
But yeah, the second ship, I learned that I don't want to be in the Navy and it's not for me.
00:57:23
Patrick Riley
i
00:57:31
David
And but, you know, Either way, it doesn't matter. Got out of the service and I had, you know, we had all that training from, you know, really more from C school.
00:57:43
David
I mean, a school training didn't really give you much, you know, memorizing numbers like wow whatever.
00:57:49
Patrick Riley
Right. Yeah.
00:57:50
David
okay this batch of numbers in this set in this order equals you know that like okay whatever hit a button on a keyboard click a mouse whatever okay the towers had the remember we had a worldly one so that was that was kind of cool playing around with that and learning a little bit more but see school really is you know what what
00:58:06
Patrick Riley
yeah
00:58:10
David
got the the training that I needed. And then of course, when I left the military, it was Martin Marietta at the time, dropped into Martin Marietta as as a ah technician working on amplifiers for communication satellites.
00:58:19
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Okay.
00:58:28
David
So, I mean, that's what got, I mean, that And they love, you know, they love hiring military. So it worked out great.
00:58:35
Patrick Riley
Mm-hmm.
00:58:35
David
And, you know, kept going with with with the company got my i got my bachelor's and my master's degree paid but by the company got 31 years.
00:58:47
David
Next month, 31 years with with the company. I mean, you know, I all that's really attributed to to the the military background.
00:58:51
Patrick Riley
Wow.
00:58:57
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, I feel the same way because I think that the C school really helped out. And like I said, A school was really nothing and just kind of got us out there. ah But yeah, the the C school really helped out and, you know, to learn how to troubleshoot, how to figure things out, you had to figure things out because if we're a C and, you know, something goes down,
00:59:21
David
Yeah, fix it.
00:59:21
Patrick Riley
You know, we just can't, yeah, can't, can't call Amazon or CDW and say, Hey, I need this.
00:59:27
David
Yeah.
00:59:28
Patrick Riley
When you get back in.
00:59:28
David
Can't call tech support. Tech support.
00:59:30
Patrick Riley
Nope. No. Yeah.
00:59:32
David
There's a manual.
00:59:32
Patrick Riley
That's a exactly.
00:59:33
David
Open it up.
00:59:36
Patrick Riley
Yeah. But yeah, that was definitely a good time. And I had a great time on the towers. That was, you think I was still trying to figure things out. um Just, you know, me personally. And yeah, i was brand new. And I didn't come in with, you know, a...
00:59:52
Patrick Riley
big attitude like hey I did great in aid school I didn't have that but when I went to the Mount Whitney after sea school I did kind of have that attitude a little bit because I did so well but the problem was when I went on the Mount Whitney I went on a V3 ship as a V2 tech so that was a bit of a challenge for me because
01:00:09
David
Yeah.
01:00:12
David
Yeah, it was the same way. a Seattle was a V3 and I was a V2 tech and I didn't really care.
01:00:17
Patrick Riley
ah wow
01:00:18
David
Yeah, I didn't really care to go back to... back to school. And i was like, whatever, I don't care. I learned everything I needed to learn, learned. So my buddy, the guy I went to C school with buddy, Jim Drexel, he and I wanted to all the way through school every week. One of us was number one and the other one was number two all the way through.
01:00:42
David
And we ended up getting orders to the same ship. And then he went back for V.
01:00:46
Patrick Riley
Oh, wow.
01:00:46
David
He went back for V three school. And was like, Well, I mean, was it worth it? He's like, yeah, you know, it's just, they just talked to the other parts of the other shit.
01:00:57
David
I'm like, okay, got the active jammer.
01:00:58
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:00:59
David
I worked on all of it with him. In fact, our, are our, first class set, I try to keep my tone down.
01:01:01
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:01:07
David
Our first class on the, on the towers, I i hated the guy. This was the, this was the reason he's the one reason why I got out of the military. He was a complete freaking butthead, man. He was, he was an a-hole.
01:01:18
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:01:18
David
But so I'm working on the V3 shit with with my buddy and we're like, we had a motor, right?
01:01:23
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:01:25
David
So, you know, you have the the the starboard array, right?
01:01:30
David
Was on ah on a gimbal system, right?
01:01:30
Patrick Riley
Mm-hmm.
01:01:30
Patrick Riley
Yep.
01:01:33
David
So as the shit rocked, it it could match the horizon, right?
01:01:33
Patrick Riley
yep Yeah. Mm-hmm.
01:01:36
David
So the motor went out. So we were like, shit. So we had to go and replace that. So if you remember this, this sucker, this system was three phase 440 and that motor was 440.
01:01:48
David
four forty And i was up there with my buddy and we were on the comms. like, hey, did Thor, our EW1,
Challenges and Incidents in Military Service
01:01:56
David
did he shut it off? Did he tag out the system? Yes.
01:01:59
David
I didn't go down to look at the fricking panel to make sure. So all i remember is I put in the wrench on the nut to take the power lead off and I, and it goes black.
01:02:06
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Uh-huh.
01:02:10
David
So the railings about four feet behind it. And I wake up and Drex is like, dude, dude, I'm like, what?
01:02:13
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:02:16
David
What the fuck happened? I'm like, fucking Thor. I said, he didn't tag it out, did he?
01:02:20
Patrick Riley
Wow.
01:02:20
David
No, obviously not. I was like, I was so pissed.
01:02:23
Patrick Riley
Wow.
01:02:24
David
And I was more concerned about me getting in trouble because I didn't check it because I knew that asshole would have put it on me, right?
01:02:31
David
That that it was my responsibility to check that he tagged it out when he says he tagged it out he didn't. I was like, yeah, I was like, what a freaking moron.
01:02:32
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:02:38
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Yep. Mm-hmm.
01:02:40
David
But anyway, so Yeah, did did that, worked on that V3 system.
01:02:43
Patrick Riley
yeah
01:02:45
David
i like I worked on all of it worked on the the heat exchanger, the cooling setup, all all the tweeters, because I had a like a zillion tweeters and worked on all of it.
01:02:55
Patrick Riley
yeah
01:02:56
David
So it
Career Transition to Lockheed and Education
01:02:57
David
was it was pretty cool. I mean, and like i said, when I when i left ah the military, so I worked for Lockheed, I was working on on our fammps They're they're ah called ah SSPA, solid state power amplifiers. for At the time, it was AT&T. Then it was GE back then was making satellites on this other European company.
01:03:19
David
We built satellites, communication satellites, and we put like 50 or 60 of these amps on a satellite. So that was my job was to, so we'd build them and then we had to tune them. had to tune them.
01:03:30
David
and do all these run all these ah rf tests on them to make sure that they all uh met spec and then delivered them down to the vehicle guys so yeah yeah yeah
01:03:30
Patrick Riley
Okay.
01:03:39
Patrick Riley
Okay. Oh, wow. Yeah, and of course, when I get out, I finally make my way into a company where we did mail machines. Mail machines. Uh, so it was a lot different. It it really didn't give us a, it was fine.
01:03:54
Patrick Riley
It was a job. It really helped out for quite a few years and it got me in, I was working on software, but I still know how to work on the hardware.
01:03:58
David
yeah
01:04:01
Patrick Riley
So I was able to do both. And that was what the Navy taught me as well, going from, you know, knowing the software and the hardware. So I would have never got into that.
01:04:12
Patrick Riley
If I didn't join the Navy, I would never gotten to electronics and I would never gotten to computers. So, um, it's kind of a, I'm very grateful for what it did for me. But yeah, you're, you're right. There are certain people that when you go through the military, they just stick out as just being not the greatest.
01:04:30
Patrick Riley
It can really, Hey.
01:04:30
David
I'm on that section of your book. I'm on that section. but Here's your book pitch. I'm on that section of your book.
01:04:36
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:04:36
David
the Was it part two or whatever? like where where you
01:04:38
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:04:39
David
decep The Great Deception or is that what it's called?
01:04:42
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:04:43
David
So I just got to that part. I'm like, yeah, it doesn't matter where you go in life. I mean, you know, ah it feels sometimes like the the guys in the military. And again, I don't know what it's like now that it that it was, you know, when we were in ah back then, you know, guys could be assholes and get away with it and just be, you know, do shit just because.
01:04:56
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:04:58
Patrick Riley
yeah
01:05:01
David
You know, I didn't get into the whole second ship that i was on, but they tried to send me to actually they sent me to Captain's Mask. There's a whole story behind this. I went by seeing your command master chief says, you're not going.
01:05:12
David
This is bullshit. Your your first class is an asshole. He just doesn't like you.
01:05:16
Patrick Riley
yeah
01:05:17
David
So ah he he kicked it out. he He didn't let it go to, what was it, CPO review board? He's like, no. And finally, the XO, who this first class were buddy-buddy, they're like, oh, no, master chief, you have to put it through.
01:05:33
David
So I put it through and I go to Captain's mask and Captain's like, Pastor Nap, what are you doing here? I'm like, ah i was trying to get back to the ship. I was with a group of people. We were at someplace in Italy. i don't remember where the hell we were at.
01:05:46
David
And they told us to spend the night because the ship wasn't there. I was told later on that the ship got there at four in the afternoon. The next morning we reported to the ship, like seven of us, all shipped from the States over there.
01:05:57
Patrick Riley
yeah
01:05:59
David
And Thor was trying to tell me that I disobeyed a direct order by not going to the ship immediately. So captain was like, he's like, this is this is stupid.
01:06:12
Patrick Riley
yeah
01:06:12
David
And he says, you know what? He says, far be it for me to disregard my XO and the ops boss So this is what I'm going to do. He's like.
01:06:25
David
Forty five, forty five, three months pay, everything's suspended. ah I'll do the 30 days of restriction. And as soon as this is done, bring me the shit and I'm going to have this wiped off your record and give you your money back.
01:06:40
David
He's like, does that sound okay?
01:06:41
Patrick Riley
Okay.
01:06:41
David
I said, we we're in the med. was like, I was going to miss one port. I didn't really care to go to like, sure.
01:06:45
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:06:48
David
Okay, fine.
01:06:49
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:06:49
David
And it it was like, it was just, that was the kind of crap that I really, that was like, obviously the the final kind of straw that broke the camel's back of, ah you know, kind of really just jerked.
01:07:04
David
type people being in the in the military and and doing it like it was just so stupid i was like whatever dude you guys are just being complete buttheads because you're mad at me for whatever reason doesn't matter you know and uh so anyway so you know went back down he i mean i think i have a copy my records it doesn't even show up they just literally threw it out gave me all my money back yeah it was funny
01:07:05
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:07:15
Patrick Riley
yeah
01:07:24
Patrick Riley
that
01:07:27
Patrick Riley
oh
01:07:27
David
yeah
01:07:28
Patrick Riley
That's crazy. Yeah, I've never, and yeah, you're right. When you run across those people and and it was those lifers that just, you know, because if you had any sort of attitude that, you know, I don't really need, I don't plan on being here past that.
01:07:35
David
yeah
01:07:42
Patrick Riley
I'm not going reenlist. And people would kind of take um that at heart and say, well, they really not here for the right reasons. I'm going to make their life hell.
01:07:52
Patrick Riley
And that was the type of,
01:07:52
David
Right, exactly.
01:07:54
Patrick Riley
I said, I didn't like work with. So yeah, that was, and for me with the Mount Whitney, the other big part there was I was the only single guy. Everybody else I was on the ship with were all married, except for the chief and the um first class.
01:08:09
Patrick Riley
ah They were both divorced, but they both had custody their kids.
01:08:13
David
Kids.
01:08:13
Patrick Riley
So it's not like I can hang out with them.
01:08:14
David
So they had a pseudo married life or, you know, pseudo family life at home that they dealt with. Yeah.
01:08:20
Patrick Riley
Exactly. Exactly. So that was the big thing that I ran into because I was like, I don't want to deal with this. And i just, I couldn't see myself in the military after that, after that whole thing. And I did have one of my friends, he went into the military gung ho, like I'm going to retire. And after think sea school, when he got on a second ship, he's like, you know, not going be in here that much longer.
01:08:45
David
Yeah.
01:08:45
Patrick Riley
And he got out, but You know the bad thing there was that he did not do the GI Bill. So
01:08:52
David
Dude, I didn't either. i was like, I sort of felt bad like when I got out, but you know what? um and And sorry to interrupt you there, but yeah, I didn't either. i was like, shit, I should have done it.
01:09:03
David
But Lockheed paid for my bachelor's and my master's. They paid for all my um my schooling after that. They they paid for it. So, I mean, i really I really lucked out.
01:09:11
Patrick Riley
Absolutely.
01:09:13
David
I mean, I got out. I started as a technician, a technician, which is hourly for for the company.
01:09:15
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:09:18
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:09:19
David
And I doubled my pay. What I took home twice a month I was making in one week.
01:09:21
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:09:23
David
i was like, this great.
01:09:24
Patrick Riley
Yeah. Right.
01:09:26
David
Oh, they have overtime?
01:09:27
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:09:27
David
Hold on. Time and a half? Double time? What? I'm like, this is great. Like I worked for, i worked over Thanksgiving weekend. Like I would do it every, like every other year. And like I worked Thanksgiving weekend, Thursday and Friday was essentially worked out to triple time.
01:09:43
David
Saturday was time and a half and Sunday it was double time.
01:09:44
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:09:45
David
I like, I would pull like almost three weeks of pay in a week. It was crazy, man. i was like, I can dig this and nobody's mad at me. Nobody's trying to make my life miserable.
01:09:53
Patrick Riley
So was the reason. Exactly. So was one of the reasons why you didn't um get the GI Bill was because did you think you were going to stay in longer or were you just not interested in college when you went in?
01:10:06
David
You know, when I got in, i wanted to go and get my degree and I wanted to, at all costs, wanted to get into some sort
Influence of Top Gun and Book Promotion
01:10:18
David
of flight program.
01:10:20
Patrick Riley
Okay.
01:10:20
David
Yeah. Which never panned out.
01:10:21
Patrick Riley
Oh, nice.
01:10:22
David
yeah
01:10:23
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:10:23
David
Yeah.
01:10:24
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:10:24
David
You know, you remember, remember how we, why we went in, we saw Top Gun. You're like, yeah, Top Gun.
01:10:29
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:10:29
David
like joined the Navy because of Top Gun.
01:10:30
Patrick Riley
Exactly.
01:10:32
David
Right? Yeah.
01:10:32
Patrick Riley
Right. Oh, know. I know.
01:10:34
David
That was the best recruitment thing that they had back in the eighties was Top Gun.
01:10:38
Patrick Riley
Right. Yeah, that's exactly it. i I remember that movie. And they... I forgot which... think it was one of the times in boot camp they did play that movie. And was like, well, this is pretty cool.
01:10:49
David
That's funny.
01:10:50
Patrick Riley
So it's a good way to do it.
01:10:51
David
Yeah.
01:10:52
Patrick Riley
So, all right, well, Dave, I really appreciate the time. was gonna say, well, as soon as I end it, stick on for a couple minutes with this whole thing process.
01:10:56
David
Yeah, brother.
01:11:00
Patrick Riley
But yeah, I do want to pimp the book like usual. Usually i do at the beginning as well. I don't know why I didn't, but yeah, Deception Underway on sale at barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, also underwaybooks.com.
01:11:12
Patrick Riley
I have that domain and I've got that website. So I try to sell a book or two through there and I had a ah a book event yesterday, which is pretty cool, but it was a Saturday middle of the day. i guess some people forgot, but it still was a good time. There's quite a few people.
01:11:28
Patrick Riley
I sold books to people I didn't even know, which was pretty cool. So that was a neat little thing.
01:11:32
David
That's awesome. That's awesome, brother. and I'm happy for you. hope Hopefully it keeps going and it's successful.
01:11:36
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:11:37
David
And, you know, and if this second book, you know, hopefully ah the process goes well and and you're successful with that as well.
01:11:38
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:11:42
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:11:47
Patrick Riley
Absolutely. Yeah, there's a lot of things I, I, I'm taking of those life lessons of what I've learned with the first one, trying to make the second one a little better.
Future Travel Plans and Podcast Conclusion
01:11:57
Patrick Riley
And then I do need, like said, Dave, I'm going to be working on those, those dates.
01:12:02
Patrick Riley
I think the first two weeks of October, we'll get over to.
01:12:05
David
Yeah, yeah.
01:12:05
David
i saw I saw your email about the dates.
01:12:05
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:12:06
Patrick Riley
Okay. Sure.
01:12:07
David
i can I can work with any of them. So yeah, I might stay over a little bit longer than you. But um yeah, i'd I'd like to hit some of the more, you know, kind of cool places to go visit as far, you know, I'm like, if I'm going to go over.
01:12:21
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:12:23
David
and be there, I'm like, I'm going to spend some more time and maybe go up to northern part of the country and see some of the cool cool places up there.
01:12:26
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:12:31
Patrick Riley
Sure.
01:12:33
David
And then maybe you spend a couple more days in in Singapore.
01:12:36
Patrick Riley
it Oh yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I think that would be a, because I mean, it's so cheap to just fly around out there and that's, um,
01:12:44
David
Yeah.
01:12:45
Patrick Riley
And like i said, we we have some shipmates over there anyways. And I've got some friends over there.
01:12:50
David
Awesome.
01:12:51
Patrick Riley
You can meet up with any of those guys and they can, I think i can point you in the right direction.
01:12:52
David
Great. Yeah.
01:12:55
Patrick Riley
Like, hey, look at this. Look at, which I can't. I can't. All I know is like Muay Thai. where Where do you go for Muay Thai?
01:13:02
David
Yeah.
01:13:03
Patrick Riley
I've got those down.
01:13:03
David
Yeah. I actually have a ah ah contact this woman who used to actually, she used to waitress at my favorite sushi place.
01:13:15
David
Andy's from, he's from Thailand. She's from Thailand. She was going, there's a, there's a FIT Florida international school down here that a lot of foreigners go to. Long story short, she did, she's doing her master's program. We get to know each other. and She's back in Thailand working for Thai government, I think.
01:13:30
David
So I'll be like, Hey, where should I go to, you know, to check out some, some cool stuff. So, um, yeah, should be good.
01:13:35
Patrick Riley
Yeah.
01:13:37
Patrick Riley
That's awesome. we'll ah We'll definitely get there.
01:13:38
David
Yeah.
01:13:41
Patrick Riley
I got to figure things out on my side, but I think in the next couple of weeks, I'll get my travel going.
01:13:44
David
Yeah. Yeah. Let's, yeah, let's, let's do that. I'm going to be traveling a little bit here month of June too, but I should be able to find some time to to tag up and work out dates.
01:13:55
Patrick Riley
Perfect. Awesome, man.
01:13:57
David
Awesome.
01:13:57
Patrick Riley
All right. Well, hey, we'll ah we'll end the podcast here. Dave, thanks so much for your time. I appreciate it. It's on a Sunday. I'll post this in the next couple of days. I'm getting to figure out the whole process to to post the bit different podcasts. I scheduled it the last one, but it didn't kick off. So I had to manually upload it the next day. so But I'll send you the links.
01:14:16
David
No worries. Thanks a lot, Pat. i appreciate you having me on.
01:14:19
Patrick Riley
Awesome, man. Talk to you soon. Thanks.
01:14:21
David
right, brother.