Robert Ricca   CTMCM  1969-1993

I had selected the wrong college, so I dropped out in early 1968 and was working to earn money to return to school.  In the Spring of 1969, I had enrolled for the fall semester at a different college when the draft board called me for my physical.  I was working with a guy who had recently completed his tour in Vietnam and he kept telling me to enlist for some training, not just go in to the infantry.  I worked for a good man who kept praising the Navy's electronics training (the best of all the services in the late 1960's).

I spoke with an honest recruiter who tested me in his office and told me I would have to take the test again in Boot Camp but, if I scored as well, I would qualify for the electronics program.  So I enlisted in the Navy.

I did well on the test in Boot Camp, went to see the gentleman who reviewed my scores and he told me what programs were available.  I said I wanted electronics school and he said "How would you like to be a CTM?". I replied "What is a CTM?".  He said "An ET who never goes to sea.".  Twenty-four years later, I retired as a CTMCM without ever being assigned to a ship.  Great Lakes for 13 months (Boot Camp and ET school (no CTM "A" school then)), Winter Harbor for 12 months in a trainee (4905) billet, Pensacola for the first AN/FLR-15 maintenance class, Hanza for 30 months, Rota for 52 months, Northwest for 50 months, Augsburg for 36 months, Edzell for 39 months, Groton for 50 months. ??

One side note:  those were the days when the FBI actually spoke to people in your neighborhood while doing your background check.  The FBI wasn't popular in Philadelphia and my family had a few calls from neighbors asking what was going on because they hadn't seen me for a while.  Once they were told I had enlisted (and wasn't on the run), they spoke with the FBI agents.

The job was great and most of the people were tremendous.  I would gladly do it again.