John Whitmire, CTTC USN Retired, 1963-1983


I graduated from Palmetto Senior High School in June 1963 in Miami, FL 
(actually Perrine, FL). Prior to graduation, because my grades were 
pretty low, my mother made me go to the Navy Recruiting in January 1963 
to enlist. I went and there I met this crusty old Chief who used every 
word known only by Chief's in chewing out my ass and telling me he DID 
NOT want me in HIS Navy and to get out and never come back until I 
graduated from high school. The next day I went to the Army recruiting 
station and took their entrance exam. The recruiter was amazed at my 
score: passed all of the 100 questions. An example of the the questions: 
What is 50% of 100 or what is one third of 100. The recruiter promised 
me the world. I took the physical and I was 2 pounds under weight. I 
weighed 110 pounds and they would not take me until I weighed 112 pounds 
or more. I was told to come back in two weeks and to eat a lot of 
bananas and drink a lot of water before I was reexamined.
 
Anyway, I did finish high school and graduated. Upon graduation, I was 
still thinking about joining the Army and going into Armor: I thought 
tanks would be fun. During the period I graduated I was working two 
jobs. I went to work at Steven's Market in Perrine where I began work as 
a bag boy and worked my way to being a stock boy. I was making a 
whopping $1.25 an hour which was not bad then. I had to be at work at 
0600 and worked until 1400. After getting off from work I would walk 
about two miles to a Texaco gas station my Father owned and ran. There I 
would work until about 2100 and then go home. While working at the gas 
station, I met a Navy Lieutenant Commander who was a pilot and flew with 
the Coast Guard out of Miami. He talked me into eventually joining the 
Navy which was the best decision of my life. Things worked out really 
well and sort of fell in place during my 20 years.
 
Anyway, I worked two jobs until 24 October 1963 and got sworn in at the 
Miami Recruiting station. After working two jobs for about 4 months I 
was ready to go into the Navy just for the rest. I went to Boot Camp in 
Great Lakes. I was in Company 505 and CE1 Mulvhill was the Company 
Commander. I still have my original copy of the Keel from 1963.
 
I remember taking the code test and writing the Morse characters for TIN 
on my desk so I could reference them during the code test.
 
The day we were to "select" what we wanted to do while in the Navy I 
chose Electronic Technician, Radarman, Sonar Technician and was told NO 
for all of those choices. I then asked for Radioman and was asked "How 
would you like to be a CT?" I asked what was a CT and was told they 
didn't really know other than CTs were glorified Radiomen. It pretty 
much looked like the decision had already been made so I said I would 
become a CT. One of the best decisions I ever made!
 
How I got through CT school is another story for another day.