How many of you are ex military? and how did you get interested in baja ? jim grooms
denverDiver - 7-30-2006 at 07:13 AM
I didn't serve but I was born on an american army base in France while my dad was serving. Many of my friends are Nam vets.
Many of them have a hard time with starched shirts and too many rules.
They are an independent group of survivors and explorers.
Baja seems the perfect fit.
.Bob H - 7-30-2006 at 07:35 AM
I served in the United States Navy from 1968 to 1972. After boot camp and communications school I spent two years shore duty at NAVCOMSTA in Rota,
Spain. Then the remaining time aboard the USS Inchon, LPH-12, based in Norfolk, VA. My last 6-months was spent on a Med-Cruise, which was very
interesting to say the least.
I moved from Miami, FL in 1984 to San Diego, CA. Met a friend who's family owned a home just North of Ensenada, in Cibola del Mar where we would go
down every once and awhile with several other friends on weekends. Met more locals in the area who started talking about places of interest further
south and my wife and I began to explore more and more. Been going back ever since to see more of Baja!
Bob H
[Edited on 7-30-2006 by Bob H]jimgrms - 7-30-2006 at 08:38 AM
I served from 1955 till 1976 in the us navy spending most of my time as a minewarfare electrician, did 1 tour in viet nam in the brownwater navy on
a river minesweeper and a tour as a advisor and was involved in sweeping the mines from hiapong harbor . first went to baja (san felipe ) in 1952
and got hooked on the fishing , later while in the navy went to the area below ensanada often to camp and fish santo thomas erendera punta prieta
punta banda, , most of those trips were on a triumph trophy and in a 57 international pickup,those were before the road was paved and it was
pretty desolate ,then after retireing with a cartop tin boat and a 75 chvy van went all over mostly the cortez side till my wife did not like it
any more and didn;t go back till 85 or so don't go as much as i would like due to health reasons but going for a month or 6 weeks in oct nov a
fast run to assuncion for a week then to sandiego to refill ox bottles then back to san guintin el rosario anf santo thomas area then more
oxygen then to s/f and gonzogo for a while maybe some of you folks want to accompany me jim grooms denverReeljob - 7-30-2006 at 09:21 AM
Jim:
Navy 1955 - 1960 most all aboard USS Bremerton CA130 (Heavy Cruiser)
I bet you could get some pilots to bring down OXY for you so you wouldn't have to travel back and forth. I know I would be happy to and will be back
and for th to Cabo several times. Could stop anywhere between Durango and Cabo to drop of what you need.
vet?
pacificobob - 7-30-2006 at 09:24 AM
yup....2 tours to viet nam.....that has however nothing to do with my interest in latin america. ive been traveling/living in mexico,central/south
america since i was a kid.....just appeals to me i guessbajaguy - 7-30-2006 at 09:24 AM
Retired US Army (Reserve and National Guard) Captain (20 years, 10 months and 9 days!!!). Enlisted in 1966, went through OCS in 1978 and retired in
1987. Various units and assignments (EOD, Ordnance, Military Intelligence). Last unit (other than current Retired Reserve)was the "Fighting IRR". Hope
to start collecting $$$ from Uncle Sam soon. Started travelling in Baja in 1962 while in high school, day trips to Rosarito and Ensenada....bitten by
the bug and still have the fever!!!!
Retired recently as a Lieutenant with the Nevada DPS, and we just purchased (under construction) a home at the Baja Counrty Club in Ensenada.jimgrms - 7-30-2006 at 10:00 AM
Reel job I usually haul enough ox to last a couple of weeks , and just to cover my butt i get refilled every chance i get even going back to el
norte to do it, i dont think i can get my bottles refilled down there , i know in san felipe i can't i have to have them brought from mexicali , and
it needs to be medical grade, so i usually stay close to the border and keep close track of my reserve , as every once in a while a what i think is
full bottle is really empty, and don't like depending on other folks to much , but thanks for the offerOsprey - 7-30-2006 at 10:14 AM
Jim, did 4 years in the 50's on West Coast minesweepers. No wars or conflicts then. I was in the Battle of Seattle -- me, my pal and 2 other drunks.
Radarmen were critical - made E 6 is 3 years, 4 months. Did not want to ship over but I told em I'd extend for 24 hours if they made me Lt.
Commander by 13:00.jimgrms - 7-30-2006 at 10:29 AM
Where you on the mso's or the am'sMike Humfreville - 7-30-2006 at 11:21 AM
USMC 1960 - 1966. Cuban Crisis then Far East for 13 mos. First enlisted men were sent into Vietnam the day I saild for the States.Barry A. - 7-30-2006 at 11:48 AM
My father, 1 uncle, and maternal grandfather were Naval Officers and Academy (USNA) Grads, and another uncle was a Marine Officer in WW II (Pacific
Theater), but I never took the plunge-----just never interested me, and I was highly discouraged from joining by my surviving relatives.
My widowed mother and her sister began taking me to Baja in about 1948------they were real backcountry campers, and introduced me to the boonies of
Baja back then, when I was 10. We later owned a second home on the cliffs above the Pacific at Punta Banda, just north of Rosarita Beach, for about
10 years. Started going to back country Baja on my own in about 1954-----been going back ever since.vgabndo - 7-30-2006 at 12:07 PM
USMC 1961-1964 active. 13 months in the Far East. Went over as a 106 mm "Reckless Rifle" gunner. Became an intelligence scout. Broke the range
record with the .45 at Camp Schwab. Assigned to the Far East Division Rifle and Pistol Team. Just before I'd have gotten to go back to the "world" to
shoot at Camp Perry, we mounted out and sailed in circles in the Tonkin Gulf for what seemed to be about half a lifetime! (Floating Battalion) Got
out with two stripes just before Christmas '64
After college, I moved to San Diego and through Lucky Yamaha, San Diego Suzuki, and Suzuki Lemon Grove, where I was a mechanic, became exposed to the
riding in the Laguna Juarez area.
I was then officially hooked. Military/Baja connection? If any, it would have to be the lure of what's over the next hill, and can I get back
without help.
Semper Fi
[Edited on 7-30-2006 by vgabndo]
GREAT THREAD
woody with a view - 7-30-2006 at 12:22 PM
no formal sevice. been building military (camp pendleton, pt mugu-port hueneme, vandenberg, yuma proving ground, murphy canyon, etc...) housing for
the past long time. consider this my way of giving back to those who give so much, in so many ways.
the baja connection runs deep. surfers and carpenters are a peso a dozen. first time was 9th grade (+/- '78) ditched school to go surf popotla.
been a baja junky ever since, thru good times and bad.....thebajarunner - 7-30-2006 at 12:25 PM
USS Boxer- went aboard at North Island it was CVS-21, 10 days later headed for the Canal and Norfolk, and when we got to Norfolk they had painted a
big "4" on the stacks and we were the first LPH= LPH-4.
Went to boot camp in SD but was always afraid to go over to TJ on liberty, too many guys got in trouble in those days.
Went to Baja in 1971 to help a friend pit for the 1000- got totally hooked and built a truck and raced for the next 12 years, been back constantly
since then (you can read about it in Bernie's new book)
Jim- not to open old sores, but do you recall the posts on medical Oxy last year? You need never worry about running out, oxy is oxy...Neal Johns - 7-30-2006 at 12:30 PM
USN 1948 - 1957 Chief Electronics Technician
Hawaii Barbers Point NAS Transmitter Station
Hawaii Ford Island Electronics Shop
Japan Instructor, Underway Training Element Yokosuka
China Lake Naval Ordinance Test Station, Guided Missile Unit 25
USS Gyatt DDG 712/DDG-1 World's First Guided Missile Destroyer
First trip to Baja: 1977 solo in an FJ-40 Land Cruiser to save my sanity due to a recent divorce.
Viva Dick Cepek and Armstrong Tru-TraksOsprey - 7-30-2006 at 12:42 PM
Jim, MSOs - one tin, one lumber. Spent a month one Xmas in the Sea of Japan trying to stop the Russians from shipping arms to whomever. No guns, top
speed 13 knots. Two MSOs - kinda like a Mexican armada.Debra - 7-30-2006 at 12:44 PM
I'm way to old to have served (they didn't let us women serve back then)
I was the wife of Viet Nam vet, the daughter of a Korean War vet, and my Grand-Dad served in WWII........don't mean to hi-jack this thread, just
wanted to say thank you to all of you that keep our country safe, and what it is THANKS!jimgrms - 7-30-2006 at 01:10 PM
Spent over 13 years on mso,s 170 ft long 35 wide packard diesels slow rond bottom nasty ridiny s o b ,, loved them i retired cause the would not
send me back to them in fact we visited accupulco on a sweep they kicked us out of port ,for having to much funOsprey - 7-30-2006 at 02:11 PM
Jim, I went to Acapulco on the U.S.S. Toucan for R&R too in 1957Qvanbruce - 7-30-2006 at 02:52 PM
Congrats for a great thread concept, Jim.
My first trip to Baja was to K38&1/2 on my first weekend liberty after getting back to the world. I'd actually taken off in my newly purchased
'63 Econoline to Doheny &/or Dana Pt. for some much needed "olla-therapy", but much to my extreme displeasure and consternation my favorite
stretch of surfing beaches had been magically changed into a giant marina. I'm still more than a little peeed about that!
My father had enlisted in USN, commissioned Ltjg, and went to assault boat training school in Coronado in the latter days of WWII prior to assignment
to USS Montour, an ex-banana boat converted to APA. He participated in several of the amphibious ops in the central and W. Pacific.
I followed suit and, enlisting in '65, served 3 years aboard USS Windham County (LST1170). We were homeported in Yokosuka but spent most of our time
doing logistic stuff and amphib. landings between Saigon and Da Nang. (If there's any Gator Sailors out there that wanta exchange sea stories, I'm
E-able @ windmage47@msn.com).
Whilst still off in SE Asia pertectin' democracy from the yellow dominos, or whatever it was we were doing there, mi hermano, JRbaja, had started
making fairly regular surf (&etc.) trips to N. Baja, I tagged along whenever I could.
[Edited on 8-2-2006 by Qvanbruce]losfrailes - 7-30-2006 at 03:24 PM
Entered Navy in '47, Korea all that stuff. Fled to the Air Force in 57. Retired in '69. Mostly geek duties, computers etc.
Left snow covered Boise Idaho for short vacation in 1996. Only returned to sell my house. Baja is home now.
Baja Bound
MrBillM - 7-30-2006 at 03:53 PM
1950 -- First Trip to Baja - Tijuana (five years old).
1955 to 1960 -- Many trips to Tijuana (Horse Races and Jai Alai) and Ensenada (Fishing).
1963 -- USAF (Electronics Tech).
1966 -- First Trip to San Felipe (Thanksgiving).
1973 -- First Trip to Gonzaga Bay.
1976 -- Malarrimo Beach.
1978 to 1980 -- Numerous Small Plane and Auto trips to San Felipe, Gonzaga and beyond.
1981 -- First Time I saw Laguna Percebu.
1982 -- Leased First Lot at Laguna Percebu (Cinco de Mayo).
Since 1982 mostly trips to Percebu, Tijuana, Rosarito Beach and Ensenada. After my wife's retirement in 2002, we typically spend 75-80 % of our time
in Baja September thru July, 25 % in August. Until slowed by a deteriorating Spinal condition, our great passion was sailing in Baja, San Diego,
Inland Lakes with a couple of Bareboat vacations (1991 and 1992) in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands.
Pretty Mundane.capn.sharky - 7-30-2006 at 03:53 PM
U.S. Navy....MSO 432. Served on the first ship in Vietnam. l961-1963 Gulf of Tonkin out of De Nang. Was an Rd3 on a kiddie cruise. Went in before
18 and got out before 21. Only qualified diver on board so I got to cut the fishing nets out of our screws while there. Started to go to Mexico when
I was eight years old with my father. Went to Caliente Race Track every weekend possible. As I got older, I would borrow the car and go into town
for some tourism---Club Mocambo, Blue Fox, etc. Got my high school sex education right there in Tijuana. Those were the days, my friend.capn.sharky - 7-30-2006 at 04:01 PM
MSO's---anyone notice how many of us served on Minesweepers. Considering how few there were, must be a connection between serving on a 'sweep and
liking the Baja. Wierd man.......jimgrms - 7-30-2006 at 04:20 PM
There were 103 mso and 1 is all that is left and it is owned by a group of former mso sailors , ,.thebajarunner - 7-30-2006 at 04:24 PM
We used the mso's to haul our trash....
Which is better than we treated the Jar-heads when we hauled them South from LeJeune...Bruce R Leech - 7-30-2006 at 04:27 PM
first trip to Mexico 1953
entered army 1969 unit 87 airbornejimgrms - 7-30-2006 at 04:37 PM
Maybe we should move this thread to the off topic thread, i hope no one is upset but this seems to have taken on a life of its ownthebajarunner - 7-30-2006 at 05:12 PM
Don't take my posts there,
I don't believe in that place!
YIKES!!!
please, oh please, don't take me there!!!bajajudy - 7-30-2006 at 05:56 PM
You guys go for it.
I also have not joined in the cat house thread although there is a good one between La Paz and San Jose...las delisiosas.jimgrms - 7-30-2006 at 06:24 PM
Comitan nothing at all wrong with we all deal with our past in different ways, I left the navy in 76 and for over 25 years i just wanted to
forget like a lot of vets i felt guilty about getting back in one piece when so many diddn,t , i don,t know if you fall in that category or not
but you did what was asked and that was more than enough , and that goes for all vets and active duty folks jimoladulce - 7-30-2006 at 06:47 PM
Please continue. This is interesting. Some translation of the jargon would be helpful though.jimgrms - 7-30-2006 at 07:59 PM
Oladuce a mso is a mine sweeper ocean, 175 ft woodem nonmagnetic ship alst is a landing ship tank used for landing tanks on beaches gators
are anphibious ships used to transport troops and equipment , any thing specific just askRonnieRockCod - 7-30-2006 at 08:08 PM
Osprey, No war in the 50's? Seems I remember one called The Korean War from '50 until about '53. It was a lousy war but the only one we had.
Debra, don't know how old you are but we had Women Marines before WWII.
Comitan, what was your MOS? If it was other than 03 (Infantry), then I don't understand your attitude.
Enlisted at 18 yrs in Oct, 46, USMC. Wounded Korea, Aug '50 as Machine Gun Section Leader. Tour of duty in Vietnam as Captain, 0302, retired
'68.
First visit to Baja (Ti Juana) Jan, '47 after Boot Camp. Camping, fishing there ever since. Good luck to all. RRCBob and Susan - 7-30-2006 at 08:15 PM
so ronnie....
you should be called "Captain RonnieRockCod" djh - 7-30-2006 at 08:31 PM
This is ON topic
I'd never have seen this thread if it was in the OFF topic area... (I don't go there).
I missed the Viet Nam draft by a couple of years....
My dad, RIP, was WW2 Coast Guard (thus, Navy) radioman in the pacific. Injured & Disabled.
My brother and I (now 52 and 50), used to lay awake nights listening to him tell his stories from the war.... The USS Basswood, The USS Nemeha
(sp?)... He left out the more horrific things when we were small....
I still have my dad's last Ham radio set.... We also used to lay awake nights listening to him "work the nets" in the late 50's and through the
60's....
I sometimes imagine tuning into just the right frequency and hearing his voice....... W7MAY, in Spokane Washington, standing by........ RIP..
He never made it to Baja, but he had ham buddies who he talked to decades ago... I still have many of the postcards that he received from ham radio
pals....
Thanks to all of you who did your duty. It is a major slice out of this short life we have.
I wish ALL present-day Americans had the personal responsibility and accountability that you've lived.
djhbajamigo - 7-30-2006 at 08:33 PM
US Air Force Security Service (military arm of NSA), Flight Commander, spent most of the time between 1963 and 1968 in the confluence of countries
that technically don't exist anymore: West Germany, East Germany and Czechoslovakia. Anyone ever been to the 5K zone?Al G - 7-30-2006 at 09:03 PM
US navy 1961- 1966 VS 35 aboard USS Hornet CVS 12 our squadron was based at NAS North Island. Lived in Imperial Beach and did my shopping in
TJ...Capt, sharky we may know the same girls. After we lost our first 2 aircraft. missiles over Turtle Island, We spent most of our time off Da Nang
at Yankee station. Was extended 4 months that I was OK with, but was starting to wonder what was happening to the world. First the Cuban missile
crisis, then Kennedy shot on my birthday. now the president declares war on North Viet Nam days after we lose 8 people over Turtle Island. I still
remember everyone listening to the loudspeaker and being stunned for a couple seconds and then cheering. After that nobody thought about it much, just
launched plane after plane around the clock, slept on the deck and tried to keep pace.
One day in January 1966 they flew me off to Yokosuka it was over for me.
Some time in the seventy's I began Coast fishing mainland Mexico, mostly Mazatlan, because it was the cheapest. Never thought about Baja, because it
cost twice as much to fish in San Lucas. Met a guy few years back who had a house in Todos Santos and a neighbor who needed a house sitter. Been hook
ever since.Viva Baja!dean miller - 7-31-2006 at 07:21 AM
USAF - Captain Koren War (Police Action?)
First trip to Ensenada, Baja, December 1951 as a college student/ diver searching for clean, clear warm water- discovered clean, clear very cold
water. Returned after college & USAF- with a wet suit. ( It was released to civilain market in March 1953)
Explored northern Baja since mid 1950s in 1942 4x4 Dodge WW11 surplus ambulance, VW bug, VW van and most recently Toyota PUs.
DeanTMW - 7-31-2006 at 07:38 AM
US Navy 1962-1969. AE with RVAH-13. Two cruises aboard USS Kitty Hawk 65-67. Six planes to a squadron and we went thru six during each cruise. At the
time the RA5C was the heaviest plane to leave the flight deck at 69,000 lbs (31,000 of fuel) for a PECM package. Needed 34 knots of wind and once in a
while the ship couldn't make it.BajaRob - 7-31-2006 at 08:05 AM
US Army- 1969 through 1972. Was Senior Air Traffic Controller@ Fort Rucker's Radar Contol Facility. All rotary wing pilots trained there before being
deployed to the land of milk and honey.
Was able to get even for low Army pay by contracting with DOD for 25 years.
First trip to Mexico in 1975. Retired to the beach @ BHM in 2002.
[Edited on 7-31-2006 by BajaRob]turtleandtoad - 7-31-2006 at 08:38 AM
USN 8 years, IC1(SS); Spent most my time on conventional subs (Diesel Boats Rock!) and nuke subs, both fast attack and boomers. Sailed the 7 seas,
crossed the equator and the date line too many times to count. Made one trip to the North pole. Sat off Nam on plane patrol for a few cruises.
Patrolled the entrance to Gitmo, Cuba on a boat without any guns during the Cuban Crisis. Got shot while on fence patrol with a marine. Got shot again
by an irate Arab in the Yemen desert while attending a "goat grab" put on by the local Sheik. And I'm the guy that went into subs to stay away from
the face-to-face combat!!!
Spent 15 years in the CG, retired as CWO-4 (Eng). Most of my time was on Fisheries patrols in the Bering Sea, the Grand Banks, and other northern
waters; and on Polar Ice Breakers. Made 3 trips to the South Pole and two trips to near the North Pole, used to stop at Attu and hunt for Japanese and
US weapons and shell casings left over from WWII. A couple of sailors got injured when some of the rounds turned out to be live. That put a stop to
our scavenging trips.
My introduction to Baja was when I was a baby and the trips continued to this day I . My parents used to take me to the original "Half-Way House",
where the family had an Airstream parked, for vacations.baitcast - 7-31-2006 at 09:03 AM
I find a very strange how people have forgot Korea
I lost a good friend there in 53 and joined the the navy the following year.
54-55.................LST 1123
55-56.................USS Luzon
56 57.................APL30......Boat pool Subic BAY
My favorite duty,running M boats......BM-3
57-58.................ATF.....USS Chickasaw
First trip to Baja 1963,Guadalupe island,and its good to see so many white hats aboard.
BAITCASTBajajorge - 7-31-2006 at 09:56 AM
Twenty Eight years total military service. USMC, USMCR and Army National Guard. Never had the privilege to serve in Nam, but did go to Desert Storm.
Promised myself that when I retired I would winter in Baja, no more freezing my ass off.
Forgot to add that I didn't want to leave the military, but Slick Willie kicked me out with his defense cuts.
[Edited on 7-31-2006 by Bajajorge]Bob H - 7-31-2006 at 12:27 PM
This topic would make a great poll, listing all the military groups and see how they rank amongst Nomads that served.
Bob H (USN 1968-1972)wilderone - 7-31-2006 at 01:28 PM
Mi dos centavos. 8 years USN Reserves - LN1, attached to a combined Pacific intelligence unit (combined with Marines and Army). Unlike you all with
heavy duty, I stayed in hotels for many tours, and the Navy treated me very well. I saw "action" at HQ Korea during tri-annual exercises (3 trips),
Panama, Japan, Hawaii (all intel-related). Had a wonderful time and I miss my Navy adventures - especially staying up all night dancing to rock and
roll at the East/West Club in Itaewon. Baja bug first bit around 1972 with a trip to KM52 fishing trip, and thereafter, after a week at Conception
Bay, you couldn't keep me away.jimgrms - 7-31-2006 at 02:27 PM
Isn't military intelligents a oxy marooon
USN
AcuDoc - 7-31-2006 at 03:43 PM
Navy brat born Norfolk Naval Hospital
Dad 4 yrs USN
Raised by grandfather 20 years retired USN
Son born Balboa Naval Hospital 1975
72-76 NAS North Isaland, San Diego VS-29
Aviation Electrician Second Class Petty Officer
1976 Westpac USS Enterprise CVN-65
Pearl Harbor, PI (subic/olongopo), Hong Kong, Hobart Tasmania
BAJA
other then tJ/Ensenada from high school and usn
1988 Gonzaga on and off until 1994 then every year for about 2-3 months a year
jimgrms
vgabndo - 7-31-2006 at 08:13 PM
In my case it was certainly marooonic! The USMC had us battalion level recon scouts outfitted with the ANTPS 21 Field Portable Radar, if I remember
the numbers correctly. It had no screen, you listened to changes in the noise on headphones. You were *supposed* to be able to tell the difference
between a tank and a marching column. The problem was, while we grunts were practicing listening for a potential enemy, the big ass generator that
ran the stupid thing was alerting them, and making it impossible to hear anything on the headphones. Military intelligence.
Military
RetiredUSAF - 7-31-2006 at 08:47 PM
Hey ya'll
Retired from USAF after 20 years 1971 -1991 (not my choice). Never been in combat or even close. Been stationed in Spain, Turkey, and the U.S. I was a
supply troop in the computer room. Haven't made it to Baja yet, but I am to in 2-3 years. Old bones don't like the cold weather anymore. I read the
site daily and really enjoy it, have learned alot.Skeet/Loreto - 8-2-2006 at 04:29 AM
"The Forgotten War"!
US Navy-1950 to 1954
Sworn in at Amarillo Texas after being a Hobo for 3 years.
Boot Camp at Farraget{SP} San Diego ,across from the Marine Base{They marched all the Time!}.
Tattoo from Painless Nell.
Sent to Memphis Tenn. to Aviation Mech School {Met my first Wife at the USO}
Off to Treasure Island on to Japan to duty on the USS Adventinus ARVE 3. A converted LSD with an Engine Test Cell on the Foredeck.
Japan to off Puson, Inchon with the Boxer, Lexington.
Returned the ARVE3 to Long Beach California with Piper Laurie meeting us at the Dock!!
Assigned to FAE TU PAK NorthIsland as Plane Capt. on the PBY 6A, PB1W, F4U5, R4D{DC3}
Last 6 months Assigned to the California Highway Patrol as a ShorePatrolman.
God Bless the U>S Navy! G I Bill paid me $120 Month to Attend and Graduate from Fresno State College.
The Texas Vet Bill known as the Hazlewood Act is paying for my Schooling Starting in Sept. at West Texas A&M University.
And the local Rag"The Amarillo News-Globe" did not even include the Korean War in the Memorial Day Issue!!
58, 928 Have been Forgotten!!!!!
Skeet/Loretobajarich - 8-2-2006 at 08:18 AM
I served 4 years, 1969-1973 in the Navy. Flew as radar/sensor operator aboard P-3 Orions for 3-1/2 years, including 2 WestPac tours, one to
Philipines and Thailand, the other to Guam and Adak Alaska. We flew shipping surviellance in Vietnam out of the Philipines, Thailand, and Guam. We
were not armed and luckily we never got shot at, but we were lucky enough to have survived some pretty wild Navy Pilots that just about killed us on
several occasions not to mention the near misses with private aircraft on takeoff from Moffet Field, our home base in Mountain View, Calif.
My Dad elisted in the Army when he was 17 and served in WW-1 in France. I have 2 half-brothers, one served in the Marines in WW-2 and fought in the
Pacific, the other served in the Merchant Marines during WW-2, Korea, and Vietnam. He had a ship torpedoed out from under him and had to be rescued
from the sea during WW-2. My younger brother was serving in Vietnam as a salvage diver on the ocean-going tug "Tawasa" at the same time I was there.
We all enlisted during times of war and did active duty. I wish we could say the same for many of our current politicians.
I first became interested in Baja back in the '70's when I lived in Jackson, Wyo. and was working as a Seasonal Park Ranger and Ski Patrolman. In the
Spring, many people would clear out and take vacations to Mexico. I then moved to Salt Lake City and started my career in the bookprinting business.
In the late '80's we printed H.J. Williams book "The Magnificient Pennisula", followed by "The Baja Adventure Book" and "The Peoples Guide to Mexico".
After working on these books, I just had to go, so at Christmas of 1989 we borrowed a friends sea kayak and headed south in our VW Vanagon.
Unforturately, we ended up only in Guaymas and never made it to Baja due to our lack of time and the ferry schedule. We did get a good taste of
Mexico and fell in love with it and the people.
In 1992 we made our first trip to Baja, driving through Tijuana and down to Bajia Conception where we spent 5 days camped at Playa Santaspac right
where the big rock house is built out on the point now. This time we had our own sea kayaks. Due to limited vacation and money, we only made it back
down every other year until 1998 when I bought a 4-wd and camper.
After that, it has been every winter. When my company closed in Dec, 2001, I decided to spend more time in Baja, so, with my wonderful wifes
permission (she is a teacher and is still working), I have been spending 2-3 months,
since, except this past winter when she asked me to stay home. We flew to Mazatlan for a week instead. This winter I should be back in Baja toward
the end of January through mid April. My wife will fly in to San Jose where she will spend a week with me out camping and then we'll spend a week at
the Pueblo Bonito in Cabo.
[Edited on 8-2-2006 by bajarich]Bruce R Leech - 8-2-2006 at 08:59 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Skeet/Loreto
"The Forgotten War"!
And the local Rag"The Amarillo News-Globe" did not even include the Korean War in the Memorial Day Issue!!
58, 928 Have been Forgotten!!!!!
Skeet/Loreto
this is a real tragedy, I hope some one really gives The Amarillo News-Globe" a good talk about that . and I hope no one buys there papers any more.
