DU Vets, family and friends of Vets. Memorial Day check-in

[maxrandb]

On this Memorial Day, I would like to express my appreciation to my fellow DU vets and active duty. I heard some "talking head" on CNN talking about how we should thank a vet for our freedom. I don't know about you, but I've never felt that way. I serve in the military, but I've done no more to protect America's values than the defense attorney doing pro-bono work to defend an innocent man, or the young man marching across a bridge in Alabama, or the reporter exposing corruption in government. Why should I get special praise or thanks. I didn't give America it's freedom...the Constitution did.

Anyway, check-in if you like. I'm active duty U.S. Navy. 22 years and counting. 16 of those 22 on sea duty. Served on USS IOWA (BB-61), USS KEARSARGE (LHD-3), USS CARTER HALL (LSD-50), USS CARL VINSON (CNV-70), and a couple of fleet VFA squadrons, plus a tour with ACU-4.

"I don't want a military that the government can be proud of...I want a government that the military can be proud of"

Anyone know what IOWA stood for? It's Our Way A$$hole

[Scoody Boo]

1. Served for 4 years.

1987-1991. US Army. 3rd Ranger Battalion and 1/506th Infantry.

[jonnyblitz]

2. I served on USS Coral Sea, USS Missouri, and USS LaSalle

all decommissioned (i think, not sure about LaSalle). Plus I did shore duty at NAS Norfolk Weapons Dept and COMLOGGRU ONE out of Treasure Island near SF.

I only did 10 years and was on the Missouri during Desert Storm! :hi:

[HawkerHurricane]

3. USS La Salle is not decommissioned

Currently flagship, 6th fleet.

[jonnyblitz]

9. thanks for that! i could have sworn a DUer told me it was

decommissioned but I wasn't sure.

[HawkerHurricane]

11. OOPS, I'm wrong...

decommissioned last year...
http://navysite.de/ships/agf3.htm

[jonnyblitz]

14. no problem. I wasn't sure. thanks for checking! nt

[maxrandb]

57. I might be wrong

but I think the MISSOURI, along with the other BB's is "deactivated" not decommissioned.

I think they could actually bring them back in service if needed.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. Marine Crotch - '61- '65.

VMF(AW)542, H&HS-15.

Went in a fairly apolitical kid, came out a cynical anti-military Socialist.

Have since progressed to Anarchist/Pacifist.

Eat the apple, fuck the Corps.

[Brigid]

5. Former Marine Checking In.

1980-1984. Parris Island, SC; Okinawa,JA; Camp Lejeune, NC. Pencil pushing duties, mostly. In those days women didn't get to do a lot of the things they get to do now.

"I don't want a military that the government can be proud of...I want a government that the military can be proud of."

I like that line. It's a subtle distinction, but an important one.

[TahitiNut]

6. US Army, 1968-69; USARV-HQ, Long Binh, Viet Nam; E-5

I remember my father (SeaBee's WW-2) and five uncles (Battle of the Bulge, Hickam Field in Dec 42, North Africa, Pacific, and Middle East) who served during WW2 and are now deceased and two other uncles (Army paratrooper, Coast Guard) who served post-WW2 and are now deceased, and my grandparents on both sides who worked all their lives as labor union members to raise their children in America.

Absolutely everyone in my family has 'served' in one way or another - none of them as "investors" and parasites on the labors of others. All members of my family, male and female alike, have worked in jobs with their own hands and none ever rode on the back of another. Not one of them or their children has any criminal record of any kind. Immigrants and native-born, catholic and protestant, Hispanic and Asian and Scandanavian and Anglo, liberal and conservative - I'm blessed by their example.

[Mountainman]

19. I use to go to that HQ building all the time. I had a friend who was a

clerk there in 67 and 68. I got the officers three phase wire so the could hook up their air conditioners.

[TahitiNut]

30. I was at the DSC, next to (east of) the General's compound.

I only visited the 2-story tin tilt-ups when I absolutely had to. The butt-kissing and rank was too thick to breathe - even in 'Nam. I guess it was only worse down at MACV-HQ. Dunno.

The General's compound was something else. Air-conditioned ranch-style prefabs with landscaping, no less. And their own perimeter with bunkers, inside the post. Bizarre. The WAC's compound was almost as bizarre. Some waggish grunts installed the barbed wire atop their perimeter chain-link fence with the barbed-wire tlted inwards instead of outwards. The joke had to be explained to many - but one look at the POW compoound or LBJ would confirm it to the dubious. It was installed tilting inwards there, too.
:evilgrin:

[Crabby Appleton]

33. Welcome home, brother

I was caty-corner to LBJ 68 - 69, 1st Log, E-5.

[TahitiNut]

35. Backatcha, bro! We did time together!

Welcome to DU!! :hi: :patriot:

I used the PX over on your side of the (AO-soaked) 'jungle' - that's where I got my Seagram's Blue Label vodka and Rose's Lime juice. That's also near where I used the AT&T long lines after our up-close-and-personal fracas in February. I miss the spring rolls at the "chinese" restaurant. Yum! I ETS/DEROS'd in mid-November on Nixon's "early home/early out" program. (Sigh) I never got to be a 1-digit midget.

[Crabby Appleton]

52. Thanks for the welcomes all

My unit was at the NW corner of the LBJ, across a more or less empty field at the NE corner was 24th Evac Hosp, and next to their helipad was that PX. I got there in Aug 68 just in time to see the prisoners at the LBJ riot and set the place on fire. I extended a couple of months to get an early out and left Vietnam on 21 Oct 69. They counted anyone leaving at that time to be part of the 9th Infantry withdrawal.

[RoadRunner]

44. Welcome to DU, Crabby Appleton!

:patriot:

[newyawker99]

49. Hi Crabby Appleton!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[HawkerHurricane]

7. USN Enlisted, 1984-2004

USS LaSalle, AGF-3
USS New Orleans, LPH-11
USS Harry W. Hill, DD-986
USS Waddell, DDG-24
RTC San Diego
USS Elliot, DD-967
USS Copeland, FFG-25
USS Denver, LPD-9
USNS Mercy, AH-9
NMC, San Diego
USS Thach, FFG-43

[TheDebbieDee]

8. Eight and a half years active duty Army, Dec83 - Jul91......

Army Reserve Jul91 - May03, Active duty veteran of the first Gulf War, served in Saudi Arabia in Med Supply as Combat Support.

[Squatch]

10. Active Duty Army (1997 to present)

[nytemare]

21. Stay safe, Squatch.

Stay safe.

:patriot:

[TomInTib]

12. USN '69-72. Pilot,PBR, Qua Viet River, Quang Tri, Dong Ha.

Some longrange recon into Laos attached to Marine SF.

I was foolish enough to go to celestial navigation school. Big mistake.

[twenty2strings]

13. My Dad...Korea..Won't talk about it....Liberal Democrat....

I remember right after The invasion I said 'There's gonna be bad times for this country. It's gonna come back on us.' He said 'I know. We have to be careful right now. It's like the communist blacklist/Mccarthy period. The stupid have all the marbles right now. Bide your time. It's gonna get ugly before it gets better'. I love my Dad. Peace Ya'll.

[oneighty]

15. The Iowa

I remember her from Korea. She lay on the horizon giving us fire support in Chonjin Harbor as we attempted to mine sweep the harbor. The N. Korean shore batteries won out and drove us away.

In Korea I also served TAD aboard the LSDs Fort Marion and Comstock. The LSDs carried Mine Sweep Boat Division one and the EOD team. I was with the EOD team.

Later I was with EODU-2 in Chas South Carolina and there served TAD with MSOs on mine exercises.

180

Do not let 180 take the helm. hahahahaha

[acmejack]

16. I was at NOB the day she pulled in with the blown gun.

I remember being surprised that they had painted it out. I had seen a ship involved in a gun accident before and they weren't allowed to do anything to the gunmount until the investigators came aboard in port.

Enjoyed Kazuko very much, Ed. Thank you for sending it to me.

[acmejack]

18. Navy 73-84

USS McCard DD 822, USS Davidson DE 1045, USS Harold E Holt FF 1074, MOTU2

[oneighty]

20. I crewed

on a tug boat out of Norfolk a number of years ago ('bout 15 years ago). I think the Iowa was there at the time.

I am glad you liked Kazuko. She is a very pretty person in all respects.

180

[maxrandb]

40. USS IOWA was quite an experience

I reported onboard in 1985. Think that was the 3rd time she'd benn reactivated. Reported onboard while she was in drydock in Portsmouth, VA. You want to see something?...see that ship in a drydock sitting on wooden blocks.

We had to have a bunch of guys come back from the Fleet Reserve because they were the only one's that knew how to operate some of the equipment. We had a BMC on there that had "mess cranked" on the IOWA in 1943!!! He was one of the few that knew all the in's and outs of the deck equipment and boat davits.

Had another BMCM on there that had tatoos all over and gold anchors inlaid in his front two teeth. Talk about "hard-core".

[Mountainman]

17. I served 2 years in the Army. One in Vietnam '67 to '68.

[w8liftinglady]

22. my dad-career AF-two wars,son-Iraq War Veteran

[acmejack]

47. Was your Dad stationed in Texas?

[BlueCollar]

23. VP-40

79-83

Greetings all...

[Jeffersons Ghost]

31. Marine jets may do it faster but P-3s have bigger equipment

were you S-2 or P-3?

[BlueCollar]

58. P-3 C

Great airplane

[bumblebee1]

24. Former squid here, 1982-1992

My hubby is a retired seabee. He served in Desert Shield-Desert Storm.

[timtom]

25. 22 years?

Why, you're still boot to me. USMC 1962 - 1966

[Jeffersons Ghost]

26. GO NAVY VP11

[pyro858]

27. Navy 83-87

USS Merrill DD976

[Shipwack]

28. USN enlisted, almost 20 years active duty

I retire in November... still not sure how I feel about that.

I drove my son today to the recruiters this morning; he flies away to Coast Guard boot camp tomorrow. Not sure how I feel about that either...

Oh yeah... submariner: USS Daniel Webster ("Daniel Dumpster"), USS Kentucky ("The K-Y"), USS Maryland ("Bloody Mary"), various shore and school commands. Gotta love sailors and their pet names...

[maxrandb]

43. My brother served on the DANIEL WEBSTER

he was a Nuke Machinist Mate.

[nytemare]

29. I will say the Revolutionary soldiers helped get us to the constitution.

Thanks to clever folks like Washington.

I hope you stay safe in the Navy.

I was an MP in the Army from 90-94. I served in Iraq in '91.

Glad to see our vets are doing ok.

Question for you, maxrandb, what are the fellow squiddy's views on the current situation?

:patriot:

[maxrandb]

56. The views of us "squids"

really run the gamut, but it's about what the American people feel right now. One thing that is impacting us quite a bit is a little something called "individual augmentation" (IA). We have something like 10,000 IA billets that the Navy is on the hook for. These are billets where Sailors are sent TAD to places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and even Cuba to "augment" the Army and Marines.

Most thoughts about those IA billets are; "fine, I'll go bail out the Army, but are they going to send folks to help fight fires and flooding when my ship is under attack".

For the most part, you'll find a lot of Dems in the military, despite the fact that we're fed nothing but Faux News and Limpballs on AFRTS.

FYI - I consider "squid" a term of endearment! :)

[nytemare]

60. I figure most people in a particular branch feel endeared to whatever

term that is attached to them. I am glad you see "squid" as a term of endearment.

We were called "Mud Puppies", which I grew attached to.

When I was in, there weren't too many Dems..(can't remember if I put this in my last post). Bush 1 was pretty popular. I thought he was a good CINC, but not in touch in most other areas. I was wondering if things were different for version 2.0.

Individual Augmentation sounds to me like Bushie can't get enough soldiers enlisted to join his war. I look back to 9/11 when people were jumping through hoops to enlist, everybody wanted to serve. Now, 5 years later, no Osama, and the war in Iraq, which actually wasn't a war on terror has turned into one because of crap like Abu Ghraib. It is a crying shame.

I will hope for your safe return.

:hi:

[DemoTex]

32. US Army F/W pilot (1968-1972)

1st Radio Research Company (AVN)
224th RR Bn. (AVN)
509th Radio Research Group (ASA), MACV
Naval Air Facility Cam Rahn Bay, Viet Nam (1970-1971)
TDY Phu Bai, February 1971 (Lam Son 719/Dewey Canyon II)


NAF Cam Rahn Bay, 1971

[newspeak]

34. reporting in for my daughter

Sgt. US Army, Flight Medic in S Korea. In memory of my step-father who was a Marine at 17, then in US Army--one of the first in Vietnam; also my uncle who was communications lineman on German front in WWII, captured twice by the Nazis and escaped both times--Reporting in also for my father-in-law, US Navy, radioman, USS Bull, WWII against the Japanese. :patriot:

[Rex]

36. Thank you for your service to our country.

This former 96R would love to buy you all a round on the house! :toast:

On this day I wish for the protection of all military personal all over the world. They do the thankless job that so many of us take for granted. Blood, bone and flesh; we spread our faith in our nation onto foreign pastures with unquestionable duty.

Here's to all that have fallen in honor of the American flag. :toast:

[HeeBGBz]

37. Me, dad, mom, brother, daughter all vets

I was Army (85-87) and Army National Guard (87-90)

[Buns_of_Fire]

38. My son, currently in Iraq. I pray he lives long enough to BE a vetran.

To all of you, past and present, I can only offer: Thank you. :patriot:

[maxrandb]

45. We owe you our thanks

Pray that your son will return safe and sound.

Thanks for allowing him to serve. People that haven't had the experience of going away to a foreign country for a year, or deploying on a steel gray box don't know what impact family has on getting you through.

I say "thanks for allowing him to serve" because I know how it is. I was an independent 24 year old when I joined, but I asked my mom first. :)

I salute you!

[newyawker99]

51. May he stay safe.

:hug:

[haele]

39. USS Norton Sound (AVM-1)

And assorted other commands. A couple of duty stations and jobs included post-installation/pre-deployment inspection and testing on various other Navy ships.

20 years active and reserve. And my current job (8 years) still supports the sailors themselves, rather than the administration and their strategy.

Husband did 4 years in the Air Force.

Haele

[symbolman]

41. USAF 1971-74

Checking in. Also worked in a VA Hospital for a year after getting out of the USAF, helped a lot of Vets that way, my way of paying society back for being a part of the horror.

My whole family was military. Father a fighter pilot in Korea, I was born in Japan as a result. Brother in USAF for nearly 20 years, sister USAF. Uncles USAF, cousins lost in Nam.

[amandabeech]

42. Thank you all for your service.

Thanks for going when your country called, whether the war was popular or not.

I'd like to thank specially.

Great-great-great uncle--Union Army, Civil War

Great uncle--Army--WWI--Purple Heart

Grandfather--Army--WWI

Uncle--Army Air Force--WWII

Uncle--Navy--WWII

Uncle--Air Force--Korea

Aunt--Air Force--Korean Era--Flight Nurse

And last . . .

My Dad--Navy--WWII

[misternormal]

46. Military Family...

My Dad U.S. Army - Army Air Corps - U.S. Air Force (Ret. Deceased) 1937 - 1959

Invasion of North Africa (CIB Campaign) Most of the rest I can't remember

Myself U.S. Army 1971 - 1980

Military Police
MP Accident Investigator
Criminal Investigator

My Daughter

U.S. Army 2002 - Present

Currently serving in Iraq

[scoey1953]

48. A shout out to ALL Vets, Navy Vets, Carrier Vets and Vets of USS INDY!!

On this Veterans day I would like to salute
all US Vets, Navy Vets, Vets who served on Air Craft Carriers and
especially to my crew mates aboard The USS INDEPENDENCE CV-62


displacement: 56,300 tons
length: 1,046 feet
beam: 130 feet 4 inches; extreme width: 249� feet
draft: 37 feet
speed: 34 knots
complement: 3,950 crew
armament: 8 5-inch guns
class: Forrestal

HISTORY OF THE USS INDEPENDECE CV62

The fifth Independence (CVA-62) was launched by New York Navy Yard 6 June 1958; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas Gates, wife of the Secretary of the Navy; and commissioned 10 January 1959; Captain R. Y. McElroy in command.

One of the newest class of "supercarriers" at the time of her commissioning, Independence conducted shakedown training in the Caribbean and arrived her home port Norfolk, 30 June 1959. On 25 August, during suitability trials on board Independence, an A3D Skywarrior, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Ed Decker, took off at a gross weight of 84,000 pounds � the heaviest aircraft ever to take off from a carrier.

Independence operated off the Virginia Capes for the next year on training maneuvers, and departed 4 August 1960 for her first cruise to the Mediterranean. There, she added her great strength to the peace-keeping power of the 6th Fleet in that troubled region, remaining in the eastern Mediterranean until her return to Norfolk 3 March 1961. The remainder of the year was spent in training and readiness operations off the Atlantic coast.

Independence sailed 19 April 1962 for Sixth Fleet duty in support of President John F. Kennedy's firm stand on Berlin during a reoccurrence of stress in a critical area. She returned to Norfolk 27 August and sailed 11 October for the Caribbean Sea. Called on by President Kennedy on 24 October during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, Independence provided a strong, visible reminder of U.S. determination and resolve while it acted as a key participant in the U.S. naval blockade of Cuba. She arrived off Puerto Rico in response to the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba and took part in the quarantine operations which finally forced withdrawal of those missiles. She then returned to Norfolk 25 November for readiness exercises along the eastern seaboard, overhaul in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and refresher training out of Guantanamo Bay.

Independence departed Norfolk 6 August 1963 to take part in combined readiness exercises in the Bay of Biscay with sea-air units of the United Kingdom and France then entered the Mediterranean 21 August for further duty with the Sixth Fleet. Cruising throughout the Mediterranean, she gained much valuable experience during combined NATO exercises, including close air support to Turkish paratroops, reconnaissance, communications, and convoy strike support. President Makarios of Cyprus paid her a visit 7 October 1963, after which she joined in bilateral U.S.-Italian exercises in the Adriatic with Italian patrol torpedo boats, and U.S.-French exercises which pitted her aircraft against French interceptors and a surface action with French cruiser Colbert (C 611). She returned to Norfolk 4 March l964.

Independence, stern view, heads to Yokosuka
Following training exercises, ranging north to New York and south to Mayport, Fla., Independence departed Norfolk 8 September 1964 for NATO Teamwork exercises in the Norwegian Sea and off the coast of France, thence to Gibraltar. She returned to Norfolk 5 November 1964 and entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for overhaul.

On 10 May 1965, Independence deployed for more than seven months, including 100 days in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam, the first Atlantic Fleet carrier to do so. She also was the fifth U.S. carrier operating off Vietnam. Independence and her embarked Air Wing 7 received the award of the Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service from 5 June to 21 November 1965. They participated in the first major series of coordinated strikes against vital enemy supply lines north of the Hanoi-Haiphong complex, successfully evading the first massive surface-to-air missile barrage in aviation history while attacking assigned targets, and executing, with daring and precision, the first successful attack on an enemy surface-to-air missile installation. The carrier launched more than 7,000 sorties in sustaining an exceptional pace of day and night strike operations against military and logistic supply facilities in North Vietnam. "The superior team spirit, courage, professional competence, and devotion to duty displayed by the officers and men of Independence and embarked Attack Carrier Air Wing Seven reflect great credit upon themselves and the United States Naval Service."

Independence returned to her homeport, Norfolk, Va. arriving 13 December 1965. During the first half of 1966, she operated off Norfolk, replenishing and training air groups. On 4 May 1966, she participated in Operation Strikex. The carrier departed Norfolk 13 June for European operations with the Sixth Fleet. Independence was involved with unit and NATO exercises from July into December. She then continued her Sixth Fleet deployment into 1967.


On 25 September 1970, word was received that Gamal Abdul Nasser, President of the United Arab Republic had died; an event that might plunge the entire Middle East into a crisis. Independence, along with USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67), USS Saratoga (CV 60), and seven other U.S. Navy ships, were put on standby in case U.S. military protection was needed for the evacuation of U.S. citizens and as a counterbalance to the Soviet Union's Mediterranean fleet.

Pilots of VMA-142, -131, and -133 began qualification landings in A-4 Skyhawks aboard Independence on 3 August 1971. For the next three days, four active duty and 20 reserve pilots operated aboard the carrier � the first time that Marine Corps Air Reserve Squadrons qualified in carrier duty.

In May 1973, President Richard M. Nixon delivered his annual Armed Forces Day address from the decks of Independence. While based in Norfolk, the ship made deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. From 8 to 13 October 1973, Task Force 60.1 with Independence, Task Force 60.2 with USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV 42), and Task Force 61/62 with USS Guadalcanal (LPH 7) were alerted for possible evacuation contingencies in the Middle East. The ships were on alert as a result of the 1973 Yom Kippur war between Arab states and Israel. Independence operated off the island of Crete.

On 20 June 1979, Lt. Donna L. Spruill became the first Navy woman pilot to carrier qualify in a fixed-wing aircraft. Lt. Spruill piloted a C-1A Trader to an arrested landing aboard Independence.

In 1982, Independence provided critical support to the multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon. On 25 June, the greatest concentration of U.S. Navy air power in the Mediterranean Sea resulted when the battle groups of USS Forrestal (CV 59) and Independence joined forces with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67). After steaming together in the eastern Mediterranean Sea for several days, Forrestal and Independence relieved Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, the latter sailing home to Norfolk, Va., after a long deployment.

On 25 October 1983, aircraft from Independence's embarked air wing flew missions in support of Operation Urgent Fury, the action to liberate the Caribbean nation of Grenada. Returning to Lebanon that same year, the ship's air wing conducted air strikes against Syrian positions.

On 17 February 1985, Independence arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to undergo a modernization and overhaul program to extend her service life by 15 years. The flight deck was improved to allow the recovery of high-performance aircraft while the ship traveled at slower speeds, and the NATO Sea Sparrow launchers were upgraded. Other improvements improved the ship's fuel consumption. Independence completed the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in June 1988. Setting sail 15 August from Norfolk, the ship transited the tip of South America and arrived at her new homeport of San Diego, Calif., 8 October.


In August 1990, with Carrier Air Wing Fourteen embarked, Independence was sent to deter Iraqi aggression during Operation Desert Shield. Arriving on station in the Gulf of Oman on 5 August, Independence was the first carrier to enter the Arabian Gulf since 1974. The ship remained on station for more than 90 days and permanently reestablished a U.S. naval presence in the region. She returned to San Diego on 20 December 1990.

Independence changed homeports again on 11 September 1991 � this time to Yokosuka, Japan, embarking Carrier Air Wing Five and becoming the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier and flagship for Commander, Carrier Group Five.

On 23 August 1992, Independence entered the Persian Gulf prepared to enforce an Allied ban on Iraqi flights over south Iraq below the 32nd parallel. On 26 August President George H. W. Bush announced that the United States and its allies had informed Iraq that in 24 hours Allied aircraft would fly surveillance missions in southern Iraq and were prepared to shoot down any Iraqi aircraft flying south of the 32nd parallel. The action was precipitated by Iraqs failure to comply with U.N.Resolution 688 which demanded that the Iraqi government stop the repression of its Shiite population in southern Iraq.

Persian Gulf allies began to enforce the ban on Iraqi planes from flying south of the 32nd parallel on 27 August in Operation Southern Watch. Any Iraqi planes that violated the ban would be shot down. Twenty Navy aircraft from CVW-5 aboard Independence in the Persian Gulf were the first coalition aircraft on station over Iraq as Operation Southern Watch began. Southern Watch was the enforcement of a ban on Iraqi warplanes and helicopters from flying south of the 32nd parallel.

Independence became the oldest ship in the Navy's active fleet, and the first carrier in history to hold that distinction, on 30 June 1995. With this honor, Independence displayed the Revolution-era First Navy Jack, commonly called the "Don't Tread On Me" flag, from her bow until her decommissioning. The flag was presented to Indep
In November 1995, the Independence and Carrier Air Wing Five team returned to Japan after successfully completing their third deployment to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch.

In March 1996, Independence was called upon to provide a stabilizing presence during heightened tensions between Taiwan and China. Upon returning to Yokosuka in April 1996, the ship was visited by President Bill Clinton as part of an official state visit to Japan.

In 1997, Independence made a four month deployment, covering several major exercises and seven ports of call. Included in these ports of call were two historic port visits. The first was 28 February 1997 to the island territory of Guam. Independence was the first aircraft carrier to pull into Guam in 36 years.

The second, two months later, was to Port Klang, Malaysia. Independence became the first aircraft carrier in the world to make a port visit to Malaysia.

Before sailing back to Yokosuka, Japan, Independence made its last port call of the deployment in May 1997 to Hong Kong. Independence's port visit was the last U.S. naval port visit to the territory before its reversion to China on 1 July 1997.

Independence deployed to the Arabian Gulf in January 1998 to support negotiations between the UN and Iraq and to again participate in Operation Southern Watch.

Independence was decommissioned in ceremonies at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremeerton, Wash., on 30 September 1998. Independence's commissioning pennant was hauled down 39 years, 9 months and 20 days after it was first proudly hoisted, and the "Don't Tread on Me" jack was transferred to the Navy's next oldest active ship, USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63).

[Kenergy]

50. USS Patrick Henry SSBN 599

Thanks for the post

[DeaconBlues]

53. U.S. Army - 1987 to 1990

The closest I came to a combat zone was the bars in Itaewon, South Korea. Grumbled a lot about the Army then, but I'm glad I served.

[Orlandodem]

54. Thanks to all our Vets!

God be with those who have lost families in service to our great nation.

[Obamanaut]

55. USN. Retired 1988 after 28 years. nt

[Bandit]

59. My gunner was killed by enemy rocket attack March 17 1970

Scotty was his name and he was only 20 years old. I think of him more than just on Memorial Day...

[Doubting Thomas]

61. US Air Force: 1958 - 1963

Got out before 'Nam heated up.

Lackland AFB, TX
Keesler AFB, MS
Craig AFB, AL

All Stateside, wanted to go overseas until I met HawkerHurricane's Mom.