[CW] Morse Captioning Added - Last Eastward Trans Atlantic Voyage of RMS Queen Mary/GBTT 1967

[Joe Pontek Sr]

Well, I went into the USAF in 1961, I was lined up for an electronics 
training
and career, mainly because of my ham radio experience and license. As an
heart anomaly was noticed, they required additional tests for me. So, I had
an afternoon of heel cooling before the tests the next morning. As I was
strolling down a hallway, I heard code coming out of one room. There was
a table with paper by the door and took out a pencil and was writing down
copy.  A Sargent saw me and started to drag me into that room. Fortunately,
my recruiter  was there and pulled me back, telling the other Sargent, "He
is going into electronics." Whew !

I had a neighbor who was a Navy operator in an apartment I was living in
with my wife. He used to come over and we practiced CW, more my teaching
him. He was interested in electronics, so I was helping him there as he was
bored as just an operator, not repairing any gear. In fact, I was able 
to get
NAVPERS Navy courses for my skill level up grade and I shared them with
him because he could not get them himself. Duh. He got interested in ham
radio, but I don't know if he ever got a ham ticket. When I was out at one
of our sites near his one station, I would visit.  He had me sit his 
circuit while
he refilled our Java cups.

I knew many hams that got into communications in the military, all branches.
One dear friend was in the US Coast Guard. He was an excellent CW operator,
but he wanted his Extra. As an excellent carpenter, we traded. He 
improved my
carpentry skills and I trained him in electronics. I got my ham shack 
completed
and Stu passed his Extra written. Stu was a ham before his service, but many
military operators became hams after, from many branches, and from other
countries as well.

73, Joe, K8JP/K5

On 11/27/2020 11:07 PM, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. wrote:
> Hans,
>
> Usually the best military and commercial operators ARE amateur radio 
> operators.
>
> In the past I've seen some absolutely amazing amateur radio operators, 
> and what did they do? They became commercial operators.
>
> Finding operators as good as GBTT and KCEJ on the ham bands when 
> they've never been Navy, USCG or commercial operators is quite a 
> challenge.
>
> That's not an insult, that's just an observation.
>
-- 
Regards, Joe, K8JP/V31JP, Ronnie, Martin & Sidney Pontek
175 Diamond Loch Rd., Apt. 5
Gilmer, TX 75644-9374
U.S.A.

903-204-2318 (My TX cellular)

Member FOC-1743 Feb 2001, QCWA-LM21894, OOTC-4607, A1OP, SKCC-3171T, NAQCC-5798, Flying Pig-2819, FISTS-7625CC951, A1C-2299, SOC 1075, CFO, 10-10 22977, PG1915841, CW Rag chewers #21,
Facebook: Joe Pontek
Skype: v31joepalooka
LotW

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/cw/attachments/20201128/79c1447a/attachment-0001.html>