Early Breakout and Why I Would Have Missed It

By Bull Nav

I think I was back by now.

It’s been a while, but looking at a January 1989 calendar, I believe I got back to barracks after the Christmas Break 19 years ago today.

You see, had Breakout occurred for our Rats the last weekend in January 1989, I would have missed it, thanks to the US Navy and my desire for a commission.

I don’t have very good eyesight, so I was medically ineligible for an ROTC scholarship. Finally, long about the end of our second class year,the Navy folks decided they would try to get me a waiver. This was the same time they put me in for the Nuclear Power interview at Crystal City.

I come back for our first class year and I was in the “College Program” where you don’t get a scholarship, but you get a stipend and it leads to a commission. Went to the interview at NR right around Founder’s Day 1988, and then I had to do a Midshipman cruise.

I had not done one before, so they set me up for a Christmas cruise. I was to fly out of my home in Naples, FL, and go to Hawaii. The mighty USS HONOLULU (SSN718) was the boat, for a short transit to Yokosuka, thence to Chinhae, ROK. Something like 11 days I would be gone, just enough time to make it back for the last semester.

Alas, ‘twas not to be.

Yes, I flew out to Pearl Harbor on Christmas Day 1988 and met the HONOLULU. Great ship, great CO (CDR Enright, became an admiral later). Left the next day thinking that all would be well on an uneventful transit across the Western Pacific.

About two days in, things changed.

If I remember things correctly, we pulled into Yokosuka on 30 January. I flew back home the next day and then drove back to Lexington.

I will never forget arriving back in front of barracks after BRC (but not much after). There was a little fog, but the sun was starting to clear everything off. It was in the 30s, like it should be.

I was back at the “I”, the Rats were in the ratline, and life was good. Only 5 months to go…

February 1, 2008 09:04 PM Navy ~ Sea Stories ~ VMI

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Comments

Forgive a youngin' like me for not following. Was your delay perhaps linked to a little tussle in the Gulf of Sidra?

Stefan · February 3, 2008 06:39 PM

Bull Sir.

Calm to-night.

The VMI stuff is to wonder, military leaders are raised in this process, and it took me this long to see what you all were saying.
Serious..the clue, long in coming...me in wonder of it all...respect to you, respect to you. always
Richard John Brehme Jr.

Richard · February 4, 2008 12:51 AM

Stefan - doing the math, that would be highly unlikely. We left shortly after Christmas Day from Pearl Harbor, and the F14 engagement in the Gulf of Sidra was only 10 days later...can't get there in time.

As it was, we ended up something like 35 days underway. I have ballcap somewhere at home...

Richard - thanks as always for the kind words.

bullnav · February 4, 2008 08:26 AM

Sometime around then... earlier in '88 or maybe '87, I wandered down to Pearl Harbor, still in BDUs, after having worked a mid-shift up at Kunia. I wandered onto Subbase, and went to look at the subs, as I often did (roads not taken, etc... I hung out with the Coasties too).

The watch on board the Honolulu asked me if I'd like a tour. Would I ever!

I got a very nice tour, led by a non-dolphin Ensign, of everything forward of the escape trunk, including the torpedo room (after checking that there was nothing "special" in there) and that odd place in a bunk area where there is a very small rectangular access panel that apparently people can use to go between decks in an extreme emergency. I was never sure if my leg was being pulled or not.
All in all a very enjoyable tour and one of my happier memories of Hawaii. Hopefully it was something that helped the Ensign towards earning his dolphins.
It wasn't even marred by the Chief Warrant Officer in charge of the MP's there wondering what the heck I was doing wandering around his AO in BDUs, which normally only his people wore down there....

SSG Jeff (USAR) · February 4, 2008 11:38 AM

Christmas 1988 - that was Panama, wasn't it?

SSG Jeff (USAR) · February 4, 2008 11:41 AM

Panama was 89...

bullnav · February 5, 2008 02:00 PM

VMI Class of 1992 broke out of the ratline 1 March 1989. You are thinking of some other class breakout. I know- I was there in the mud and he date is on my ring!

tct · February 22, 2008 05:58 PM

TCT - no, my point was if you all had broken out as early as the Rats did this year, I would have missed it.

I was there for your Breakout...

bullnav · February 22, 2008 08:58 PM