Page 76 - The History of Veterans at Highland Springs

JOHN C. MACAULAY
HIGHLAND SPRINGS RESIDENT, NAVY MEMBER OF VETERANS AFFAIRS GROUP
In 1965, I was graduating from college and the Vietnam War was in full swing. I applied to Naval Officer Candidate School. I was accepted and reported in Newport, RI to enter School in September. The usual first-month boot camp had inspections, exercise, many classes, etc. I did very well and became the Assistant Company Commander in my senior fourth month. I requested and was assigned guided missiles and destroyers. In January, I was off to Guided Missile/Gunnery School for five months, then to Charleston, SC to join the crew of my first Guided Missile Destroyer, the USS Sellers (DDG-11). I was First Lieutenant in the Weapons Department, responsible for the deck crew. Deployments included the Caribbean, East Coast of the US, and North Atlantic. After ten months, I was assigned to a new Guided Missile Destroyer Escort (DEG-5) being built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, ME. As Missile Officer and one of the first to report as part of the skeleton crew, I familiarized myself with the equipment and ship design, and conducted inspections of the work. After a few months we sailed to the Boston Naval Shipyard near the USS Constitution for final finishing and Commissioning, at which Susan was my date. Once the ship was fully seaworthy, we sailed down to an area near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for exercises known as “shakedown.” I fired 11 surface-to-air Tartar Missiles with numerous direct hits on the targets. I also fired the 5-inch gun in local control on a shore target. We had deployments to the East Coast, Caribbean, and the Mediterranean. In September 1968, we departed for the Med. As I had not been to Europe this was very educational. We participated in many exercises and formations. I accepted a Shore Patrol assignment over Christmas and spent a week in the Athens Hilton. When off duty I wandered historic sites and ate street food in my civilian clothes. After two weeks I departed the ship and took a TWA flight from Rome to Boston. I reported and began the discharge process to the reserve. My Navy experience was an important part of my development. Not only did I see many parts of the world but had numerous maturing life experiences. Susan and I married in June 1969 and I had a fulfilling career in various executive positions in accounting and finance.
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