name & rank Charles L. Hinkel, ETR-2

Thought I'd drop you a line. I finished up the last leg of my six years + 3 days tour in the Navy on the Shakori. Prior to that I'd served on the USS Chilton LPA-38, then the USS York County 1175. I guess you could say I was the "Head Twidget" we attempted to keep all the Comm. & Radar gear up & running. That often was quite a task. I'm not exactly sure of the dates, but I think I reported aboard in 1973 and left in 1974. I was always amazed, that as a lowly 2nd class Petty Officer, how much responsibility was lowered onto our shoulders. Many times I remember yelling "This is Hinkel, ETR-2, I've got the Con". That kinda stuff just didn't happen on larger vessels. When I reported aboard I was a little disappointed, but when I left I had gained a ton of respect for the Service Fleet (Servlant), probably due to the multitasking that everyone was capable of doing. I also can't forget all the great friends I made while I was aboard her. We were definitely a family, much nicer than the bigger ships I had served on. Dan thanks for all your effort you've put into this web site it's fantastic. Looking forward to hearing from you!!