Filipino USN Officers Steward Group WWI-WWII

[Pete Sarmiento]

I forgot to ask you when we're you at Ramstein AFB.  I was stationed at Furstenfeldbruck AFB for two years (Dec. 1953) , then they closed the base and became the NATO pilot school when Germany became a republic. My squadron moved to Rhein-Main AFB until I was discharged in July 1957.

[Wharfmaster]

My father was Navy Supply Corps, stationed at USNS Sangley Point, PI.

He was In charge of the Exchange and Commissary during the Korean War. 

My parents remained in contact with their Philippine friends for life.

 

I was born there and consider myself a Navy junior, not a Navy brat.  😁

 

W

[Salvage Sailor]

On 3/26/2011 at 12:13 PM, KASTAUFFER said:

 

The most interesting piece in this group is his USS Houston Shellback certificate signed by President Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt was on board the USS Houston in 1938 for a Presidential Cruise and signed it.

 

 

Navy Department Photo

 

For Reference -->>  USMF Topic - WWII USN Cooks and Stewards Uniforms

 

 

[aerialbridge]

On 6/17/2024 at 3:47 PM, Pete Sarmiento said:

I forgot to ask you when we're you at Ramstein AFB.  I was stationed at Furstenfeldbruck AFB for two years (Dec. 1953) , then they closed the base and became the NATO pilot school when Germany became a republic. My squadron moved to Rhein-Main AFB until I was discharged in July 1957.

 

Pete, apologies that I'm just seeing your post now.   My father was at Ramstein from 56 to 60, last rank captain of an air evac squadron.    We were scheduled to come back to the states on a  ship the day after Gary Powers'  U2 was shot down in May 1960 when I was a baby.   They were cancelling leave and everybody was uptight as my late dad  used to say, that   "the balloon was going to go up".   So they cancelled our passage on the ship, but my parents were ready to come back to the states and my  father made his case to his c.o. who told him, if he could get us on a  MATS C-121 (Connie) that was leaving post haste,  we were home free.   We made the flight and landed at McGuire.   Ironically,  35 years later,  when he was a senior taking aquatic classes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, my dad met another  senior about 10 years older, who had been a GI right after the war in occupied Japan and then later became a technician for the U2 in the 50s.   Albert had been one of the 3 man crew for Gary Power's U2 on his fateful trip, and had worked at the Skunk Works in Burbank under Kelly Johnson for years before retiring.    He alluded to having  first hand stories about Area 51, but when we'd tease  him to tell us the low down, he'd just grin and sometimes laugh.  Albert was most proud of being on the design team for the drone that looked like the SR71.  They had a 3 man crew for the U2  and  3 man support crew for the pilot.   They were heading back to Turkey on a C130 when they got word the bird was down.   My dad used to razz Albert and say,  thanks to you and your d--m  plane, we almost got stuck in Germany for another year.   Actually they had a blast during the 4 years they were there and drove all over Europe when he was off duty.   Somewhere I have a grainy photo of Albert with Gary Powers not long before Powers died in a helicopter crash in LA  on 8/1/1977, that Albert gave me.   They stayed friends until Powers' death.