Special Boat Unit beret flash

[River Rat 1]

A few things I collected when I did my time in SBU XI. When you got SNEC 9533 combat craft crewmember qualified you earned a flash on your Beret. I got that beret in my shadow box now.

[doyler]

Great items

 

thanks for posting

[Mercenary25]

Nice. I live in bay area. It is cool to see a unit from Mare Island.

[River Rat 1]

Nice. I live in bay area. It is cool to see a unit from Mare Island.

 

Lived in the bay area most of my life except when in the military when I lived on Gaum and on west pac when on the USS Mauna Kea also homeported in Mare Island. Last place I lived at was livermore. Moved to Montana a few years ago after retiring from the Naval reserve and a city I worked for the bay area got a little to crowded. Going back to the bay area n Sept for a SBU XI reunion some collector got a PBR and will be at the reunion will be cool to see that. Then a backpacking trip in Immigrant wilderness for 10 days with a buddy then back to MT.

[manayunkman]

Thank you for your service and willingness to share your own personal items.

 

When were you in SBU XI and can you tell us a little bit about your service?

 

Is the watch a Seiko and what kind of band is on it?

 

Thanks again

[River Rat 1]

Thank you for your service and willingness to share your own personal items.

 

When were you in SBU XI and can you tell us a little bit about your service?

 

Is the watch a Seiko and what kind of band is on it?

 

Thanks again

 

The Seiko a 6105 with Olongapo bracelet they sold out the gate of Subic Naval base. I joined the US Navy active duty in 1980. Went to Guam right out of boot camp to the USS Proteus AS-19 for two years then 2 years on the USS Mauna Kea AE-22 home ported in Mare Island went on one west pac on that and saw most ports in the far east. Then got out of the Navy. The civilian job was not paying enough got those US Navy reserve flyers in the mail and went in I cashed the reserve check at the grocery store. First job in the reserve SIMA 520 at NAS Alameda at the sail loft making 50ft long boat covers and flight deck nets and 2000 lube oil bags for the USS Enterprise a sowing machine was not my bag being a Boatswain Mate I was kind of stuck there. I was thinking this was my last enlistment then the chief said your going to SBU XI when I went to SBU XI I never wore dungarees again camo for the rest of my time in the Navy. Stayed in SBU XI until they were going to get decommissioned. Then went to a cargo handling battalion 3 stayed there until I went over to the Alameda reserve center saw some buddies from SBU XI who were in MIUW 103 and did a transfer wanted to retire with friends. SBU XI was 75 % reservists and 25% active duty. We has one LCM 6 and a LCM 8 and one LCU landing craft, About 10 MINI armored troop carriers for river assault and about the same number of PBR's and four PBL a Boston whaler. And a large armory with lots of toys. It was the closest unit to active duty I was in when in the reserve. Being at Mare Island lots of places to do war game in the local sloughs to do board and search, water born guard post and patrols and escape and evasion training, San Pablo bay use to have a Navy gunnery range we would put picket boats out to keep civilians out a 50 cal. round can go 4 miles we put 50 Gal. oil drums in the water as targets and then Camp Roberts gun range were we shoot the M-79 and the 203 grenade launcher, the Navy 60mm mortar trigger fire or drop fire it's special made for boats, 50 cal. and m-60 machine guns, hand thrown grenades, and got to do a claymore mine once that was a blast, and m-16 rifle and 870 shot gun and the Sig 9 mm pistol. Ones a year they would do a shadow hawk out in the delta for a week of war games one was by franks track if you know the Sacramento river they would set up a FOB we would do class room work for a week then up the river for a week of on hands on training. We would train Foreign Navy officer once a year did that once. Did a special Det were you do heavy training to get your NEC 9533 for a year when I did that they sent us for a AT in New Orleans to SBU22 we used 4 of there boat 2 PBR's and 2 MINI's ATC went through the locks of the Mississippi river into the gulf and went up to Alabama to the Mobil river for war games they gave us there worst boats. One of the PBR's blew a engine we ended up at a coast guard station and SBU 22 sent us another engine we swapped out we earned the NEC 9533. I had so much time in the Navy Reserve and active duty when the decom SBU XI I went to a few other unit and retired. The Navy will start paying me next year if it was not for SBU XI I would not of stayed in the reserve was like a golden ticket.

Here is a site about it.

http://www.warboats.org/SBU11.htm

[River Rat 1]

I will never forget the 5 S's of prisoner handling

 

Separate

Search

Safe guard

Secure

Silence and duck tape does wonders.

[River Rat 1]

One other weapon we fired at Camp Roberts was the MK 19 grenade launcher 90 grenades to a belt . Last time I shot one of those was in 2002 at Camp Pendleton when I went to a combat skill course taught by the Marine Corps will never forget SGT Howard who taught us on it. Hope he is still around and survived this 16 year war.

[River Rat 1]

Here are a few youtube video's it's around it's demise doing a demonstration for the public. In the end they kept 50 reservist and 4 PBL's those Boston whalers on trailers and moved up by Sacramento after Mare Island base closure not sure if there still in operation today. The US Army reserve took over were we were located on Mare Island and rent it from the city of Vallejo. You think the US Navy could of done the same.

 

 

 

[River Rat 1]

One thing this unit did different in the Navy was the PRT test you had to do twice a year. Were they check your body FAT and weight, then the push up and setups and 1 1/2 mile run or 500 yard swim they set the time and amount to your age the older you get the less time and amount. In most Navy Commands you had the choice of ether the Swim or the run but in SBU XI you did both you were tired when done. This unit made it better for PRT in my last two reserve units. We had one guy in CHB 3 that had a hart attack in the run he did not make it. I ran during the week when in the reserve but some only did it twice a years when they were forced to do it in the reserve a stupid move and a sad move in some cases.