Lost wives, found children, & sneaky cocktails - a bit more behind the scenes with CDR John B. Lipinski, U.S. Navy, Ret., reflecting on his 38yr naval career.

2 lost wives; here's to a military career!; mind of a steel trap; May '51-Oct '89; 11 cruises at sea; Globetrotting; family affair nixed; sneaky cocktails endure; here's to good wives; "kiss your wife - all the time!; secrets of looking youthful; "a testament for my children".

Episode LXX

Coffee - the eternal elixir; no candy bars in our coffee!; why wash? - adds to flavor; tradition is the way; Georgia Satellites; women are catty; Aloha Hawaii!; Chief selection; let's track some Russian submarines; #1 ranked Chief!; disciple dissolves; standards are lowered; from WAVES to WINS to Sailors?; Hail to the Chief!; initiations no mas; Dad; no slack - I've come this far!; the Chief's Creed.

Episode LXIX

Sicilians do it better!; space heaters are the bomb!; LDO - good time "Obie"!; pregnant & on the plane; pinking shears create an uproar; Aloha Hawaii!; COMM Station out in the boonies; what day is it?' marriage is like milk; working up to CPO; serving the top brass; the toolbox Admiral; hey - no molestare!; RMC Obie's the BBQ Queen!

Episode LXVIII

The EEOC invades the military; individuality kills; giving back; role models make an impression; Subic Bay nightlife; a protecting angel watches over this one; a Filipino foodie; San Diego in a bucket of cold water; Tattoos on the sly; Oops - married!; MED vs WESPAC; new life blossoms; a survivor is born; Buon Italia!; have some squid; Italian & culinary experiences.

Episode LXVII

Chief Petty Officer Obie is ready to rumble!; Semper Fi Mac - don't run afoul of the Shore Patrol; Leatherneck takes an unexpected jab; Marines score on the takedown; restricted to barracks; @ The Mast!; new car leads to a cast of issues; breakout & backlash!; how hot is the woman from HICOMM? Philippine bound; Monsoons = no fun.

Episode LXVI

Boot camp makes friends; hello Montana; now off to Japan; every sailor needs a tattoo; snow in September; 1 of 5; party hearty!; head cleaning; sea duty makes no WAVES; no profanity here even if you do swear like a sailor; how are all the women getting pregnant?; a lesson of The Birds & The Bees; learning to cook Japanese; no teetotaler here!; the incredible trust inherent in Japan.

Familial ripples lead local girl to a big decision, time to swim against the tide; rely on your chiefs; Navy CPO is totally different; becoming "Chief Obie"; easy to get humbled; Navy traditions gone; meet the recruiter at the mall; hate typing - no Govt job for me!; no going back; so what did you do today, dear daughter?; Mom's birthday gift; is induction always late at night?; embarkation on a journey; can't beat the camaraderie; ok - here's boot camp!!

Episode LXIV

A Roy Rogers girl becomes a pioneer & makes WAVES overseas; it's 1973 and these times-are-a-changin'; here come the chicks; no overseas duty for you!; Japan and Philippines postings out in BFE; have your "wheels up" list?; no flat lines here; parkas tailor made for communications work; making Chief & partying hard; can't embarrass this chick!

Episode LXIII

Welcome to Hong Kong - do not enter the "new territory"; travel by sampan; dinner choices swim by; remember the water is also the toilet; embroidered shirts & "no squeak" shoes; rolls of coins=crowd control; Vietnam War means no uniforms; fun in the bath house; drunk Marines - from the 7th Fleet? - crash the party; melee ensues as Shore Patrol & Police show up; six chiefs have lots of stories.

Episode LXI

US Navy scoops up B-17's; ferry duty makes for fun; 2nd Mech has its privileges; step into the galley Chef but there'll be no boiling water on this aircraft!; P-3 trip to Taiwan; hello Midway - yes THAT Midway; Gooney Birds galore; wear your boots!; raze the club!; Taipei is an armed camp; Hong Kong free-for-all; can't understand Limey's Cockney lingo.

Episode LX

Seaplane shenanigans while on ferry duty; two women coming on board?; former boyfriend is the Flight Engineer?; fly between the beams; a finely tuned ear; these PBM's have their electrical problems; hanky-panky in the rack; what am I doing here?; hey - stay up where I can see you!; that's it - off the aircraft!; girls receive reprieve. Episode LIX

Environmentalists are a pain in the a**!; armed guards at the door; everybody's on report!; deficiencies in work shops & onboard all ships; hotlines to the rescue!; hotlines to Congress lead to a tattletale military; you want me to pick up WHAT?! - Foxtrot Oscar!; not all technicians are created equal.

Episode LVIII

The super secret team in powder blue comes aboard; is that a U-2 Spyplane or are you just happy to see me?; 40-50ft is key especially with no catapult; who let the F9-F cats out?; F-11 Tigers are mini rocket ships; batten wings down!; afterburners are hell on windows; OK City has it in for the USAF; sonic booms & ruptured eardrums; F-18 Hornet Air Maintenance Chief?; back to North Island - family first!; EV types complicate everything.

Episode LVII

Diving on the far side of the world; just 475ft to the beach; jerry rig 4 lines, the rappel is on!; busy troops are happy troops; assemble gear & extra tanks; check the moon & tides - nobody's interested in floating to Australia; helo lift to the island;- loading up; empty sonobuoy containers could save a life; look out for the penga-penga grass! Episode LVI

Divers Down under the South Pacific; 140hrs underwater; skip breathing; ear bubbles are a real thing; vertigo attack @ a 45 degree angle; sonobuoy crates have interesting uses; mind US Navy Dive Tables or else!; it's a Rota thing; shipwreck! R4D8's at your service; The Skipper nixes help water entry.
Episode LV

Gettin' in the high points of paradise; one Mickey D's with 50 windows; Aussie beef makes the grade; who wants Hawaii? No traffic & less $$'s; tourism from Japan; the rabbit died; coat hangers have consequences; reef & wreck diving; reach The Zeke! & look out who or rather what hides behind the pilot's seat.

Episode LIV

Bandaged up & Pearl Harbor bound; no surgery here & no Diego Garcia for you! Next stop Guam! Case of mistaken identity - who's "suicidal" around here? Slashed wrist? Yes...but; welcome to Paradise; get your dive gear on - wrecks await!; Aleutian interlude; sons of Nippon not nice to Guamanians; support your local P-3's!; Morale problem - with 30 females?; no rush hour here! Episode LIII

REUPLOAD:

The dogfight that - officially - never happened until 70yrs later; 4 vs 6? Make that 1 vs 4 - are you insane?; Panthers vs MIGs on unequal terms; "Hey Guys - stay with me!"; shot full of holes; give her the deep six; Davy Jones' Locker gets another addition; Okay now - keep it under wraps or else!; talking with the Russkies; Hollywood's typical cluelessness; stand up for the Navy Cross; Avocado Complications: patch & send?; Aaarrrgh! Shiver me timbers - off to Guam with an eyepatch.

To honor Colonel Patrick Thomas McAleer, USAF Ret, .1949 - 2023. He chronicles his experiences in Episodes 26, 27, & 28.

The 1st in 38; career killers; hard or soft billets?; perils of climbing the ladder; Admiral's errand boy?; F-18 on the way & you have terrific experience on the F-111; Loan out to the Air Force; pyramid's steep at the top; is this an aircraft carrier or a palace?; from fossils to nukes; and today? not so sure.

"What do you want out of the Navy?"; you make your own career; spousal abuse? - the Navy has ears!; press on!; hardest posts reap the best rewards; competing in the ranks against people half your age; what wife number am I on now?; join the Navy to see the world!

I want a career & ships make me seasick; aviation beckons; welcome to North Island Naval Air Station!; this is the "knife & fork club" - learn how to be a naval officer; crap assignments mean rapid advancement; Ensign for 16 days; look out for your men in any & all situations!; climbing the ladder; no "Ringknockers" here!

Numbers don't lie; an Ivy Leaguer does his research; Big Admission from the bad guys about a Blue Angel; knock it off & whose teeth are those?; The cover up gets worse; John McCain again? Then: shut up & get in line; Now: speak up!

Episode XXXXVIII

POW's, Laos, & Cambodia; "re-education" or murder; witnesses to held POW's; "Cause All"; Mass declaration of death from U.S,; "Cover it up & keep quiet!"; "Prize Trophy"; The Admiral's son gets the shaft; John McCain to the rescue?; Sen John Kerry to CMDR Harley Hall's wife: "shut up & sit down!"

More in depth on the loss of Blue Angels Leader Cmdr Harley Hall, US Navy in the last battle of a war finally ending; classified info; Hall's RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) shot through the thigh; witnesses Cmdr Hall alive; tour North Vietnam on foot; OV to the rescue!; Shot down; the North Vietnamese did WHAT???!!! No Geneva Convention here! POW's off the books & abandoned.