STORY BEHIND THE PLAQUE
Service Reflections of AO2 Jack Leach, U.S. Navy (1964-1970)

Many things. Growing up my father owned the local movie theater where we lived. The top movies in that time were war movies, so I grew up with movies like: “The Fighting Lady” and other such. Audie Murphy was a personal friend of dads as well. Another personal friend of dads was in the Merchant Marine during WWII and his stories were exciting to me when I was a teenager. I also had relatives that served in the Navy during Korea. I guess it was really the relatives that served in the Navy that really made up my mind. Dad got out of the Army as a 1stSgt and he would have liked to see me go into the Army but said he would back me whatever branch I decided on. He went with me to see all the different branches The Navy was the only one who didn’t PROMISE me the moon. They told me it was up to me and my abilities. Dad and I both liked that.

Pictured: L to R, Richard the Merchant Marine, Me, and Dad.

In 1964, thirteen days before my 19th birthday, I reported into Great Lakes Training Command in Sept. I was with the 15th Battalion. We had a good company #472, and our Company Commander was Ward Troubaugh, BM1. We earned the nickname as the “submarine company” because our Company Commander always said “Dive, and give me 20” or whatever he figured suited the screw-up.

While in boot, I was lucky and was selected for the drill team. Talk about envy, the special privileges, were special, some of the guys had a real problem with that. The one consent reminder for us not to really screw up though was the brig. Our barracks were almost right across from it, and you could hear the Marine guards, all hours of the day and night. It was a RED LINE BRIG.

Upon taking the different tests, I found out I qualified high enough to go into the Aviation programs, so I elected to go into Naval Air and I ended up at AO “A” school at NAS Jacksonville, FL. Class 6501. The very first class of 1965. I thought I was fairly good with electronics until I got there. Then I really found out how much I didn’t know.

Upon completion of AO “A” school, I reported to the Flying Ubangies at NAS Cecil Field in Fla. ( VA-12) There I had to relearn everything I was taught at AO “A” school. We were flying the A4E Skyhawk. I did have the basics, and came out with honors and was Class leader. I was a designated Striker, so I went right to the AO “A” shop. Then School really began.

My first cruise was 65-66, a Med Cruise aboard the Rosy Boat, CVA 42, more fondly known as the Rusty Rosy. It didn’t take myself, and the rest of the greenies, very long to get used to shipboard life, its trials, and tribulations, good and bad. We were able to see places that we had only seen in pictures and history books. Pompeii for one.

In 66/67, we went west, to the Tonkin Gulf. I was with the Check Crew at the time and we bingo-ed to the beach at Subic Bay where we went to Cubi Point. Our job was to totally strip the aircraft and over hall them, totally. Engines, airframe, weapons stations, ejection seats, 20 mm cannons, the whole aircraft was in pieces. I was kind of a misfit because I was the only AO in the group and when I started handling the Ordnance, and explosives no one wanted to have anything to do with me. And when I had to mix up Napalm, EVERYONE disappeared.

Fortunately, I had some great, great officers in VA-12, and they were more than willing to give me a hand, and I never had to ask. I might add here that we didn’t have an officer in charge of us, just a senior E6. The officers Bingo-ed the aircraft from the ship to Cubi. I think it was boredom on their part that caused them to give me a hand, something to do.

After WestPac, was another Med, 67/68. This was my best, and saddest cruise, as it was my last time aboard ship. This cruise was also aboard the Rosy Boat. I had put on my AO2 stripes before this cruise and was given a weapons loading team. What a great bunch of guys. They were so good in fact, that many of the SPECIAL late night loads were given to my team, it was an honor, but by the lack of sleep sure wasn’t.

From VA-12 I went across the flight line to 2 years of shore duty with VA-174, the Hell-Razors. More schooling, then they turned me loose on the A7E Corsair 2, or II as it was so designated. What a weapons platform that was and the 20 mm Gatling gun was something else. We were a training squadron, and it was never boring being there. I was there 2 years, and in between Cecil Field, and Yuma Arizona, as well as LTV in Dallis and Fort Worth Texas to the A7 factory, and Lamour, yep Top Gun, for special training, I think I traveled back and forth three times a year. In Yuma, our job was to train the new Pilots, and crews that were transitioning to the A7E. Most caught on fairly fast, however it goes without saying there were a few prize boxes of rocks mixed in there at times.

As far as combat, no. I was not in any combat situations at any time.

Everything does. From the young man that was killed on the flight deck to the losses of my CO, Commander Frosio and Lt Jones. The good times with the guys, both enlisted and Officers, whose backs I covered and who covered mine on the flight deck.The sights and sounds of the different countries, East and West, and especially the Shell Back Initiation when we went WestPac. I can honestly say, “It was the Best of times, it was the Worst of times” and if I had to do it all over again, I would not change a thing.

Call it campy, call it simple, call it what you will, I am proud of each of my medals. I came, I served, and I can lift my head up proud. Not like those that skipped to Canada, or other places. I enlisted, I didn’t wait for the draft. That was not my family way. My family’s history goes back to the battles of the Great Lakes and my son has carried on the tradition, with 10 deployments over to Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Pictured: Me and Athens, Greece in the background.

There really are too many to note, however the guys in the AO shop in VA-12 standout. Dennis Bondurant, Jim Bondurant, Charles Colbert, Johnnie Little, Ed Delgado, Gary Thice to name a few. There were a few officers as well.

These guys showed me the ropes, watched my back, and kept me out of harm’s way while being friends as well. But out of all of them, it was AO1 Charles Colbert that really stood out. Charlie told me, that if I really wanted to see the different countries get to know the people and their ways, go to a church and tell the priest/preacher, you really wanted to get to know the country and people and they would put you in touch with someone. Two of us did and for several years after I got out of the service, I continued to write back and forth to and with several of the people/families we met over there. And even today, I still break out the over 2000 slides and relive those “Golden days of yesteryear”.

Pictured: Headquarters 15th Battalion Great Lakes.

Christmas of 65 I believe it was. Lew Ludlum and I had to stay on board ship while all the rest of the shop got liberty. We were in Cannes, France. We had mail call and I got two loaves of banana nut bread, and Lew got two Bottles of Wine. Oh boy did we have a time. We ended up sharing with one of our Officers. Needless to say, Lew, myself, and Tiger got really hammered.

Next morning wasn’t funny, but I can now look back and laugh at it. I realized that our Officers were just guys like ourselves, away from home and missing family like the rest of us.

Pictured: The officer on the left in the picture is LTJG “Tiger” Jack Swann.

I did several things. I was a licensed Master Mechanic, I sold real estate, I was an electrician, I worked construction and I was a professional photographer. I found that after the Navy life, of putting out to sea, it was very hard to settle down to one job for more than 5 to 6 years, as boredom set in.

I worked for Home Depot for 13 years and retired from there in Sept of 2010.

Pictured: The gateway to the Med. The back side to the rock, and also the city of Gibraltar.

At this time I do not belong to any associations of any kind. I am enjoying my retirement, and going and doing whatever, whenever, and however. Being single is a plus as well.

I will add here, that I had every intention of making the Navy a 20 year way of life. If I had extended for three months I would have put on AO1. However, my EX, and that is now the keyword, EX, had different thoughts.

Pictured: Me on the homeward leg of my last cruise.

Yes, in a very big way. If you are going to do something do it not just well, but very well, and take pride in your work. And it still stays with me even in retirement.

There is a saying in the Navy. There is a right way, and a wrong way, and the Navy way of doing things.

To make the most of the training you get. Get all the training you can. Take pride in what you do, and most of all take pride in yourself. If you don’t like yourself, neither will anyone else. The time you serve can be the best or it can be the worst. It is your choice. Make the best of it, and you will have some great memories that will last You the rest of your life.

Pictured: A memory from the past. Our working space on Cubi Point.

I have had a couple people that I served with contacting me and have tried to contact a few I remember. The one I was really sad about was Jimmy Bondurant, AO1. That man went through hell before he passed away.