Imagine enlisting in the Navy seeking freedom, only to confront the paradox of military hierarchy and the stark realities of war. Our distinguished guest, Navy Veteran Bob Merrick, takes us through the gripping twists and turns of his service—from deciding to join during the Vietnam War to the chilling recollection of Christmas in boot camp. His story is a rich tapestry, a vivid narrative that weaves through the structured chaos of military life, the Mediterranean's false sense of peace, and the sudden thrust into the Vietnam conflict.
The heartbeat of this episode lies in the powerful retelling of a devastating friendly fire incident at sea, an event that claimed the lives of 134 sailors and forever altered the course of many more. Bob Merrick's role as an aviation electrician granted him a harrowing perspective on the tragedy; his detailed account captures the confusion, the adrenaline, and the somber reality of a makeshift morgue on the flight deck. As we discuss the incident's lasting implications and the education it provides new sailors, we're reminded of the risks borne by those in service and the enduring brotherhood born out of such trials.
Our journey with Bob doesn't end at the close of his military chapter. Witness the transformation as he recounts stepping back into civilian life, reflecting on the unexpected twists his service took and how military discipline paved the way for his subsequent success at AT&T. In the camaraderie that survives long after duty, we find timeless advice for veterans navigating post-military life. Bob's story, laden with both the sorrow and pride of a Vietnam veteran, illustrates the powerful legacy of service and the respect forged in the crucible of war. Join us as we honor his service and the indelible mark it has left on his life's journey.
Contact Thad - VictoriousVeteranProject@Gmail.com
Thanks for listening!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Thad David (00:00):
I can't imagine, but it's like to be on a sub
because you got nowhere to gobut a ship is very similar, you
have nowhere to go.
Bob Merrick (00:05):
There's nowhere to go.
Thad David (00:06):
What was it like for a bomb to go off not knowing
what it was?
I mean, how do you maintainyour composure in that?
What was that like?
Bob Merrick (00:14):
You just have to fight to keep your ship going.
You don't have much choice.
That's where you live and it'seither there or the water, and
that's not the best way to gooff into the water.
So you fight as best you can tokeep the ship going.
Thad David (00:35):
My name is Thad David.
I'm a former Marine recon scoutsniper with two deployments to
Iraq.
As a civilian, I've nowfacilitated hundreds of personal
and professional developmenttrainings across the country,
and it struck me recently thatthe same things that help
civilians will also helpveterans succeed in their new
roles as well.
Join me as we define civiliansuccess principles to inspire
(00:56):
veteran victories.
Welcome to another episode.
I'm here today with NavyVeteran Bob Merrick.
How are you doing, bob?
Bob Merrick (01:04):
Doing great, can't complain.
Thad David (01:08):
I'm happy to hear it .
I know you've got an amazing,amazing story.
I know that you served over inVietnam and I'm really happy
that you took a moment to jumpon the show today.
I'd love to hear from you whatcaused you to join up, what
caused you to join, what got youto join the military.
Bob Merrick (01:28):
All right.
I graduated from high school in1965.
Vietnam was just gettingstarted and I worked through the
summer and two of my buddiesthe three of us decided well,
rather than get drafted, let'sgo ahead and join the Navy.
(01:50):
We're tired of people tellingus what to do, so we'll go ahead
and join the Navy.
Of course, you know how thatgoes.
So we left at December thefirst train we they weren't
flying you at yet to Great Lakes, so the train pulled up to the
(02:14):
local train station.
We all swore in and jumped onthe train, headed for Great
Lakes, Chicago, Illinois, andgot there and found out you have
to listen, there's going to bea lot of people telling you what
to do.
Thad David (02:32):
So that's going to say not a great thing to do if
you don't like being told whatto do yeah.
Bob Merrick (02:38):
Yeah, we found that out.
Thad David (02:40):
Yeah, and then what happened so?
Bob Merrick (02:42):
we got to Great Lakes and of course a lot of
hollering and everything and Ithink they started right away,
you know.
We went into a huge room,everybody there.
You had to take off all yourclothes.
Everything went in a box andyou put your home address on it,
(03:06):
shipped everything home andthen they started issuing
clothes.
So we got the clothes stenciledyour name and your serial
number all on it.
That got the day started.
So that was the start of myNavy experience.
Thad David (03:26):
Okay, so you and two buddies joined up.
You didn't want to be told whatto do, so you joined the Navy,
and that's there's some irony inthat.
And then so you joined up, justbecause you didn't want to.
You didn't want to be draftedand you said you know what,
let's just sign up, let's do it.
That makes sense, right?
I can't imagine what it was,what it was it like to be in
that time period where thepossibility of being drafted I
(03:47):
mean, how was that experienceJust?
Bob Merrick (03:49):
knowing it might get drafted.
There was others gettingdrafted two years in the Army
and you'd go in a strong chanceof just being ground pounders
and didn't want that.
Wanted to learn a trade, wantedto learn you know something.
(04:11):
I had a cousin in the Navyalready.
He was in the submarines, andso I I seen a taste of the Navy
life.
So I thought, well, that wouldbe pretty good.
So went to boot camp, spentChristmas, our first Christmas,
away, still at boot camp,nothing changed.
(04:32):
Just woke up Christmas morning.
All the all the heat pipes werefrozen, closed, it was below
zero, even in the barracks.
So it wasn't, it wasn't a goodChristmas.
So I'd like to think some, somedrill instructors probably.
Thad David (04:49):
Just it wasn't broken, they just turned it off
just to say Merry, merryChristmas, you had a cold one.
Bob Merrick (04:57):
One of the crazy things is we had to wash our own
clothes, scrub, brush, soappowder, hang stuff outside,
which didn't make much sense.
It all froze and then we couldmove it inside to inside drying
room and of course we had.
(05:18):
We had to tie everything up.
Everything had to be a special,special knot and all those
little tie things come into playas time went on and different
inspections they would find heredrill instructor, they do
inspections and of coursesomebody they would find had
(05:43):
these tie stops in their pocketand they'd make them eat them.
Just spit out the metal ends andso things like that.
That teaches a respectauthority, you know.
Thad David (05:55):
Oh yeah, I think what I love about it is just
some things that never change,and that's one of them is just
the games that they play.
So you joined up, you guys wentoff, you went to boot camp and
then you eventually filmedyourself heading off to Vietnam.
When did you head off toVietnam and what was that like
heading to Vietnam?
Bob Merrick (06:14):
Well, first I got out of boot camp and that was in
February got orders toCecilfield, jacksonville,
florida.
Never been on an airplanebefore.
Went home for like a week andthen got on a plane, flew to
Jacksonville, florida, and Iwent to an air wing.
(06:35):
So the first 66 we spent goingto the Mediterranean.
Soon, as I got into thesquadron, checked into the
squadron, they said don't unpackyour seabag, we're going to the
Mediterranean.
So I did a tour in the medfirst, okay, exciting to hear
(06:58):
your jets taking off and landingon your roof, you know.
And so got a chance to learnhow to function on the flight
deck and got that all behind us.
And then in 19, we got backfrom the med.
Then late 66, then in 67, theysaid now we're going to, going
(07:22):
to go board the forest stall,heading for Vietnam, going to
the Westpac.
So I got a chance to go to Gitmo.
The carrier was doing qualsdown around Puerto Rico and so I
(07:42):
got to go to on a divert crewto Gitmo and spent about a month
, maybe a little longer, therewhere the carrier operated out
around Puerto Rico.
If a plane couldn't land, ifyou had a pilot that couldn't
land, they sent them to divertcrew and if there was something
(08:07):
wrong with the plane, we fixedit, got them back out.
Or if we had pilots that wouldshow up and grab their bag out
of the wheel, well, and say,take me to the BOQ and have the
plane ready to go back to thecarrier, so they'd go back.
Then we went through, becomeshellbacks, cross the equator
(08:33):
something they don't do anymoreand then went down, stopped in
Rio de Janeiro, brazil, got achance to do a little iron hour
there, then went over to SubicBay, hit Subic Bay, then up to
Vietnam, up off the coast ofVietnam, send plane strikes into
(08:57):
North Vietnam.
So go ahead.
Thad David (09:04):
Is that what you did while you were there?
You just you all sent a bunchof air strikes on off your ship.
Bob Merrick (09:09):
Yes.
Thad David (09:10):
Yep, how was that experience?
Bob Merrick (09:14):
It was different.
You know, there was times thatat night I was on a.
We worked 12 on, 12 off, and soI was on nights and you could
see the strikes going on.
The sky would light up and soyou could see bombs being
dropped and fighting going on.
(09:34):
Fortunately never touchedground there so, but was well
aware of what was going on.
Then, july the 29th 1967, we wasoff the coast of North Vietnam
and I had got off work, I don'tknow, seven to eight o'clock in
(09:59):
the morning, went to morningchow.
I decided I needed a haircut.
Me and a couple other guys gotour haircut.
Get back to the back to whereour racks were and took shower,
just barely got in the rack andwe went to general quarters.
(10:20):
So they they were announcingfire, fire, fire on the flight
deck after you know, everybodygo in boarding down.
My general quarter station wasout on the flight deck, so I
jumped back out of the rackthrough my dungarees on flight
deck boots and out.
(10:41):
I went and got out in the halland was running through the
halls jumping over.
We called them knee knockers,it's the hatches.
They'd hit you right in theshins if you didn't get up high
enough.
So jumping through them andtheir dog and hatches down and
(11:03):
I'm hollering wait, you know I'mcoming trying to get out and
then the first bomb went off andthings you know something, to
see what a thousand pound bombwould do with the carrier.
And so it, you know, shook thecarrier pretty good and so I
like A thousand pound bomb hitsyour carrier.
(11:24):
Right on the flight deck yeahwent off.
Of course our thoughts are aswe've been attacked, we don't
know what's going on.
You know, everything's bombsare going off, there's all kinds
of fire, and so I decided I'dlisten to what they were
directing go in, boarding downinstead of go out.
(11:46):
I thought I can't do anythingon the flight deck anyhow.
I don't have no weapons oranything.
So so I went to my.
I was an aviation electrician,so I went to my shop and that
was off Hangar Bay 1.
Went into the shop and guyswere gathering.
(12:07):
That was our general quarterstation and the guys that were
on the flight deck that workedout of our shop.
One of the guys came down.
Al Cam Pugh came down.
He didn't have a shirt on.
We said what happened?
What happened?
Your flight deck jersey and all.
And he said I seen a guy onfire.
He wrapped him up in his shirt.
(12:29):
He had shrapnel wounds all over.
Chief told him to go to sickbay and get his wounds tended.
So then all of a sudden theycame and told us everybody has
to go to the hangar bay, get outin the hangar bay.
So we went out there, jettisonbombs.
You know there was all kind ofammunition in the hangar bay.
(12:51):
So they jettisoned all that.
I can remember we.
They had us pushing planes.
They thought we would push themto the there's big elevators
there, and so we were going topush it onto the elevator, have
the elevator take it up to theflight deck.
And as we pushed the plane,nobody was riding, nobody was in
(13:17):
the cockpit to ride the brakesor anything.
We pushed it, pushed it rightout into the ocean.
So no way to stop.
Thad David (13:27):
So y'all just went right out into the ocean.
Bob Merrick (13:30):
Yeah.
Thad David (13:31):
Yeah, just while bombs are going off, a plane
just got pushed into the ocean.
Bob Merrick (13:37):
Yeah, that all the bombs that was there that was to
be taken to the flight deck wasbeing thrown over.
You know, we didn't know whatwas going on, so why were they
getting thrown over, was it?
To protect us.
You know everybody's to get ajettison, all of it, throw it
all over the side because wedon't want it going up.
(13:59):
We don't know what's going on.
So fog phone stations are goingoff, everything's, you know.
Going up They've got on acarrier, there's three hangar
bays and there's watertightdoors that block them off, and
so they were all shut.
(14:19):
Word was there was fire inhangar bay three, heavy smoke in
hangar bay two.
The only safe spot was where wewere at hangar bay one.
And so all of a sudden someofficer come up, said come with
me, I got a work party, and sowe grabbed.
(14:40):
Oh, there was like I thinkthere were five or six foot
squares of armor plating and wehad a tow tractor and they're
kind of flat on the back.
So we piled all these armorplating on this tow tractor,
drove it over to the oh, theelevator, got on the elevator up
(15:06):
to the flight deck.
Of course you're thinking thismight not be a smart idea, but
anyway, so that's what we did.
Up to the flight deck.
They had a makeshift morguethere.
They had a number of bodieslaying there and of course you
don't want to look becauseyou're afraid you're going to
(15:28):
see somebody you know so.
So you kind of keep your eyesoff of the stack of bodies.
We lost 134 bodies where peoplewere killed, so I think there
was nine or 10 that I knew thatwas this I'm sorry.
(15:53):
Died in that fire.
Nine or 10 died in that fire.
That were personally, that Ipersonally knew.
So if you don't mind, becauseyou're up on the flight deck
right now.
Thad David (16:06):
Are there?
Bob Merrick (16:06):
bombs still going off all around you?
No, yeah, there's bombs goingoff, are there?
Thad David (16:11):
still bombs going off, yeah, or are they just
hitting, the water hitting theship.
Bob Merrick (16:15):
Yeah, and the problem with that is is that as
these planes are burning, on theaft end of the ship, the planes
are on fire and they're loadedwith their cannons.
So the cannons are firing, theywere riddled, they're shooting
all over the place.
So everything's cooking off.
(16:37):
So you've got nowhere to go.
All of a sudden I remembersomebody said grab the get on
the hose, get on a hose.
So some of the fire parties gotblown away.
You know they just flat.
When these bombs go off, theyjust explode and wipe everything
(16:57):
out.
So there's people down on theflight deck and everything.
So I remember grabbing a firehose and fighting, starting to
fight fires.
I don't remember a lot from thaton.
I my mind's really blocked allof it out.
I just don't.
I don't remember everythingfrom then on until I've still
(17:22):
got a good friend of mine thatwe still get together and still
talk.
We got together just a coupleof years ago.
We talk every year, but I wasin, he's in Florida, and so we
got together sitting around.
He said don't you rememberlater in the day, because we'd
been up all night, been up allday, and he said we sit on the
(17:45):
bow sharing sea, sea rats.
You know, they brought up thesea rations and that's all we
had to eat.
So we sit there reminiscing.
Then the fires were pretty muchcontrolled on the flight deck.
There was still fires going onbelow deck, so that's one of the
(18:07):
main things that's happened.
A thousand pound bombs blew bigholes in the flight deck.
There is couple books that havebeen written about the fire and
then they also show the.
They show the fire because it'sall being recorded,
(18:32):
everything's being recorded,because they were loaded ready
to launch for a strike, and sothey show these videos to boot
camp.
Now I think it's been that wayfor years, so everybody that
goes through Navy boot camp nowsees them videos.
(18:54):
It's how not to fight a fire,basically okay you got fog foam
stations going off.
Fog foam would have covered thefire, but we also had seawater
hoses, so we're blowing seawateron the fires, washing the fog
(19:16):
foam away.
So and just for anybody thatdoesn't know what is fog foam
fog foam is a is a type of foamthat smothers a fire.
Okay, it just smothers it, soit can't get air.
Okay, water kind of dispersesfire and cools it down, but fog
(19:40):
foam is designed to smother it,which would have been better.
But we didn't know we, and wehadn't had any shipboard fire
fighting training.
And there was fire fightingparties that were well trained,
but they were the first ones onthe scene and a lot of them were
(20:01):
killed.
Thad David (20:01):
So did you during?
This where these bombs aregoing off.
I know you said that kind of.
There was a point where youdon't remember much afterwards.
But where were they coming from?
Was it?
Was it airplanes dropping them?
Was it artillery?
Where?
Bob Merrick (20:15):
we're coming from see that they discovered that
there was a rocket.
All our planes were loaded withbombs, rockets, everything.
They were getting ready for astrike, and so there was a
rocket that shot off of aphantom jet on the aft end of
(20:36):
the ship that traveled across.
They said it hit John McCain'splane.
John McCain was one of mypilots hit his on your yes, yeah
, it is playing.
And they were.
They've taken on some munitions.
And word was, as these werethousand pound bombs, old World
(21:05):
War 2, they cooked off.
The word was by all ourordinance people.
These bombs should have justcooked, cracked open and burned.
I said, if that's cracking open, I never would like to hear
them explode.
But they actually exploded iswhat they did.
And so the planes were allloaded, they're loaded with
(21:29):
ammunition, all the bombs thatplanned on being dropped,
rockets, everything.
Thad David (21:35):
So but where were the ones that were dropping on?
You said a thousand pound bombsounds like several bombs were
hitting your ship.
Where were those coming from?
The gentleman having a sense ofidea of where those were all
coming from they were comingfrom our own planes, our own
planes.
Bob Merrick (21:51):
We didn't get attacked.
We didn't know that, of course,until sometime later this was
probably weeks later that they,they, they observed the cameras.
Every launch and recovery getsvideoed.
It's always been video, and sothey went back, they looked at
(22:13):
the cameras, looked at the videoand they discovered that this
was just a plane accident, youknow the entire thing was just,
I mean basically friendly fire,if if you call it that yeah,
just totally an accident.
Of course, like I said, wedidn't know.
(22:33):
Some of the guys some of theguys I even knew got blown off
the ship 90 feet into the water.
Talk to them later.
They just didn't know whathappened.
All they knew was destroyersfollow the carrier.
They're always plane guardingthe carrier, so they're there
(22:55):
picking up survivors in thewater.
And a lot of things changed nowbecause of that.
Everybody now goes throughshipboard fire fighting training
, everybody, all the air wing,everything.
Thad David (23:12):
So something we didn't have no well, I think
that's how we learned ourbiggest lessons and in hindsight
, from you know, with that itmakes perfect sense that
everybody would need to know howto do that.
I'm still trying to wrap myhead around because for me,
being in the middle is one ofthe things I liked about being
in a recon team was I alwaysfelt like if I was in the woods
(23:33):
and I got into a, we got ourteam got bogged down somewhere.
You know, we could always be inthe out and loop back around
and we always had an option tokind of loop around and kind of
re-change our course of fire.
But being on a ship and for methe biggest thing, like I can't,
I can't imagine, but it's liketo be on a sub because you got
nowhere- to go but his ship isvery similar.
You have nowhere to there'sthere's nowhere to go.
(23:55):
What's what it was a like for abomb to go off not knowing what
it was.
I mean, how do you maintainyour composure in that?
What was that like?
Bob Merrick (24:02):
you just, you just have to fight to keep your ship
going.
You don't have much choice.
That's where you live and it'seither there or the water, and
that's not the best way you knowto go off into the water.
So you, you fight as best youcan to keep the ship going and
(24:25):
so, yeah, we, there was a numberof bombs that exploded.
Some guys slept just below theflight deck.
Number of them didn't make itout, they were killed in their
bunks.
So yeah, a lot of that.
If the bombs really open up,the way the flight deck is
(24:51):
designed, really opened it up.
I've got a cruise book thatshows the damage and all it
really opens it up.
I remember looking down inwhere one of the bombs had gone
off and opened the I mean it'sit would be probably a good 12
(25:12):
by 12 hole down into thebirthing compartments or shop
spaces or whatever it was, andthen they would fall down and
explode again and open anotherhole going down, and so it was.
It kind of snowballed then.
Thad David (25:31):
So what I mean.
Did you stay on the ship?
What happened to the ship?
I mean you're on a ship, you'redeployed.
Bob Merrick (25:38):
Yeah, we got it.
Did you all take the?
boat back home.
What, yeah, we did?
We got it under, got the firesunder control, pulled back into
Subic, I think it was two orthree days, took us to get back
off the line.
Other ships come up help fightfires, you know, pulled up
alongside us and was sprayingwater on everything.
(25:59):
And so then we I think it wasabout three days and we pulled
back into Subic.
They kind of covered up theholes.
We couldn't operate anymore.
We offloaded planes, pilots,they could, they were given.
Well, we all were given optionsto transfer to another ship,
(26:26):
another squadron, stay on therein Vietnam or whatever, or we
could stay with the ship and Ichose to stay.
I think John McCain was injured.
He transferred, then wentaboard.
Thad David (26:45):
Another squadron was shot down and spent his time
and, as a POW at the show, didyou yeah, it's a pretty
obviously John McCain a veryhigh profile name and to have
been on his ship, did you everget to meet him?
Did you get to talk to him?
Bob Merrick (27:03):
I did talk to him yeah.
Thad David (27:05):
How was?
What was he like, especiallyback then?
Bob Merrick (27:09):
He was welcoming.
I talked to him before he runfor president.
He had been in, he had been tovisit I live in Toledo, ohio,
and he had been to visit Toledoand so I called and they had a
call in, had him on the radio,so I called him and I figured
(27:30):
what we were known as the VA-46Clansmen, after the Scottish
Clansmen, unbeknown to me, Idon't think a lot of times, but
I did think and I thought hewould recognize the fact that if
(27:50):
I mentioned that he wasvisiting and I was a former
Clansman.
So that's what I did.
I said I welcomed him to Toledoby a former Clansman.
They shut me off right away.
I was going to say that thatthing I didn't even.
(28:10):
Yeah.
Thad David (28:10):
I could, I could understand, yeah.
Bob Merrick (28:13):
I thought you clarified what it was before you
said it.
Yeah, his handlers quick hadhim off the air, so yeah, I did
then.
Then, after he run forpresident, he had a presidential
meeting here in town did go andsee him there, so very
welcoming.
(28:33):
I knew him personally because Istrapped him into playing many
times.
Thad David (28:39):
Well, that's what.
What was he like back then?
What was he like when you wereon the ships together?
I mean, it's time of service.
How did you feel about him?
Not, you know, it's awesome.
Bob Merrick (28:49):
He was good.
What was it?
He was a good pilot and, yeah,he would show up, he'd do his
flight inspection.
He'd go around, kick the tires,that was his saying.
Kick the tires, light the fires, let's go flying.
So that was his opinion.
So that's what he would do.
(29:09):
And we put the ladders up, we'dgo up, climb in the cockpit,
we'd help strap them in andthey'd fly.
And he was one of those when wewere in Gitmo.
They would show up and it was.
It was kind of hilarious.
Fridays were a big time.
(29:29):
They would show up Fridayafternoon and, unbeknownst to
anybody, they'd already packedclothes to come in and there was
four of us from the squadronthat was there and they would
just say you know, just have theplane ready on Sunday and take
me to the BOQ.
We had checked out a sixpassenger pickup truck and we
(29:55):
would load them up and driveover to the BOQ.
Their wives would be therewaiting on them, and so it was
just one of those things.
Gitmo was pretty good.
We enjoyed our time there, itwas fun.
Thad David (30:10):
I wonder and this is just because I'm curious, and
obviously John McCain was notthe only one shot down in a POW
camp.
Did you all know, like so hegot shot down or anybody else
that got shot down?
Did you know that they werealive in a POW camp?
Did you know that it happened?
Or did you just know they gotshot down and nobody knew what
(30:32):
had happened?
Bob Merrick (30:33):
Yeah, we knew because they kept the Stars and
Stripes newspaper.
We got the Stars and Stripesand they would keep up with
those things.
And then I remember I had gotout in 1970 or late, it was just
(30:54):
before the end of the year.
In 69.
And I can remember I think in72, they released all the
prisoners and I can rememberseeing I was just I'd just
gotten married and I canremember seeing the line of the
POWs as they got off the plane.
(31:17):
Tv had them on and I said Iknow that man, I know him and it
was John McCain.
So I said something to say, so Iwas glad to see him get out.
He had opportunities to leavemuch earlier.
He was a son of an Admiral.
They kind of, in good faith,give him a chance to leave and
(31:44):
my understanding was that heturned it down.
Thad David (31:47):
He would not leave the POW camp.
Yeah, yeah everything I read.
He had the choice to leave.
Bob Merrick (31:55):
He said no, he wouldn't leave till everybody
else left.
So that was.
Different ones have spoke upand said that he was the cause
of the fire.
I'm on some Navy sites and Iusually try to set the record
straight that that wasn't true.
Thad David (32:15):
So there's a rumor that he started the fire on the
ship.
Bob Merrick (32:18):
Oh yeah, they, they .
There was such a thing as a hotstart and that's what different
ones said that he caused a hotstart and that it wasn't proven.
The thing that was proven wasthe rocket was fired off static
electricity there is usuallythere's a safety pin that only
(32:44):
comes out when they get ready tolaunch and apparently that had
been faulty and staticelectricity fired.
The rocket fired across theflight deck, hit the best friend
of mine, hit him in the leftshoulder, took his arm off, and
then one of our chief chiefsthat was on the flight deck said
(33:08):
that he'd come up to him andsaid I've been hit, and she
picked him up, took him to ahelicopter and he died in the
helicopter and all that'sdocumented in books.
So there's two books out that Iknow of.
One of them is called Fire,fire, fire on the Flight Deck,
(33:32):
aft.
That's written by Ken Kilmire,and then Sailors to the End.
These are all got their fullstories of different ones that
they talked to.
In fact, I just hooked up justa week ago on a Navy site with
one of the guys that I was inthe squadron with that got
(33:55):
injured in that fire that I hadlost touch with.
So these Navy sites have becomepretty nice.
You're able to hook up withsome of them, so it's good to
get on.
Thad David (34:15):
I know it's pretty amazing.
I remember because I got out in2005 and they created an email
group because social media wasjust in its infancy and so that
wasn't really a thing.
So somebody at our old CO hadstarted up just an email group
that had us all of our emailaddresses in one group to stay
(34:35):
in touch, and it's been amazingto see how easy it is to stay in
touch with people via socialmedia.
Now, for all of its downsides,it's pretty amazing to be able
to stay in touch, because Ican't imagine what it would be
like, because you would get outand you probably left a lot of
people and I want to hear aboutthat.
And I also want to ask you,because you said that these
books that were written, how doyou feel about the ones?
Did they accurately portray it?
(34:57):
Do you feel like it showed gavean accurate portrayal of what's
happening or what did happen?
Bob Merrick (35:04):
Yeah, yeah, they both do.
Both of those books are veryaccurate.
I've read through them.
I don't see anything that Iwould dispute.
They're good books.
I have on some of my sites,though, that I get on that some
guys and they're really peoplethat weren't Abort the ship at
(35:27):
the time I even worked and Iended up in 1970.
After I got out, I got, Istarted work at AT&T and I found
out later one of the guys Iworked with was also on the
carrier.
I didn't know him at the timebut then got to know him and I
(35:51):
just seen him this year again.
So it's interesting to, and theinternet and everything makes
it a whole lot easier to keep upfor getting in touch with guys.
So that's real interesting.
Thad David (36:08):
So what was it like for you getting out so I know
that very controversial time?
What was that like yourtransition out of the military?
Well, I am.
Bob Merrick (36:23):
Yeah, well, see, we got back from Vietnam on the
forest off, we left Subic Bayand I believe we were at sea for
like 43 days coming back.
We went down around the tip ofAfrica and back up through the
Atlantic and it took 43 days.
(36:45):
It was a long.
It was a long, long ride comingback.
We didn't pull in anywhere oranything.
So we come back that way.
And so then we transitionedaircraft in 67, 68.
We transitioned to a newaircraft.
(37:08):
So we all had to get to.
We had to go to schools and getupdated on everything.
Computers were starting to beand being used on the new
aircraft and so we kind of gotupdated on everything.
And then in 69, early 69, theywere going back.
(37:29):
The squadron I was in was goingback to the Mediterranean and I
had heard of an early outcomingup and I thought, eh, and the
chief?
So I talked to my chief and Isaid, hey, chief, you know you
might want to get rid of me, youknow, because I'm going to get
out, I'm leaving, I'm notstaying.
(37:51):
I got plans and I don't plan onmaking a career out of the Navy
.
So I finally talked him into it.
He got me orders to a squadronright in the next hangar from
where we're at, and so I gotwith them and it wasn't long.
They said, ah, we're leavingwhere we're at, we're going over
(38:17):
to Oakland, California, goingaboard the old Coral Sea, going
back to Vietnam.
I said, oh, I might not havemade the right move here.
So I went back.
The squadron extended me becauseto make the whole line period
(38:40):
again, I off the coast ofVietnam and all that went along
with no problem.
I pulled into Yacousca, japan,and got out, got off the carrier
in Yacousca and they put me ona bus and I think I went up
through the mountains and flewback to San Francisco.
(39:03):
Got back landed in SanFrancisco, went to Treasure
Island and they said we'refilled up here.
That was like the first week inDecember when I should have got
out, but I got extended.
So they said we don't have aroom here, we're filled up,
(39:26):
everybody coming back fromVietnam and all was going to
Treasure Island, so they werefull.
You have to go to your closestreceiving station, to your home,
which back to Great Lakes I go,and it's terribly cold there in
December.
I wouldn't go there for now,too cold.
(39:49):
Went back there.
Thad David (39:53):
So and I just want to make sure I hear this right
you transferred units to get anearly out.
Did your unit actually go tothe Mediterranean and not go to
Vietnam, your original unit?
Yeah, yeah, and so if you wouldhave just stayed put, you would
have just gone to theMediterranean.
Bob Merrick (40:08):
Yeah, yeah.
And the early out they decidedwas only for ship's company.
I was air wing, I wasconsidered a critical rate and
so I didn't get out.
Thad David (40:29):
Talk about things that never change in the
military and I think that's oneconsistent thing is that just
you know we make these maneuvers.
I had a buddy that reenlistedand said I only want to stay and
put like he put it in hisorders to stay at Pendleton.
And yeah, I reenlisted twoweeks later, needs of the Marine
Corps and he got moved over toCamp Lejeune, which not as
drastic as yours going toVietnam.
(40:50):
But just some things that justnever change is like you tell
the military what you want to doand they say, yep, we'll do it,
and then the opposite tends tohappen.
Bob Merrick (40:58):
I'll see.
Back in boot camp they ask youwhat you want to do.
You know where do you want togo?
Well, I said I would love to bein CBs running equipment and
stuff or a riverboat on theriverboat.
Well, they chose an airsquadron.
(41:19):
So, and it turned out, I'vepulled different ones.
If you go in the Navy, go inthe Navy and get in an air
squadron.
It's because when you're notaboard ship, you're in a land,
at a naval base, naval airstation, and so that was nice
there in Jacksonville, floridait was.
(41:39):
It was warm all the time.
I didn't miss the cold.
I don't know.
Thad David (41:45):
So Florida's not a.
It's not a bad place to bestuck, Not bad no.
So what I'd love to hear about?
What's that?
Bob Merrick (41:53):
I was just going to say that the nice thing was is
one of the guys that I went inwith.
I got orders to Jacksonville,Florida.
He got orders to Sanford,Florida.
He was in an air wing too, soof course when we went to the
med, he went along with us.
Their squadron was on the samecarrier, and so we made a med
(42:13):
cruise together too.
So it was nice, we had a goodtime.
We managed to go to Greece,Turkey, Italy, Spain visited all
them countries.
For you, it's a good trip.
Thad David (42:32):
What was, what was it like for you?
So, when you got out of themilitary, what did you do?
So you got out of the Navy, youfinally eventually got out.
What was it like transitioningout of the military?
Bob Merrick (42:46):
I managed to get a job with the phone company right
away, at&t, and I ended upworking 38 years there.
I had some clearances, somesecret clearances and stuff that
helped I managed to get in.
Every time a president visitedtown I was on that detachment
(43:10):
from the phone company becausethey would run our clearances
and find out that I fit the billall right.
So I managed to.
I was on Air Force One.
I managed to try to rememberhis name, the different
presidents One of them visitedby train and I was on that
(43:37):
detachment.
So I got into some good, goodjobs because of my military
background.
But I didn't really have anyproblems I heard different ones
spoke about they had problemswith at the airport.
(43:58):
Nobody bothered me and we hadto travel in uniform.
Back then you couldn't wearcivilian clothes, so, like when
I landed in San Francisco, itwas a military jet, so of course
didn't have no problem.
But when we landed in SanFrancisco I had to take off
(44:19):
again from there, fly to Chicago.
So didn't have any trouble inthe airport.
So then I flew from there tohome and just never had any more
problems.
So Justin didn't really talkabout much of anything.
He didn't talk about the forestat all.
(44:40):
My kids, they didn't know aboutit till long A lot, you know,
years later they would play withmy.
I had Vietnam medals and all,and they, they wouldn't play
with them and so I don't haveany of them anymore.
I just kids that wear them.
They'd wear my uniforms forHalloween and so just just never
(45:06):
really.
I ended up working with someguys I didn't know for years
that they they had been toVietnam.
One of them was a Purple Heartrecipient.
So these are things that justabout everybody.
We just didn't talk about ourmilitary experiences.
So, we just when about life?
Thad David (45:31):
What?
And I'm hoping to just connectsome dots here, because it seems
like with with our generation,there's such a big with with
mine.
There's such a big focal pointon like.
It seems like there'samplifying struggles of people
that went overseas and you know,I don't like comparing
different wars or what peoplesaw, didn't see, because I think
(45:53):
everybody, even in a differentexperience, they all experienced
it in different ways.
Why do you think it's soamplified now versus for when I
talked to your generation, itseems like everybody just like,
yep, I did my thing, got out,went to work, and you know, and
it just kind of blows my mindthat it's very different than
than right now.
(46:13):
What do you think what?
Why do you think that's such abig difference?
And what?
What was the key to success foryou guys?
Bob Merrick (46:19):
I think we just well.
We we had a draft.
Guys getting out now and goingin now are pure voluntary, they
don't have to.
Nobody asked to go back.
When I was we had the draft.
Chances are you were going oneway or another, just depended
what you chose to do.
(46:40):
I chose the Navy.
I just didn't.
I knew others that went army,got drafted, you know army,
marines, whatever.
So I chose to go Navy, just mychoice.
And sure I think guys todaymake a choice to make the
(47:03):
military their career.
They're exposed to a lot.
My son-in-law did two tours inIraq and one in Afghanistan.
He didn't fare so well, so what?
Thad David (47:19):
do you mean?
Bob Merrick (47:21):
Well he's.
He's got PTSD, he's a hundredpercent disabled.
He still goes, he's still goodto be around, he's fun, but
still has his problems.
Yeah, so yeah, he still.
He sleeps with a fan on anddifferent things and he has to
(47:47):
have noise.
I'd never tried to wake him, Ijust.
I do not have to do that.
Thad David (47:56):
And it's always wonder what the and.
I'm I'm choosing my wordscautiously here Because I'm very
respectful of everybody'sservice and everything that you
know the traumas that we dealwith after getting out, and it's
just it's interesting to methat that we see so much of it
now, versus you don't reallyhear a lot of a ton of it.
(48:18):
I mean, you do hear storiesabout it from your generation,
but I mean, the Vietnam War wasa very intense war.
Bob Merrick (48:27):
Yeah, yeah, one of the main problems.
It wasn't a likable war.
Thad David (48:36):
You know, nobody.
Bob Merrick (48:37):
those of us that were there didn't speak about it
, about it, and there wasbecause back home, you know,
people were demonstratingagainst it.
You heard about people callingyour baby killers and things
like that, so you kind of justkept it on the down low, so to
(48:58):
speak.
You know you, just InterestingPeople didn't know about it.
Better off, you know.
Thad David (49:06):
So you didn't have to deal with.
Bob Merrick (49:08):
deal with anybody that maybe didn't care for what
you did, but you did what youhad to.
Thad David (49:19):
That whole saying that you know hard times create
easier times and then easiertimes, and it just kind of flip
flops.
That I always.
I think a lot of what we dealtwith because I think everybody
is very receptive for us andwhat we did, and I think a lot
of it was lessons learned fromhow your generation got treated
to some degree that you knowthey saw this wasn't okay.
(49:40):
It's not okay to treat veteransthis way.
Coming back, and I think thatpeople treat us really nicely
now because of lessons learnedthere, and so it's something
I've just always been fascinatedwith what it was like getting
out.
So I appreciate you walking usthrough it and talking about it.
Bob Merrick (49:57):
I think people, people even treat us better the
Vietnam vets because they thankus for our service.
They're very receptive to usand I think that's because of
your generation, you know,they've realized that it's an
evil After 9-11, you know people, these people seen it that hey,
(50:22):
we're not protected here on ourlands, so things can happen
here that gets your attention.
Thad David (50:31):
So oh yeah, so Well, I, I'm just grateful, I'm very
grateful for anybody's serviceand I just that's why I do this,
this podcast is just to learnmore and hopefully help educate
and then help other people learnmore about it.
I heard recently that you know,because right right now, one
thing that as we weretransitioning out, you know,
(50:53):
while I was in, it was kind oflike if you were in, you're most
likely you were gettingdeployed.
You were going overseas.
I spent two, I did twodeployments to Iraq and it was
just kind of the norm.
So just kind of seemed likethat was a normal thing, whereas
now it's not a normal thing andI think some people struggle
with getting out and there'seven some some.
I don't want you hear someveterans saying you know, I saw
(51:15):
combat and you didn't, andthere's a little bit of
comparison there.
And I heard recently that,which I don't agree with, by the
way, but I heard recently thatthe Vietnam veterans had some of
that with World War Twoveterans and that Vietnam
veterans coming back actuallygot some shade thrown at them
from World War Two veterans.
Is that?
Did you experience anythinglike that?
(51:36):
Or is there anything you couldshare about?
What was it like from World WarTwo veterans, or did you hear
anything about that?
Bob Merrick (51:43):
Yeah, I didn't have any problem.
My uncles were in World War Twoand they all belonged to the
Legion.
You know and or BFW, either one, and so they participated more.
I just never had felt the need,and not that it's a bad thing.
(52:03):
I've got guys that I workedwith I know of three of them now
that are the heads of their VFWpost, american Legion post, so
it's not a bad three three WorldWar, two veterans.
No no three.
Thad David (52:25):
Okay.
Bob Merrick (52:27):
Well, I know of one that was a Vietnam vat.
The other two they came alongafter, but they're the head of
their chapter.
So yeah, okay but I've not hadany problem with the World War
(52:47):
Two people.
I have had some issuessometimes that they don't want
to recognize that I was aVietnam vat.
You know you're not a Vietnamvat.
You never touched.
You never touched soil, younever was actually touched
Vietnam soil.
But the US governmentrecognized the fact that we are
(53:11):
Vietnam vats and then I've had alot of Vietnam vats.
That said, we reallyappreciated you because you guys
, when we called the jets wereflying and they were coming home
.
So it was good, you know they,they seemed the need there.
(53:33):
So no, I've had this good.
Thad David (53:37):
And in several, several firefights where, once
air support comes in, you'revery grateful for everyone
involved in getting air supportto you quickly, because it's an
absolute game changer on thebattlefield.
Oh yeah, yeah, it's a necessity.
Bob Merrick (53:54):
I used to.
I used to say it takes.
It takes a college education tofly the plane and it takes a
high school education to keepthem flying.
That's all we were you knowwhere they're, where they're
wrenching on these jets andstuff and little education and
keeping them flying.
(54:15):
But it was fun, I had a goodtime doing it, but it was one of
those things that we did ourjob, let's solve.
Thad David (54:27):
Well, I'm very grateful that you did and I
really appreciate you jumping onto to share your story and your
experience.
And I'd love to ask you, justfor any anybody listening, any
veterans listening, what wouldyou say was the keys to success?
Because I know you went off toyou said you worked for was it
38 years for the phone company?
Bob Merrick (54:44):
Yeah, 18.
Which is?
Thad David (54:46):
fantastic.
It sounds like you did a lot ofgreat things afterwards.
What do you think the keys tosuccess after getting out are?
Bob Merrick (54:53):
Well, I think you learned respect for authority.
That's one of the main things.
I maybe didn't have that beforeI went in.
Like I said, I I got tired ofpeople telling me what to do, so
I joined the Navy made sense itmade sense, for about that
(55:14):
train ride was about it.
It changed real quick.
Thad David (55:18):
That sounds about yeah, sounds about right, with
most better I know for me justbeing stubborn and bullheaded.
It's like I'm going to do thisNobody's going to tell me what
to do and it's like oh yeah lookat what happened.
Bob Merrick (55:31):
There is people who's going to tell you what to
do.
They they can drive you down towhere.
When they tell you to dosomething, you do it, no matter
what, just do it.
We'll discuss later if youdon't like it.
So that's the part that I thinkand it's worked good for me for
all these years.
Just, you learn respect forauthority and you do your job.
(55:56):
You do it without challenges,did you?
Thad David (56:00):
struck I makes me think of.
Sometimes I hear veterans thatstruggle with authority that are
non veterans.
So getting out, going to thejob place, you know saying that
so and so is an undisciplinedcivilian.
Did you notice that, or wereyou, were you able to transition
your respect for authority intothe civilian role as well?
Bob Merrick (56:18):
Yeah, no, I.
I transitioned respect forauthority.
Most of the people I worked forthat were my managers were not
veterans.
So yeah, I had.
I had people that I worked forthat respected the fact that
(56:41):
they could give me the jobs todo and go do them.
They didn't have to worry aboutme out messing around somewhere
not getting the job done.
Thad David (56:50):
Right.
Bob Merrick (56:51):
And so that's, that's part of what I learned
there.
You know, the chief would giveyou the job, go up and fix
whatever's wrong with this planeand get it fixed.
And so you do it, sign off onit and it better be fixed.
(57:13):
The last thing you want is thechief chief chewing you out for
it not being fixed.
So right, they're the E sevens.
You know E sevens, and they sitaround and drink coffee until
until they're needed.
Oh yeah, that's definitely howit comes the last thing you want
(57:37):
them is on your back.
So yeah, so you learn to do thejob, do it and get it done and
do it right.
Thad David (57:46):
It sounds like you did just that while you were in
and after getting out.
And, bob, thank you so much forjumping on and taking some time
.
I really appreciate everythingyou've done in the military and
just for taking some time toshare your story.
It was very, very insightfulfor me to hear about it and I
really appreciate you takingsome time.
Bob Merrick (58:03):
Well, good, all right, thank you.
I can't imagine, but it's like to be on a sub
because you got nowhere to gobut a ship is very similar, you
have nowhere to go.
Bob Merrick (00:05):
There's nowhere to go.
Thad David (00:06):
What was it like for a bomb to go off not knowing
what it was?
I mean, how do you maintainyour composure in that?
What was that like?
Bob Merrick (00:14):
You just have to fight to keep your ship going.
You don't have much choice.
That's where you live and it'seither there or the water, and
that's not the best way to gooff into the water.
So you fight as best you can tokeep the ship going.
Thad David (00:35):
My name is Thad David.
I'm a former Marine recon scoutsniper with two deployments to
Iraq.
As a civilian, I've nowfacilitated hundreds of personal
and professional developmenttrainings across the country,
and it struck me recently thatthe same things that help
civilians will also helpveterans succeed in their new
roles as well.
Join me as we define civiliansuccess principles to inspire
(00:56):
veteran victories.
Welcome to another episode.
I'm here today with NavyVeteran Bob Merrick.
How are you doing, bob?
Bob Merrick (01:04):
Doing great, can't complain.
Thad David (01:08):
I'm happy to hear it .
I know you've got an amazing,amazing story.
I know that you served over inVietnam and I'm really happy
that you took a moment to jumpon the show today.
I'd love to hear from you whatcaused you to join up, what
caused you to join, what got youto join the military.
Bob Merrick (01:28):
All right.
I graduated from high school in1965.
Vietnam was just gettingstarted and I worked through the
summer and two of my buddiesthe three of us decided well,
rather than get drafted, let'sgo ahead and join the Navy.
(01:50):
We're tired of people tellingus what to do, so we'll go ahead
and join the Navy.
Of course, you know how thatgoes.
So we left at December thefirst train we they weren't
flying you at yet to Great Lakes, so the train pulled up to the
(02:14):
local train station.
We all swore in and jumped onthe train, headed for Great
Lakes, Chicago, Illinois, andgot there and found out you have
to listen, there's going to bea lot of people telling you what
to do.
Thad David (02:32):
So that's going to say not a great thing to do if
you don't like being told whatto do yeah.
Bob Merrick (02:38):
Yeah, we found that out.
Thad David (02:40):
Yeah, and then what happened so?
Bob Merrick (02:42):
we got to Great Lakes and of course a lot of
hollering and everything and Ithink they started right away,
you know.
We went into a huge room,everybody there.
You had to take off all yourclothes.
Everything went in a box andyou put your home address on it,
(03:06):
shipped everything home andthen they started issuing
clothes.
So we got the clothes stenciledyour name and your serial
number all on it.
That got the day started.
So that was the start of myNavy experience.
Thad David (03:26):
Okay, so you and two buddies joined up.
You didn't want to be told whatto do, so you joined the Navy,
and that's there's some irony inthat.
And then so you joined up, justbecause you didn't want to.
You didn't want to be draftedand you said you know what,
let's just sign up, let's do it.
That makes sense, right?
I can't imagine what it was,what it was it like to be in
that time period where thepossibility of being drafted I
(03:47):
mean, how was that experienceJust?
Bob Merrick (03:49):
knowing it might get drafted.
There was others gettingdrafted two years in the Army
and you'd go in a strong chanceof just being ground pounders
and didn't want that.
Wanted to learn a trade, wantedto learn you know something.
(04:11):
I had a cousin in the Navyalready.
He was in the submarines, andso I I seen a taste of the Navy
life.
So I thought, well, that wouldbe pretty good.
So went to boot camp, spentChristmas, our first Christmas,
away, still at boot camp,nothing changed.
(04:32):
Just woke up Christmas morning.
All the all the heat pipes werefrozen, closed, it was below
zero, even in the barracks.
So it wasn't, it wasn't a goodChristmas.
So I'd like to think some, somedrill instructors probably.
Thad David (04:49):
Just it wasn't broken, they just turned it off
just to say Merry, merryChristmas, you had a cold one.
Bob Merrick (04:57):
One of the crazy things is we had to wash our own
clothes, scrub, brush, soappowder, hang stuff outside,
which didn't make much sense.
It all froze and then we couldmove it inside to inside drying
room and of course we had.
(05:18):
We had to tie everything up.
Everything had to be a special,special knot and all those
little tie things come into playas time went on and different
inspections they would find heredrill instructor, they do
inspections and of coursesomebody they would find had
(05:43):
these tie stops in their pocketand they'd make them eat them.
Just spit out the metal ends andso things like that.
That teaches a respectauthority, you know.
Thad David (05:55):
Oh yeah, I think what I love about it is just
some things that never change,and that's one of them is just
the games that they play.
So you joined up, you guys wentoff, you went to boot camp and
then you eventually filmedyourself heading off to Vietnam.
When did you head off toVietnam and what was that like
heading to Vietnam?
Bob Merrick (06:14):
Well, first I got out of boot camp and that was in
February got orders toCecilfield, jacksonville,
florida.
Never been on an airplanebefore.
Went home for like a week andthen got on a plane, flew to
Jacksonville, florida, and Iwent to an air wing.
(06:35):
So the first 66 we spent goingto the Mediterranean.
Soon, as I got into thesquadron, checked into the
squadron, they said don't unpackyour seabag, we're going to the
Mediterranean.
So I did a tour in the medfirst, okay, exciting to hear
(06:58):
your jets taking off and landingon your roof, you know.
And so got a chance to learnhow to function on the flight
deck and got that all behind us.
And then in 19, we got backfrom the med.
Then late 66, then in 67, theysaid now we're going to, going
(07:22):
to go board the forest stall,heading for Vietnam, going to
the Westpac.
So I got a chance to go to Gitmo.
The carrier was doing qualsdown around Puerto Rico and so I
(07:42):
got to go to on a divert crewto Gitmo and spent about a month
, maybe a little longer, therewhere the carrier operated out
around Puerto Rico.
If a plane couldn't land, ifyou had a pilot that couldn't
land, they sent them to divertcrew and if there was something
(08:07):
wrong with the plane, we fixedit, got them back out.
Or if we had pilots that wouldshow up and grab their bag out
of the wheel, well, and say,take me to the BOQ and have the
plane ready to go back to thecarrier, so they'd go back.
Then we went through, becomeshellbacks, cross the equator
(08:33):
something they don't do anymoreand then went down, stopped in
Rio de Janeiro, brazil, got achance to do a little iron hour
there, then went over to SubicBay, hit Subic Bay, then up to
Vietnam, up off the coast ofVietnam, send plane strikes into
(08:57):
North Vietnam.
So go ahead.
Thad David (09:04):
Is that what you did while you were there?
You just you all sent a bunchof air strikes on off your ship.
Bob Merrick (09:09):
Yes.
Thad David (09:10):
Yep, how was that experience?
Bob Merrick (09:14):
It was different.
You know, there was times thatat night I was on a.
We worked 12 on, 12 off, and soI was on nights and you could
see the strikes going on.
The sky would light up and soyou could see bombs being
dropped and fighting going on.
(09:34):
Fortunately never touchedground there so, but was well
aware of what was going on.
Then, july the 29th 1967, we wasoff the coast of North Vietnam
and I had got off work, I don'tknow, seven to eight o'clock in
(09:59):
the morning, went to morningchow.
I decided I needed a haircut.
Me and a couple other guys gotour haircut.
Get back to the back to whereour racks were and took shower,
just barely got in the rack andwe went to general quarters.
(10:20):
So they they were announcingfire, fire, fire on the flight
deck after you know, everybodygo in boarding down.
My general quarter station wasout on the flight deck, so I
jumped back out of the rackthrough my dungarees on flight
deck boots and out.
(10:41):
I went and got out in the halland was running through the
halls jumping over.
We called them knee knockers,it's the hatches.
They'd hit you right in theshins if you didn't get up high
enough.
So jumping through them andtheir dog and hatches down and
(11:03):
I'm hollering wait, you know I'mcoming trying to get out and
then the first bomb went off andthings you know something, to
see what a thousand pound bombwould do with the carrier.
And so it, you know, shook thecarrier pretty good and so I
like A thousand pound bomb hitsyour carrier.
(11:24):
Right on the flight deck yeahwent off.
Of course our thoughts are aswe've been attacked, we don't
know what's going on.
You know, everything's bombsare going off, there's all kinds
of fire, and so I decided I'dlisten to what they were
directing go in, boarding downinstead of go out.
(11:46):
I thought I can't do anythingon the flight deck anyhow.
I don't have no weapons oranything.
So so I went to my.
I was an aviation electrician,so I went to my shop and that
was off Hangar Bay 1.
Went into the shop and guyswere gathering.
(12:07):
That was our general quarterstation and the guys that were
on the flight deck that workedout of our shop.
One of the guys came down.
Al Cam Pugh came down.
He didn't have a shirt on.
We said what happened?
What happened?
Your flight deck jersey and all.
And he said I seen a guy onfire.
He wrapped him up in his shirt.
(12:29):
He had shrapnel wounds all over.
Chief told him to go to sickbay and get his wounds tended.
So then all of a sudden theycame and told us everybody has
to go to the hangar bay, get outin the hangar bay.
So we went out there, jettisonbombs.
You know there was all kind ofammunition in the hangar bay.
(12:51):
So they jettisoned all that.
I can remember we.
They had us pushing planes.
They thought we would push themto the there's big elevators
there, and so we were going topush it onto the elevator, have
the elevator take it up to theflight deck.
And as we pushed the plane,nobody was riding, nobody was in
(13:17):
the cockpit to ride the brakesor anything.
We pushed it, pushed it rightout into the ocean.
So no way to stop.
Thad David (13:27):
So y'all just went right out into the ocean.
Bob Merrick (13:30):
Yeah.
Thad David (13:31):
Yeah, just while bombs are going off, a plane
just got pushed into the ocean.
Bob Merrick (13:37):
Yeah, that all the bombs that was there that was to
be taken to the flight deck wasbeing thrown over.
You know, we didn't know whatwas going on, so why were they
getting thrown over, was it?
To protect us.
You know everybody's to get ajettison, all of it, throw it
all over the side because wedon't want it going up.
(13:59):
We don't know what's going on.
So fog phone stations are goingoff, everything's, you know.
Going up They've got on acarrier, there's three hangar
bays and there's watertightdoors that block them off, and
so they were all shut.
(14:19):
Word was there was fire inhangar bay three, heavy smoke in
hangar bay two.
The only safe spot was where wewere at hangar bay one.
And so all of a sudden someofficer come up, said come with
me, I got a work party, and sowe grabbed.
(14:40):
Oh, there was like I thinkthere were five or six foot
squares of armor plating and wehad a tow tractor and they're
kind of flat on the back.
So we piled all these armorplating on this tow tractor,
drove it over to the oh, theelevator, got on the elevator up
(15:06):
to the flight deck.
Of course you're thinking thismight not be a smart idea, but
anyway, so that's what we did.
Up to the flight deck.
They had a makeshift morguethere.
They had a number of bodieslaying there and of course you
don't want to look becauseyou're afraid you're going to
(15:28):
see somebody you know so.
So you kind of keep your eyesoff of the stack of bodies.
We lost 134 bodies where peoplewere killed, so I think there
was nine or 10 that I knew thatwas this I'm sorry.
(15:53):
Died in that fire.
Nine or 10 died in that fire.
That were personally, that Ipersonally knew.
So if you don't mind, becauseyou're up on the flight deck
right now.
Thad David (16:06):
Are there?
Bob Merrick (16:06):
bombs still going off all around you?
No, yeah, there's bombs goingoff, are there?
Thad David (16:11):
still bombs going off, yeah, or are they just
hitting, the water hitting theship.
Bob Merrick (16:15):
Yeah, and the problem with that is is that as
these planes are burning, on theaft end of the ship, the planes
are on fire and they're loadedwith their cannons.
So the cannons are firing, theywere riddled, they're shooting
all over the place.
So everything's cooking off.
(16:37):
So you've got nowhere to go.
All of a sudden I remembersomebody said grab the get on
the hose, get on a hose.
So some of the fire parties gotblown away.
You know they just flat.
When these bombs go off, theyjust explode and wipe everything
(16:57):
out.
So there's people down on theflight deck and everything.
So I remember grabbing a firehose and fighting, starting to
fight fires.
I don't remember a lot from thaton.
I my mind's really blocked allof it out.
I just don't.
I don't remember everythingfrom then on until I've still
(17:22):
got a good friend of mine thatwe still get together and still
talk.
We got together just a coupleof years ago.
We talk every year, but I wasin, he's in Florida, and so we
got together sitting around.
He said don't you rememberlater in the day, because we'd
been up all night, been up allday, and he said we sit on the
(17:45):
bow sharing sea, sea rats.
You know, they brought up thesea rations and that's all we
had to eat.
So we sit there reminiscing.
Then the fires were pretty muchcontrolled on the flight deck.
There was still fires going onbelow deck, so that's one of the
(18:07):
main things that's happened.
A thousand pound bombs blew bigholes in the flight deck.
There is couple books that havebeen written about the fire and
then they also show the.
They show the fire because it'sall being recorded,
(18:32):
everything's being recorded,because they were loaded ready
to launch for a strike, and sothey show these videos to boot
camp.
Now I think it's been that wayfor years, so everybody that
goes through Navy boot camp nowsees them videos.
(18:54):
It's how not to fight a fire,basically okay you got fog foam
stations going off.
Fog foam would have covered thefire, but we also had seawater
hoses, so we're blowing seawateron the fires, washing the fog
(19:16):
foam away.
So and just for anybody thatdoesn't know what is fog foam
fog foam is a is a type of foamthat smothers a fire.
Okay, it just smothers it, soit can't get air.
Okay, water kind of dispersesfire and cools it down, but fog
(19:40):
foam is designed to smother it,which would have been better.
But we didn't know we, and wehadn't had any shipboard fire
fighting training.
And there was fire fightingparties that were well trained,
but they were the first ones onthe scene and a lot of them were
(20:01):
killed.
Thad David (20:01):
So did you during?
This where these bombs aregoing off.
I know you said that kind of.
There was a point where youdon't remember much afterwards.
But where were they coming from?
Was it?
Was it airplanes dropping them?
Was it artillery?
Where?
Bob Merrick (20:15):
we're coming from see that they discovered that
there was a rocket.
All our planes were loaded withbombs, rockets, everything.
They were getting ready for astrike, and so there was a
rocket that shot off of aphantom jet on the aft end of
(20:36):
the ship that traveled across.
They said it hit John McCain'splane.
John McCain was one of mypilots hit his on your yes, yeah
, it is playing.
And they were.
They've taken on some munitions.
And word was, as these werethousand pound bombs, old World
(21:05):
War 2, they cooked off.
The word was by all ourordinance people.
These bombs should have justcooked, cracked open and burned.
I said, if that's cracking open, I never would like to hear
them explode.
But they actually exploded iswhat they did.
And so the planes were allloaded, they're loaded with
(21:29):
ammunition, all the bombs thatplanned on being dropped,
rockets, everything.
Thad David (21:35):
So but where were the ones that were dropping on?
You said a thousand pound bombsounds like several bombs were
hitting your ship.
Where were those coming from?
The gentleman having a sense ofidea of where those were all
coming from they were comingfrom our own planes, our own
planes.
Bob Merrick (21:51):
We didn't get attacked.
We didn't know that, of course,until sometime later this was
probably weeks later that they,they, they observed the cameras.
Every launch and recovery getsvideoed.
It's always been video, and sothey went back, they looked at
(22:13):
the cameras, looked at the videoand they discovered that this
was just a plane accident, youknow the entire thing was just,
I mean basically friendly fire,if if you call it that yeah,
just totally an accident.
Of course, like I said, wedidn't know.
(22:33):
Some of the guys some of theguys I even knew got blown off
the ship 90 feet into the water.
Talk to them later.
They just didn't know whathappened.
All they knew was destroyersfollow the carrier.
They're always plane guardingthe carrier, so they're there
(22:55):
picking up survivors in thewater.
And a lot of things changed nowbecause of that.
Everybody now goes throughshipboard fire fighting training
, everybody, all the air wing,everything.
Thad David (23:12):
So something we didn't have no well, I think
that's how we learned ourbiggest lessons and in hindsight
, from you know, with that itmakes perfect sense that
everybody would need to know howto do that.
I'm still trying to wrap myhead around because for me,
being in the middle is one ofthe things I liked about being
in a recon team was I alwaysfelt like if I was in the woods
(23:33):
and I got into a, we got ourteam got bogged down somewhere.
You know, we could always be inthe out and loop back around
and we always had an option tokind of loop around and kind of
re-change our course of fire.
But being on a ship and for methe biggest thing, like I can't,
I can't imagine, but it's liketo be on a sub because you got
nowhere- to go but his ship isvery similar.
You have nowhere to there'sthere's nowhere to go.
(23:55):
What's what it was a like for abomb to go off not knowing what
it was.
I mean, how do you maintainyour composure in that?
What was that like?
Bob Merrick (24:02):
you just, you just have to fight to keep your ship
going.
You don't have much choice.
That's where you live and it'seither there or the water, and
that's not the best way you knowto go off into the water.
So you, you fight as best youcan to keep the ship going and
(24:25):
so, yeah, we, there was a numberof bombs that exploded.
Some guys slept just below theflight deck.
Number of them didn't make itout, they were killed in their
bunks.
So yeah, a lot of that.
If the bombs really open up,the way the flight deck is
(24:51):
designed, really opened it up.
I've got a cruise book thatshows the damage and all it
really opens it up.
I remember looking down inwhere one of the bombs had gone
off and opened the I mean it'sit would be probably a good 12
(25:12):
by 12 hole down into thebirthing compartments or shop
spaces or whatever it was, andthen they would fall down and
explode again and open anotherhole going down, and so it was.
It kind of snowballed then.
Thad David (25:31):
So what I mean.
Did you stay on the ship?
What happened to the ship?
I mean you're on a ship, you'redeployed.
Bob Merrick (25:38):
Yeah, we got it.
Did you all take the?
boat back home.
What, yeah, we did?
We got it under, got the firesunder control, pulled back into
Subic, I think it was two orthree days, took us to get back
off the line.
Other ships come up help fightfires, you know, pulled up
alongside us and was sprayingwater on everything.
(25:59):
And so then we I think it wasabout three days and we pulled
back into Subic.
They kind of covered up theholes.
We couldn't operate anymore.
We offloaded planes, pilots,they could, they were given.
Well, we all were given optionsto transfer to another ship,
(26:26):
another squadron, stay on therein Vietnam or whatever, or we
could stay with the ship and Ichose to stay.
I think John McCain was injured.
He transferred, then wentaboard.
Thad David (26:45):
Another squadron was shot down and spent his time
and, as a POW at the show, didyou yeah, it's a pretty
obviously John McCain a veryhigh profile name and to have
been on his ship, did you everget to meet him?
Did you get to talk to him?
Bob Merrick (27:03):
I did talk to him yeah.
Thad David (27:05):
How was?
What was he like, especiallyback then?
Bob Merrick (27:09):
He was welcoming.
I talked to him before he runfor president.
He had been in, he had been tovisit I live in Toledo, ohio,
and he had been to visit Toledoand so I called and they had a
call in, had him on the radio,so I called him and I figured
(27:30):
what we were known as the VA-46Clansmen, after the Scottish
Clansmen, unbeknown to me, Idon't think a lot of times, but
I did think and I thought hewould recognize the fact that if
(27:50):
I mentioned that he wasvisiting and I was a former
Clansman.
So that's what I did.
I said I welcomed him to Toledoby a former Clansman.
They shut me off right away.
I was going to say that thatthing I didn't even.
(28:10):
Yeah.
Thad David (28:10):
I could, I could understand, yeah.
Bob Merrick (28:13):
I thought you clarified what it was before you
said it.
Yeah, his handlers quick hadhim off the air, so yeah, I did
then.
Then, after he run forpresident, he had a presidential
meeting here in town did go andsee him there, so very
welcoming.
(28:33):
I knew him personally because Istrapped him into playing many
times.
Thad David (28:39):
Well, that's what.
What was he like back then?
What was he like when you wereon the ships together?
I mean, it's time of service.
How did you feel about him?
Not, you know, it's awesome.
Bob Merrick (28:49):
He was good.
What was it?
He was a good pilot and, yeah,he would show up, he'd do his
flight inspection.
He'd go around, kick the tires,that was his saying.
Kick the tires, light the fires, let's go flying.
So that was his opinion.
So that's what he would do.
(29:09):
And we put the ladders up, we'dgo up, climb in the cockpit,
we'd help strap them in andthey'd fly.
And he was one of those when wewere in Gitmo.
They would show up and it was.
It was kind of hilarious.
Fridays were a big time.
(29:29):
They would show up Fridayafternoon and, unbeknownst to
anybody, they'd already packedclothes to come in and there was
four of us from the squadronthat was there and they would
just say you know, just have theplane ready on Sunday and take
me to the BOQ.
We had checked out a sixpassenger pickup truck and we
(29:55):
would load them up and driveover to the BOQ.
Their wives would be therewaiting on them, and so it was
just one of those things.
Gitmo was pretty good.
We enjoyed our time there, itwas fun.
Thad David (30:10):
I wonder and this is just because I'm curious, and
obviously John McCain was notthe only one shot down in a POW
camp.
Did you all know, like so hegot shot down or anybody else
that got shot down?
Did you know that they werealive in a POW camp?
Did you know that it happened?
Or did you just know they gotshot down and nobody knew what
(30:32):
had happened?
Bob Merrick (30:33):
Yeah, we knew because they kept the Stars and
Stripes newspaper.
We got the Stars and Stripesand they would keep up with
those things.
And then I remember I had gotout in 1970 or late, it was just
(30:54):
before the end of the year.
In 69.
And I can remember I think in72, they released all the
prisoners and I can rememberseeing I was just I'd just
gotten married and I canremember seeing the line of the
POWs as they got off the plane.
(31:17):
Tv had them on and I said Iknow that man, I know him and it
was John McCain.
So I said something to say, so Iwas glad to see him get out.
He had opportunities to leavemuch earlier.
He was a son of an Admiral.
They kind of, in good faith,give him a chance to leave and
(31:44):
my understanding was that heturned it down.
Thad David (31:47):
He would not leave the POW camp.
Yeah, yeah everything I read.
He had the choice to leave.
Bob Merrick (31:55):
He said no, he wouldn't leave till everybody
else left.
So that was.
Different ones have spoke upand said that he was the cause
of the fire.
I'm on some Navy sites and Iusually try to set the record
straight that that wasn't true.
Thad David (32:15):
So there's a rumor that he started the fire on the
ship.
Bob Merrick (32:18):
Oh yeah, they, they .
There was such a thing as a hotstart and that's what different
ones said that he caused a hotstart and that it wasn't proven.
The thing that was proven wasthe rocket was fired off static
electricity there is usuallythere's a safety pin that only
(32:44):
comes out when they get ready tolaunch and apparently that had
been faulty and staticelectricity fired.
The rocket fired across theflight deck, hit the best friend
of mine, hit him in the leftshoulder, took his arm off, and
then one of our chief chiefsthat was on the flight deck said
(33:08):
that he'd come up to him andsaid I've been hit, and she
picked him up, took him to ahelicopter and he died in the
helicopter and all that'sdocumented in books.
So there's two books out that Iknow of.
One of them is called Fire,fire, fire on the Flight Deck,
(33:32):
aft.
That's written by Ken Kilmire,and then Sailors to the End.
These are all got their fullstories of different ones that
they talked to.
In fact, I just hooked up justa week ago on a Navy site with
one of the guys that I was inthe squadron with that got
(33:55):
injured in that fire that I hadlost touch with.
So these Navy sites have becomepretty nice.
You're able to hook up withsome of them, so it's good to
get on.
Thad David (34:15):
I know it's pretty amazing.
I remember because I got out in2005 and they created an email
group because social media wasjust in its infancy and so that
wasn't really a thing.
So somebody at our old CO hadstarted up just an email group
that had us all of our emailaddresses in one group to stay
(34:35):
in touch, and it's been amazingto see how easy it is to stay in
touch with people via socialmedia.
Now, for all of its downsides,it's pretty amazing to be able
to stay in touch, because Ican't imagine what it would be
like, because you would get outand you probably left a lot of
people and I want to hear aboutthat.
And I also want to ask you,because you said that these
books that were written, how doyou feel about the ones?
Did they accurately portray it?
(34:57):
Do you feel like it showed gavean accurate portrayal of what's
happening or what did happen?
Bob Merrick (35:04):
Yeah, yeah, they both do.
Both of those books are veryaccurate.
I've read through them.
I don't see anything that Iwould dispute.
They're good books.
I have on some of my sites,though, that I get on that some
guys and they're really peoplethat weren't Abort the ship at
(35:27):
the time I even worked and Iended up in 1970.
After I got out, I got, Istarted work at AT&T and I found
out later one of the guys Iworked with was also on the
carrier.
I didn't know him at the timebut then got to know him and I
(35:51):
just seen him this year again.
So it's interesting to, and theinternet and everything makes
it a whole lot easier to keep upfor getting in touch with guys.
So that's real interesting.
Thad David (36:08):
So what was it like for you getting out so I know
that very controversial time?
What was that like yourtransition out of the military?
Well, I am.
Bob Merrick (36:23):
Yeah, well, see, we got back from Vietnam on the
forest off, we left Subic Bayand I believe we were at sea for
like 43 days coming back.
We went down around the tip ofAfrica and back up through the
Atlantic and it took 43 days.
(36:45):
It was a long.
It was a long, long ride comingback.
We didn't pull in anywhere oranything.
So we come back that way.
And so then we transitionedaircraft in 67, 68.
We transitioned to a newaircraft.
(37:08):
So we all had to get to.
We had to go to schools and getupdated on everything.
Computers were starting to beand being used on the new
aircraft and so we kind of gotupdated on everything.
And then in 69, early 69, theywere going back.
(37:29):
The squadron I was in was goingback to the Mediterranean and I
had heard of an early outcomingup and I thought, eh, and the
chief?
So I talked to my chief and Isaid, hey, chief, you know you
might want to get rid of me, youknow, because I'm going to get
out, I'm leaving, I'm notstaying.
(37:51):
I got plans and I don't plan onmaking a career out of the Navy
.
So I finally talked him into it.
He got me orders to a squadronright in the next hangar from
where we're at, and so I gotwith them and it wasn't long.
They said, ah, we're leavingwhere we're at, we're going over
(38:17):
to Oakland, California, goingaboard the old Coral Sea, going
back to Vietnam.
I said, oh, I might not havemade the right move here.
So I went back.
The squadron extended me becauseto make the whole line period
(38:40):
again, I off the coast ofVietnam and all that went along
with no problem.
I pulled into Yacousca, japan,and got out, got off the carrier
in Yacousca and they put me ona bus and I think I went up
through the mountains and flewback to San Francisco.
(39:03):
Got back landed in SanFrancisco, went to Treasure
Island and they said we'refilled up here.
That was like the first week inDecember when I should have got
out, but I got extended.
So they said we don't have aroom here, we're filled up,
(39:26):
everybody coming back fromVietnam and all was going to
Treasure Island, so they werefull.
You have to go to your closestreceiving station, to your home,
which back to Great Lakes I go,and it's terribly cold there in
December.
I wouldn't go there for now,too cold.
(39:49):
Went back there.
Thad David (39:53):
So and I just want to make sure I hear this right
you transferred units to get anearly out.
Did your unit actually go tothe Mediterranean and not go to
Vietnam, your original unit?
Yeah, yeah, and so if you wouldhave just stayed put, you would
have just gone to theMediterranean.
Bob Merrick (40:08):
Yeah, yeah.
And the early out they decidedwas only for ship's company.
I was air wing, I wasconsidered a critical rate and
so I didn't get out.
Thad David (40:29):
Talk about things that never change in the
military and I think that's oneconsistent thing is that just
you know we make these maneuvers.
I had a buddy that reenlistedand said I only want to stay and
put like he put it in hisorders to stay at Pendleton.
And yeah, I reenlisted twoweeks later, needs of the Marine
Corps and he got moved over toCamp Lejeune, which not as
drastic as yours going toVietnam.
(40:50):
But just some things that justnever change is like you tell
the military what you want to doand they say, yep, we'll do it,
and then the opposite tends tohappen.
Bob Merrick (40:58):
I'll see.
Back in boot camp they ask youwhat you want to do.
You know where do you want togo?
Well, I said I would love to bein CBs running equipment and
stuff or a riverboat on theriverboat.
Well, they chose an airsquadron.
(41:19):
So, and it turned out, I'vepulled different ones.
If you go in the Navy, go inthe Navy and get in an air
squadron.
It's because when you're notaboard ship, you're in a land,
at a naval base, naval airstation, and so that was nice
there in Jacksonville, floridait was.
(41:39):
It was warm all the time.
I didn't miss the cold.
I don't know.
Thad David (41:45):
So Florida's not a.
It's not a bad place to bestuck, Not bad no.
So what I'd love to hear about?
What's that?
Bob Merrick (41:53):
I was just going to say that the nice thing was is
one of the guys that I went inwith.
I got orders to Jacksonville,Florida.
He got orders to Sanford,Florida.
He was in an air wing too, soof course when we went to the
med, he went along with us.
Their squadron was on the samecarrier, and so we made a med
(42:13):
cruise together too.
So it was nice, we had a goodtime.
We managed to go to Greece,Turkey, Italy, Spain visited all
them countries.
For you, it's a good trip.
Thad David (42:32):
What was, what was it like for you?
So, when you got out of themilitary, what did you do?
So you got out of the Navy, youfinally eventually got out.
What was it like transitioningout of the military?
Bob Merrick (42:46):
I managed to get a job with the phone company right
away, at&t, and I ended upworking 38 years there.
I had some clearances, somesecret clearances and stuff that
helped I managed to get in.
Every time a president visitedtown I was on that detachment
(43:10):
from the phone company becausethey would run our clearances
and find out that I fit the billall right.
So I managed to.
I was on Air Force One.
I managed to try to rememberhis name, the different
presidents One of them visitedby train and I was on that
(43:37):
detachment.
So I got into some good, goodjobs because of my military
background.
But I didn't really have anyproblems I heard different ones
spoke about they had problemswith at the airport.
(43:58):
Nobody bothered me and we hadto travel in uniform.
Back then you couldn't wearcivilian clothes, so, like when
I landed in San Francisco, itwas a military jet, so of course
didn't have no problem.
But when we landed in SanFrancisco I had to take off
(44:19):
again from there, fly to Chicago.
So didn't have any trouble inthe airport.
So then I flew from there tohome and just never had any more
problems.
So Justin didn't really talkabout much of anything.
He didn't talk about the forestat all.
(44:40):
My kids, they didn't know aboutit till long A lot, you know,
years later they would play withmy.
I had Vietnam medals and all,and they, they wouldn't play
with them and so I don't haveany of them anymore.
I just kids that wear them.
They'd wear my uniforms forHalloween and so just just never
(45:06):
really.
I ended up working with someguys I didn't know for years
that they they had been toVietnam.
One of them was a Purple Heartrecipient.
So these are things that justabout everybody.
We just didn't talk about ourmilitary experiences.
So, we just when about life?
Thad David (45:31):
What?
And I'm hoping to just connectsome dots here, because it seems
like with with our generation,there's such a big with with
mine.
There's such a big focal pointon like.
It seems like there'samplifying struggles of people
that went overseas and you know,I don't like comparing
different wars or what peoplesaw, didn't see, because I think
(45:53):
everybody, even in a differentexperience, they all experienced
it in different ways.
Why do you think it's soamplified now versus for when I
talked to your generation, itseems like everybody just like,
yep, I did my thing, got out,went to work, and you know, and
it just kind of blows my mindthat it's very different than
than right now.
(46:13):
What do you think what?
Why do you think that's such abig difference?
And what?
What was the key to success foryou guys?
Bob Merrick (46:19):
I think we just well.
We we had a draft.
Guys getting out now and goingin now are pure voluntary, they
don't have to.
Nobody asked to go back.
When I was we had the draft.
Chances are you were going oneway or another, just depended
what you chose to do.
(46:40):
I chose the Navy.
I just didn't.
I knew others that went army,got drafted, you know army,
marines, whatever.
So I chose to go Navy, just mychoice.
And sure I think guys todaymake a choice to make the
(47:03):
military their career.
They're exposed to a lot.
My son-in-law did two tours inIraq and one in Afghanistan.
He didn't fare so well, so what?
Thad David (47:19):
do you mean?
Bob Merrick (47:21):
Well he's.
He's got PTSD, he's a hundredpercent disabled.
He still goes, he's still goodto be around, he's fun, but
still has his problems.
Yeah, so yeah, he still.
He sleeps with a fan on anddifferent things and he has to
(47:47):
have noise.
I'd never tried to wake him, Ijust.
I do not have to do that.
Thad David (47:56):
And it's always wonder what the and.
I'm I'm choosing my wordscautiously here Because I'm very
respectful of everybody'sservice and everything that you
know the traumas that we dealwith after getting out, and it's
just it's interesting to methat that we see so much of it
now, versus you don't reallyhear a lot of a ton of it.
(48:18):
I mean, you do hear storiesabout it from your generation,
but I mean, the Vietnam War wasa very intense war.
Bob Merrick (48:27):
Yeah, yeah, one of the main problems.
It wasn't a likable war.
Thad David (48:36):
You know, nobody.
Bob Merrick (48:37):
those of us that were there didn't speak about it
, about it, and there wasbecause back home, you know,
people were demonstratingagainst it.
You heard about people callingyour baby killers and things
like that, so you kind of justkept it on the down low, so to
(48:58):
speak.
You know you, just InterestingPeople didn't know about it.
Better off, you know.
Thad David (49:06):
So you didn't have to deal with.
Bob Merrick (49:08):
deal with anybody that maybe didn't care for what
you did, but you did what youhad to.
Thad David (49:19):
That whole saying that you know hard times create
easier times and then easiertimes, and it just kind of flip
flops.
That I always.
I think a lot of what we dealtwith because I think everybody
is very receptive for us andwhat we did, and I think a lot
of it was lessons learned fromhow your generation got treated
to some degree that you knowthey saw this wasn't okay.
(49:40):
It's not okay to treat veteransthis way.
Coming back, and I think thatpeople treat us really nicely
now because of lessons learnedthere, and so it's something
I've just always been fascinatedwith what it was like getting
out.
So I appreciate you walking usthrough it and talking about it.
Bob Merrick (49:57):
I think people, people even treat us better the
Vietnam vets because they thankus for our service.
They're very receptive to usand I think that's because of
your generation, you know,they've realized that it's an
evil After 9-11, you know people, these people seen it that hey,
(50:22):
we're not protected here on ourlands, so things can happen
here that gets your attention.
Thad David (50:31):
So oh yeah, so Well, I, I'm just grateful, I'm very
grateful for anybody's serviceand I just that's why I do this,
this podcast is just to learnmore and hopefully help educate
and then help other people learnmore about it.
I heard recently that you know,because right right now, one
thing that as we weretransitioning out, you know,
(50:53):
while I was in, it was kind oflike if you were in, you're most
likely you were gettingdeployed.
You were going overseas.
I spent two, I did twodeployments to Iraq and it was
just kind of the norm.
So just kind of seemed likethat was a normal thing, whereas
now it's not a normal thing andI think some people struggle
with getting out and there'seven some some.
I don't want you hear someveterans saying you know, I saw
(51:15):
combat and you didn't, andthere's a little bit of
comparison there.
And I heard recently that,which I don't agree with, by the
way, but I heard recently thatthe Vietnam veterans had some of
that with World War Twoveterans and that Vietnam
veterans coming back actuallygot some shade thrown at them
from World War Two veterans.
Is that?
Did you experience anythinglike that?
(51:36):
Or is there anything you couldshare about?
What was it like from World WarTwo veterans, or did you hear
anything about that?
Bob Merrick (51:43):
Yeah, I didn't have any problem.
My uncles were in World War Twoand they all belonged to the
Legion.
You know and or BFW, either one, and so they participated more.
I just never had felt the need,and not that it's a bad thing.
(52:03):
I've got guys that I workedwith I know of three of them now
that are the heads of their VFWpost, american Legion post, so
it's not a bad three three WorldWar, two veterans.
No no three.
Thad David (52:25):
Okay.
Bob Merrick (52:27):
Well, I know of one that was a Vietnam vat.
The other two they came alongafter, but they're the head of
their chapter.
So yeah, okay but I've not hadany problem with the World War
(52:47):
Two people.
I have had some issuessometimes that they don't want
to recognize that I was aVietnam vat.
You know you're not a Vietnamvat.
You never touched.
You never touched soil, younever was actually touched
Vietnam soil.
But the US governmentrecognized the fact that we are
(53:11):
Vietnam vats and then I've had alot of Vietnam vats.
That said, we reallyappreciated you because you guys
, when we called the jets wereflying and they were coming home
.
So it was good, you know they,they seemed the need there.
(53:33):
So no, I've had this good.
Thad David (53:37):
And in several, several firefights where, once
air support comes in, you'revery grateful for everyone
involved in getting air supportto you quickly, because it's an
absolute game changer on thebattlefield.
Oh yeah, yeah, it's a necessity.
Bob Merrick (53:54):
I used to.
I used to say it takes.
It takes a college education tofly the plane and it takes a
high school education to keepthem flying.
That's all we were you knowwhere they're, where they're
wrenching on these jets andstuff and little education and
keeping them flying.
(54:15):
But it was fun, I had a goodtime doing it, but it was one of
those things that we did ourjob, let's solve.
Thad David (54:27):
Well, I'm very grateful that you did and I
really appreciate you jumping onto to share your story and your
experience.
And I'd love to ask you, justfor any anybody listening, any
veterans listening, what wouldyou say was the keys to success?
Because I know you went off toyou said you worked for was it
38 years for the phone company?
Bob Merrick (54:44):
Yeah, 18.
Which is?
Thad David (54:46):
fantastic.
It sounds like you did a lot ofgreat things afterwards.
What do you think the keys tosuccess after getting out are?
Bob Merrick (54:53):
Well, I think you learned respect for authority.
That's one of the main things.
I maybe didn't have that beforeI went in.
Like I said, I I got tired ofpeople telling me what to do, so
I joined the Navy made sense itmade sense, for about that
(55:14):
train ride was about it.
It changed real quick.
Thad David (55:18):
That sounds about yeah, sounds about right, with
most better I know for me justbeing stubborn and bullheaded.
It's like I'm going to do thisNobody's going to tell me what
to do and it's like oh yeah lookat what happened.
Bob Merrick (55:31):
There is people who's going to tell you what to
do.
They they can drive you down towhere.
When they tell you to dosomething, you do it, no matter
what, just do it.
We'll discuss later if youdon't like it.
So that's the part that I thinkand it's worked good for me for
all these years.
Just, you learn respect forauthority and you do your job.
(55:56):
You do it without challenges,did you?
Thad David (56:00):
struck I makes me think of.
Sometimes I hear veterans thatstruggle with authority that are
non veterans.
So getting out, going to thejob place, you know saying that
so and so is an undisciplinedcivilian.
Did you notice that, or wereyou, were you able to transition
your respect for authority intothe civilian role as well?
Bob Merrick (56:18):
Yeah, no, I.
I transitioned respect forauthority.
Most of the people I worked forthat were my managers were not
veterans.
So yeah, I had.
I had people that I worked forthat respected the fact that
(56:41):
they could give me the jobs todo and go do them.
They didn't have to worry aboutme out messing around somewhere
not getting the job done.
Thad David (56:50):
Right.
Bob Merrick (56:51):
And so that's, that's part of what I learned
there.
You know, the chief would giveyou the job, go up and fix
whatever's wrong with this planeand get it fixed.
And so you do it, sign off onit and it better be fixed.
(57:13):
The last thing you want is thechief chief chewing you out for
it not being fixed.
So right, they're the E sevens.
You know E sevens, and they sitaround and drink coffee until
until they're needed.
Oh yeah, that's definitely howit comes the last thing you want
(57:37):
them is on your back.
So yeah, so you learn to do thejob, do it and get it done and
do it right.
Thad David (57:46):
It sounds like you did just that while you were in
and after getting out.
And, bob, thank you so much forjumping on and taking some time
.
I really appreciate everythingyou've done in the military and
just for taking some time toshare your story.
It was very, very insightfulfor me to hear about it and I
really appreciate you takingsome time.
Bob Merrick (58:03):
Well, good, all right, thank you.
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