Addition to Wags' story Department: Rx Author: Charlie Era: 1983 Date: 02/18/05 The reason we were in such bad shape in Antigua was we had an athletic moment there. We had gone to the liquor store on the way to the hotel and came out carrying armloads of rum. Our taxi driver was really impressed. At the beach, we all bought one daquari each and would steadily add rum to it. After about 4 or 5 hours of this, some of our officers showed up and challenged us to vollyball. After being out in the sun all day in March (we were all terribly lily white that morning and beet red that evening) and falling around in the sand, we all looked like we had been sandpapered. As luck would have it, we had the duty next day. I remember standing a very miserable charging station watch where I just laid on the reserve feed manifold, only getting up for logs, which was really an effort. Of course, next day, it was off to the beach again.

CDR Greenfinger& Zippy Pinhead Department: Rx Author: Charlie Era: 1982 Date: 02/19/05 I was RAW one watch and I strolled over to Feed Control to chat with Dan Reighard. Dan had been hard at work drawing a picture of Zippy Pinhead on the DFT. After admiring it, we decided some paint would look good, so we painted old Zippy. The next watch, Dan had made with cardboard an arm with one finger extended, a pair of black plastic framed glasses, and 2 silver oak leaf clusters to put on Zippy's collar. The finger was pointed up Zippy's nose. At the time we had a Reactor Officer that picked his nose constantly, so we had a good joke at his expense. After a couple of days, we had to paint over Zippy because Dan hadn't put in a request chit. Of course, putting in a request chit after the fact was denied, so we only had a good memory of Dan's artwork. Yow, we had fun!

Monaco Department: Rx Author: Charlie Era: 1982 Date: 02/20/05 Monaco was definitely one of our better ports. While sampling the local culture and lots of wine, the Noodles ended up hanging out at this wall just below the palace. We were jumping all over the wall and having a good time when I decided a nap in the bushes would be a good idea. I woke up when it started raining and I heard Fast Fred screaming,"PJ's hurt!" PJ had somehow fallen off the wall and landed on a rock. His head was bleeding pretty good and he had a bruise on his hip the size of a basketball. We got the bleeding under control and helped him back to the Ike. We didn't dare take him to Medical for fear of him getting written up, so we dumped him off in his rack. The next morning, I had to see the RO for my CRW board (what timing!) I wasn't at my best, but somehow passed. The next day, we all caught a train for Cannes and another Noodle adventure, except for poor PJ, who was still bedridden.

The #1 Piano Bar Department: Rx Author: Charlie Era: 1982 Date: 02/21/05 A favorite gathering spot in Naples was the #1 Piano Bar. It didn't have a piano, but a DJ played all of our favorite rock music very loudly. Downstairs was where all the action was. They only sold Heineken, and the tradition was to plaster your label on the wall and smash your bottle when you finished your beer. Once, a bunch of us did the gator (wallowing around on the floor as seen in Animal House) and I found a piece of glass sticking out of my arm. Instead of getting bummed out, I quickly went upstairs for a shot of liquor to sterilize the wound and tied a bandana around it and went back downstairs. I still have a scar (what Wags called a free tattoo) to remind me. Sadly, when Dave Parker got called up and went back to Naples after 9/11, he said the Piano Bar is now a coffee bar and the whole area has been cleaned up. With the Cold War over, the fleet doesn't go to Naples anymore. Hard to believe.

Andy Neiman Department: Medical Author: Peter Era: 1980 Date: 02/21/05 I went through RT with a guy named Andy Neiman. After RT, he got sent to 1 plant and me to 2. For the year he was aboard, he kept going to medical for "health problems" - Meidcal was pretty pissed at him for wasting their time - I don't know how close they cam to writing him up for malingering... but they certainly verbally accused him of such. The last time I saw Andy, he was on a Stokes stretcher, waiting to be flown off to a hospital (and he died a week or so later - heart attack or something) Turns out the US Navy Medical corps not only misdiagnosed him as a malingerer but through their inaction, ended up killing him. I shouldn't be surprised, really - I saw major fuckups happen in our department so why expect Medical to be any different?

WOG Day Department: Rx Author: Peter Era: 1980 Date: 02/21/05 I watched a show on the USS Reagan last night - 90% of it was about the airdales - but the non-airdale component was about WOG-Day... They sure have watered down the ceremony... Instead of kissing the royal baby, you merely have to bow to his belly.. - And with the weight standards, gone is the obese Bos'n Mate with his fat gut covered in grease. - I also saw no hazing and no garbage shutes. On our WOG day, the guy in front of me was BDB (our DO). The RO was a shellback and was laying into him with the 3' section of firehose... And in true "Animal House" fashion, every time he was whipped, he'd say, "thank you sir, may I have another" - And the RO was glad to oglige. I wonder how many firehoses got chopped up to make whips that day? Going over, the majority of us were WOGs with very few shellbacks so the punishment was pretty much diluted - but coming back, the entire crew were shellbacks with just a few WOGs - Man, we brutalized those poor bastards.

Ooooh that smell? Department: Rx Author: Kevin Newman Era: 1987 Date: 02/21/05 I left the Ike the summer of 1987. I of course left my requisite number of IBs all over the place. Among my other parting gifts I decided to leave a present for the RM Div staff. A few days before I left I intercepted a half dozen large eggs from the aft messdecks and strategically placed them beneath the bottom drawer of one of the large installed file cabinets in the office. There was just enough clearance that they could roll around under the cabinet. My idea was that if they remained there long enough they would "ripen", and once the ship started moving they would break. I never heard whether my time bomb went off or was a dud. Maybe someone who was there when I left could fill me in on the outcome.

Ike Pranks Department: Rx Author: Peter Era: 1975 Date: 02/21/05 Excellent time bomb - I'm sure whoever found those eggs wondered WTF??? Here's an idea - and if I had thought of it while I was in... When used as ink, doesn't lemon juice go on clear... it's only when you heat it up that it become visible... How about using lemon juice to paint a huge IB on one of the S/G's right in front of a periscope. On the closeout inspection, no one would notice it - but the "IB" would appear once the S/G heated up...

Where's my clothes? Department: Rx Author: Wags Era: 1981 Date: 02/21/05 Another character we haven't heard much about was Brother Cal. One time while in Naples, the division threw a party/picnic where they bought the food and I think beer. Anyways, just about the whole RM Div. went to the base in Naples, played softball, used the pool and got fucked up. Then we went out for the usual drinkathon in town. Somehow we had lost track of Cal, he had passed out at the base and lost his clothes! So there we are waiting to catch the last ferry back to Ike when here comes Cal, naked except for his bootcamp issue PE shorts and maybe some shoes.That was one of the funniest things I ever seen was him walking around fleet landing with no clothes on. Not to mention walking through Naples. Being the good guys we are, we did manage to scrounge up some clothes for him to wear so he wouldn't get in trouble getting back on the ship. Poor Cal, took him awhile to live that one down, in fact, he never did, we still talk about it.

Wog day coming back fro IO Department: Rx Author: Charlie Era: 1980 Date: 02/22/05 I had the fortune of reporting to the Ike shortly after its arrival at Gonzo Station in May, 1980. I reported about 3 weeks ahead of my classmates because I foolishly didn't take all my 30 days leave after Prototype because I was already 40 days in the hole. Therefore on the way home, I had the honor of being the senior Nuke Wog and got special treatment. I got lead around on a leash by Rich Hearn and took many fire hose beatings along the way. The garbage tunnel was an experience I'll never forget. All this abuse did help to promote a spirit of comraderie. I can't believe how lame it was on the Reagan. I watched that show and never once saw anyone get hit or hosed down while hanging from a crane or any of that good stuff. The Royal Baby was a joke. They didn't even have to kiss the guy's greasy fat belly! The Boy Scouts have tougher initiations than that, or at least they did 30 something years ago when I was in.