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Old January 7th 19, 03:50 AM posted to rec.aviation.military.naval
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Default Naval Aviation "A" School in Millington, TN

On Tuesday, May 6, 1997 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-7, wrote:
I am going to Millington, Tennessee for 6 months after boot camp.
Their training me to be an aviation electrian. Does anybody have any
info on this place?
Casey Cameron


I was in Boot Camp at Great Lakes NTC Summer of 1949, some of us from our Boot Camp Company got sent to Millington Fall of 1949. First week we were tested to see how good we were at soldering electrical wires. I stayed there for Aviation Machinist Mate School, and two of my friends who wanted to be an Aviation Bo'sun mate because they worked with their dad who was a plumber, got that, ended up on the Catapults on the ... forgot the carrier, might have been the Boxer.
My final test was to change the fuel pump on an F4F, simple, no problem, got shipped to VP-42 at North Island NAS. I liked San Diego, had to rent a locker for our civilian clothes, lots of clubs, lots of things to do locally and in Mexico ...
Some months later, I was changing spark plugs on a PBM Mariner, Chief yelled up at me to pack my seabags.
Why Chief?
You're going to sea.
Where do I go?
The ship at the end of the dock.
Next day, seabag on my shoulder, no back pack straps, I boarded CV-47 USS Philippine Sea headed for the Korean War, this was the start of the Korean War. I ended up pumping gas as an Aviation Bo'sun Mate and most of us from North Island were placed in all kinds of jobs where sailors were still on leave, having a good time in Mexico, etc.
I swore in for three years, but President Truman gave me a One Year Extension, he could not win the Korean War without me and those of us who joined for three years ... ended up three years and ten months, and then became a Reborn Civilian !!!! GI BILL etc. etc. ETC.
Millington, rode the bus to Memphis, did not know about Elvis in 1949, my pay was about $80 a month, don't recall exactly, but time at Millington NAS went by quickly, don't recall much about what we did when we were not in school .... I liked Memphis, did not know much then, no Google, no Internet to learn, only had Life magazine and National Geographic at the barber shop, etc. to learn more about the world .....