Operation Redwing
US Atomic Veterans
George "Joe" Joseph
George Joseph sent email about his duty at Operation Redwing.
From: "George Joseph" gbj7@mediaone.net
To: "Whittle, Keith" pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Operation Redwing
Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2000
Hi Keith:
I went to boot camp in Bainbridge, Maryland Company 259, 43rd Battalion, 4th Regiment from July 28, 1953 to October 14, 1953. Then to AN "P" School Class Number 2-54 at the Naval Technical Training Center in Norman, Oklahoma from January 11, 1954 to March 5, 1954. I had a few weeks of mess cooking between leaving boot camp and beginning AN school. From AN school I went to AG "A" school Class Number 5414 at the Naval Techinical Training Unit in Lakehurst, New Jersey from April 5, 1954 to July 12, 1954. Navy classmates of mine at the AG "A" school were John Raffa, Paul Henderson, Edwin Kile, Salvatore Gariota, David Rousseau, George Burk, Franklin Bochicchio, George Schroder, Presseley Smith, Donald Blaurock, Donald Zazinski, Harold Halford, Michael Patrick, Norman Silva, James Crosbie, Jack Shankel, Albert Brown, Robert Wilbourn, Daniel Sweeney, Francis Devlin, James Davis, John Zimmerman, Jr., Loren Pendergraft, Samuel Pompa, Joseph Obrigewitch, Donald Hagen, Joseph Lantiegne, Gary Hunt, Albert Weaver, Marvin Dawkins, James Stewart, Gerald Richter, Harry Walters, Thomas Collins, Richard Bryner and Bartolome Fernandez.
After my training in the field of weather, I was sent to Cabaniss Field in Corpus Christi, Texas. I believe I was there from Late July of 1954 till October of 1955 and that's when I got my orders to board the USS Estes AGC-12.
I was on the Estes from October of 1955 until I was honorably discharged on July 12, 1957. I never saw the Estes again but I do often think about the outstanding experiences I had while on board.
I was part of Operation Redwing but I really don't recall too much about that tour of duty. I was a member of the ship's softball team. I played third base and as I recall we never lost a game while playing on Bikini. I have a picture of the softball team with the names of all the team members but I can't find it at this time. When I do find it I'll try to get you a copy of it and maybe it can be put on the web site. We played softball just about every day of the week.
I was also on the ship's basketball team and I believe it was after the tests we won 15 straight games including the San Diego YMCA tournament. Just after that tournament the Estes sailed for Japan and while in Japan we extended the win streak to 25 straight wins as we won 10 games in the Yokosuka area. Some members of the team were ENS. Hewitt, ENS. Steele who was the coach, ENS. McLaughlin, LTJG. Kozischek, LTJG. Suessbrick and ENS. York. The enlisted men were myself, Porterfield, Follet, Adams, Kelby, Mullins and Smith.
I recall that whenever a bomb was cancelled due to a shift in the wind, we would go to chow for breakfast and nobody in the mess hall would talk to us because they blamed us for the wind shift. Can you believe that ? The crew hated the weathermen. At least that's what I thought. I guess as time went by everyone was getting kind of edgy because we all wanted to go home and I guess that's why they stopped talking to us.
I also have an Operation Redwing certificate that I receieved and again I can't seem to find it but I'll keep trying.
Well that's it for now.
George "Joe" Joseph
Email: gbj7@mediaone.net
Keith Whittle
February 13, 2000
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