I n 1972, I was serving aboard a DLG, (Guided Missile Frigate), somewhere in the Gulf of Tonkin. Our skipper was a young CDR, (Commander), who had come directly to us from the staff of the CNO. All reports indicated that he was on track for bigger things. Some details are hazy, we may have been at Yankee Station doing planeguard operations with a carrier, we may have been at North SAR, (Sea Air Rescue), acting as advance warning for any enemy coming to attack the carriers operating south of us, or we may have been on the Gun Line, conducting NGFS, (Naval Gunfire Support, for all you landlubbers). Any way, we received word that the CNO, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, planned to visit the ship. Morale aboard the ship was not high, and this only made things worse. Theere was already a bit of a divide among the crew between the career enlisted and the younger sailors. The older vets fully supported the war effort and the President. The younger sailors were more skeptical But even the career enlisteds were grumbling about having to prepare for an Admiral's inspection given the circumstances of our deployment Now that I think about it, it seems more likely that we were on the Gun Line, because that put us on Port and Starboard GQ watches, with fire missions often coming without much warning. Anyway, the grumbling eventually made its way to the Captains ears and after some deliberation, perhaps in consultation with his senior officers, he sent a message that the CNO's visit would not be appropriate. CNO never came to visit.
Later still, he sent a message to Washington requesting a visit to Australia, New Zealand, and Pago Pago as we returned to the USA. Permission was duly granted. Again there was much grumbling, mostly because our deployment had already been extended for a month, and this would have extended further another 40 days, with only 10 days in port. The crew mostly wanted to get back to their families. One shipmate, in particular, was anxious to meet his newborn child. Before the final decision was made and orders were disseminated, the Captain decided to poll the crew. Many of the older vets were unhappy about this. "I don't remember taking a vote on whether to go to the gun line", I heard one PO1 say. I forget what the actual numbers were, but the crew voted overwhelmingly to forego the side trip, and to go straight home. In announcing the result, the Captain said, "If I add my 400 votes, which as Captain I can do, we would go to Australia. However, I won't do that. I understand the sentiment of the crew. I think you're making a big mistake, missing out on an opportunity, but I won't force the issue."
I often wonder what became of him. Did he remain on the fast track for promotion, or did these incidents sideline his career?
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