A little bit of history:

What a shame....

The SECNAV approved the disestablishment of the instrumentman (IM) and opticalman (OM) ratings effective Oct. 1, 1999. Due to changing repair philosophies in the afloat Navy and force structure, IM and OM billet requirements have been significantly reduced. Because of these reduced requirements, it has been determined to be more cost-effective to outsource a number of functions previously performed by IMs and OMs to civilian contractors. Remaining functions will be absorbed into the AT and ET (Surface) ratings, respectively.

To ensure IM and OM Sailors are afforded every possible opportunity for professional growth, early conversion to a rating for which they are qualified is most strongly recommended (particularly to a CREO 1 rating). IM and OM Sailors who have not converted to another rating will compete in their current rating selection boards and Navywide advancement exams for a specified time, although advancement opportunity in IM and OM ratings will be extremely limited.

After these competitive cycles, IM and OM personnel must compete for advancement in a different rating. Personnel will not be eligible to reenlist in the IM and OM ratings after Oct. 1, 1999. The EAOS for IMs and OMs who reenlist before Oct.1, 1999, will not be affected.

OM master chiefs in the command master chief (CMC) program will continue to be detailed by the CMC detailer. OMCMs will be ineligible to reenlist in the OM rating after Oct. 1, 1999.

After Oct. 1, 1999, IMs and OMs who desire to retain their current rating badges may do so until advancement in their new rating, reenlistment or retirement, whichever occurs first, but in no case, not later than Oct. 1, 2000. IM and OM personnel who have not decided on a new rating in advance will be detailed by the AT and ET (surface) detailers after Oct 1, 1999.

Milestones for actions to be taken in preparation for disestablishment of the IM and OM ratings as follows:

January 1999 — Last IM and OM E-7 Navywide advancement exams.
March 1999 — Last IM and OM E-4 to E-6 Navywide advancement exams.
April 1999 — Last IM and OM E-9 selection board.
Not later than June 1999 — Rating destination preferences due to IM/OM detailer (PERS-402DE) via NAVPERS 1306/7.
June 1999 — Rating destinations available on BUPERS Access.
June 1999 — Last IM and OM E-7 selection board.
Aug. 1, 1999 — Date force converted personnel must complete Either AT or ET (surface) PARs and rate training manuals (RTMs), if competing in the September 1999 Navywide advancement exam.
September 1999 — Force converted, eligible IM and OM E-3 through E-5 personnel take either AT or ET (surface) (active duty) advancement exam.
October 1999 — Effective date of disestablishment.
January 2000 — First E-7 (active duty) advancement exam for force converted Sailors.

THE FIFTIES

By Rich Lara, NTC Staff Writer

It is not always fair, but decades and centuries are used to define eras. Depending on how much history you know, the arbitrary notation gives a mental image of the period. The Fifties provide specific images, including President Eisenhower (1952-1960), the birth of rock and roll, and the Cold War. Looking back, the era seems innocent, secure, and comfortable if not stuffy. Of course, reality is more complicated.

Our story resumes in 1954, the first year after the end of the Korean War. In March, 500 officers, enlisted personnel, and guests were in attendance as the new Gunner's Mate School and the combined facilities of the Fire Control Technician, Opticalman, and Instrumentman schools were dedicated. Half a century later, the distinctive green glass of GM School is still a feature of our base.

A few months later, the mammoth Electronics Supply Office was opened, after four years of planning and construction. We know this structure as Building 3400, which now houses a multiplicity of commands from many services. Originally though, ESO was the Navy's central point of access for all electronics equipment and materials.

New groundbreakings and new buildings for new technologies continued, but so did life and culture. In culture, cowboys still owned the hearts of all, as witness a flyer for a party: "Wahoo! Yippee! Party by ESO Officers at 1900 tomorrow. Western Roundup!" There followed pictures of various people dressed in putative Western outfits, who promised to provide much fun and entertainment in the Western manner. There were rules given for the merriment, that included, "Spurs not allowed on dance floor; Use spitoons; No cussin' in front of ladies; Shoot clear of bar and corral; Hitch your horse outside." Western parties like this would continue for the rest of the decade.

In those days, Great Lakes had so many young children, we had three Cub Scout Packs, and one Sea Explorer Ship. More were on the way. Right near the top of NavHosp's list of priorities were maternal care and infant deliveries. By the middle of the decade, we had about 2,400 births here, more than six a day.

But while we had a lot of babies, we were very worried about them. Polio was a great scourge of the era. By the mid-50's, more than 100,000 of America's youth had been struck down by the virus. Polio is a condition in which the gray (polios) anterio matter of the spinal chord was inflamed. When this happened to a small child, it usually paralyzed part or all of their bodies for life. Probably most young people of the 50's and 60's knew at least one of their classmates who was a victim of polio. Today, it is estimated that there are 250,000 people in America who have been paralyzed by the disease.

And why was it so virulent in the 50's? Mainly because America had achieved so much in all areas of public health. For the first time in human history, we had clean water, efficient sewage systems, clean homes and public areas, as well as terrific doctors, nurses and hospitals. We also had a baby boom. People didn't get all the diseases that come from bad sanitation, a major milestone for mankind. That was great, but it came at a cost.

In earlier times, children were exposed to many different pathogens. Many died, but those who survived had acquired immunity to a cloud of diseases. For the first time, our infant mortality was tiny -- but our children had not developed resistance to all those diseases. Polio was one of them.

But by 1955, a wonderful American doctor named Jonas Salk developed a polio vaccine, and by the early 60's children could once again go out in the summertime without the terrible risks of getting polio. An oral vaccine was discovered by a Dr. Albert Sabin in 1956, and polio, somewhat like influenza before it, went out of the American consciousness.

In the same time frame, Great Lakes went on television. WGN-TV, for a short time, aired a weekly series called, "Your Navy Show". It featured the legendary Bluejacket Choir, plus singing, dancing, magicians, mimics, fencing exhibitions, and other comedy-variety acts performed by our Sailors.

Here at home, the Officers' Mess (Open) opened in July of 1955. The structure is now the Port O'Call. Two years before, the old Officers Club burned down. The 50's witnessed a number of major fires at Great Lakes. Many buildings went up in flames, including a few boot camp barracks. It's hard to figure if there was an underlying cause for all the blazes, but it seems likely that one of the reasons was the frenzy and haste of construction that went on during WW II.

In 1956, a more deliberate construction was on the drawing boards -- the new Naval Hospital that still serves our community. The cost was projected at $13 million. Also on tap were new SSC barracks for 2000 Sailors, a $4 million project, a new BOQ for $1.5 million, and new RTC barracks, mess halls, classrooms, and staff offices. The RTC project was to cost upwards of $8 million.

It has served us well for nearly half a century, and now, Great Lakes is embarked on yet another spate of boot camp construction. At the same time, Navy housing here was blooming. Work was already going on for 590 units, called the "Capeheart Housing Project." The outdoor swimming pool by Constitution Field was completed at the end of the 1956 summer. Building buildings hasn't stopped here since the first spade of earth was turned over in 1905.

Football was perennial at Great Lakes since the Great War, and it was still big in the '50s. We even had regular homecomings, and Homecoming Queens. We won our Homecoming game in 1956 on October 27th, against the Western Michigan College "Broncos", 13 to 6. Our queen, Mrs. Mary Ehmann, 21, wife of SN Frank Ehmann, presided over the event.

"Elvis Is Normal" proclaimed a sarcastic Great Lakes Bulletin headline in 1957. A Sailor in training here, SR Gary Hicks, was a drummer in Elvis' band, and the Bulletin asked about "the King", as he was already being called. "Elvis discards his gyrations when off stage," said SR Hicks. "In fact, it surprised me how older folks down south liked Elvis." The newspaper may not have been convinced. It featured a photo of Elvis wearing his trademark slick pompadour, over the heading, "This Is Normal." It's easy to forget just how shocked and outraged many Americans were by a man now embraced as a culture hero.

Times were a'changing, though. The same year, Great Lakes welcomed what was perhaps its first sister Sailors. Funny, the paper doesn't give their rank or rate, but Margaret served in Wave Admin, while Pat was a yeoman in Supply Department. The Bulletin does call them "girls," however. This should not necessarily be taken as a slight, since young male Sailors were often called boys.

In May of 1957, the Bulletin put out a notice "Where is Joseph Wallace Gress? In the Center's homecoming plans officials would like to include the first man ever to be called a 'boot' According to officials here, the only things know about Gress are: he's probably in his mid sixties, he came into the Navy from Indianapolis, and he entered the training center on July 3, 1911."

Well, of course it was Gregg, Joseph Gregg, and he wasn't easy to find. It took one of the most popular radio programs of the day, the Arthur Godfrey Show, which put out an all-points bulletin for the elusive Sailor. A friend of Mr. Gregg heard the call for our First Recruit, and informed Mr. Gregg. On October 4th, he came back to Great Lakes, 46 years later, as Guest of Honor at the Great Lakes Homecoming.

At the ceremony honoring him, Seaman Gregg said, "I wish I could tell you what is in my heart. I can't do it I do wish to say, however, that I have never seen or experienced such cordial hospitality as I have experienced in the last two days. It is with a feeling of deep humility that I have accepted the honor that has been bestowed upon me, and is with a sincere feeling that I am sharing it with the two million men who have followed me through this station." Wonderfully said.

"If I had to do all over again, I would choose the Navy as a career. As a matter of fact even now I wouldn't swap my Navy education and experiences for a college education" Mr. Gregg also observed that, "One of my biggest accomplishments in boot camp was getting in and out of my hammock without breaking my neck." Seaman Gregg went on to the scout cruiser USS Birmingham, where he was a deck hand and "jack of the dust," issuing food and stores for the ship's galley.

He went on to the cruiser USS Tacoma. The ship was sent on a mission to Tampico, Mexico, where America had a little dust up with the dictator, General Huerta. He illegally detained a couple of American Sailors. The Marines invaded and occupied the town. Huerta resigned, the Marines left, and Seaman Gregg and many of his shipmates went home with malaria. Gregg left Navy service in September 1914. We remember him fondly.

Great Lakes was a computer and email pioneer. The news account in 1958 talks of "the latest electronic equipment with this equipment, the Personnel Accounting Office here will be linked directly with the Bureau of Naval Personnel and indirectly with all the personnel distribution activities in the Navy. When the transceiver is operating under normal conditions, it will considerably curb the message traffic." In fact, it was a data transmission line, and replaced the ground mailing of much personnel paperwork.

A few months later, we got a Univac II. That was a huge deal in 1958. People of the time attributed miraculous properties to Univacs, and computers generally. Perhaps not so different from today. The room-sized computer, had omigod "a 2000-word memory"!! "The card to tape converter can record data on tape that originally was on punched cards. The three set machine operates at 240 cards per minute." The Univac II, at the Electronics Supply Office, had a central computer, a supervisory control console, a universe tape, and a supervisory control printer. Great Lakes was on the cutting edge of technology.

On the artistic side of contemporary culture, we had a well-regarded folk music group, The Chanteymen. Folk music, in some quarters, was very popular. Music was just beginning to brachiate into a myriad of genres. Up until then, you got pretty much the same thing on every AM station you turned to, and you liked it or not. The Chanteymen sang "ballads typical of the sailing ships of the early 1800s." Some of their repertoire included, "Blow the Man Down", and "Shenandoah". If you were a teenager of a certain type in those days, this was strong meat compared to what was available, mainly early rock and treacly love songs.

The decade ended with "Task Force 47" visiting our shores in the summer of 1959, celebrating the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It was a triumphal armada of 28 warships, manned by 6,000 Sailors, 1,500 Marines, and more than 1,000 Academy midshipmen, commanded by RADM E.B. Taylor, Commander of the Atlantic Fleet Destroyer Forces. The heavy cruiser USS Macon led the fleet from the entrance to the Seaway through all the Great Lakes. It took six years to dig and build the Saint Lawrence, and was a joint American-Canadian project. When completed, the waterway directly linked the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.

Admiral Taylor and his fleet made calls on the mayors of Chicago and Milwaukee, and inaugurated a new era in American maritime history.

The decade of the '50s ended here with a ferocious storm in October. Winds reached 92 miles an hour, destroying trees, knocking down power lines, and damaging houses and other structures. Amid all the damage, poor Chief Engineman Sam Chiarelli got everyone's sympathy. The Chief was in charge of Forms Control, and they had just finished a three-week inventory. Paperwork made the world move in those days, and the Chief and his people had neatly filed more than a million forms. The storm blew in the doors of the office, and made a soggy snowstorm of paper. It was hard, painstaking work to put everything together again.

Corry Station

Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC), Corry Station, Pensacola, Florida, opened originally in 1923 as an active airfield and training command. In 1960, Corry Station was selected to be the new home for Communications Training (now known as Cryptologic Training). In 1973, Officer and Enlisted Aviation Electronic Warfare and Surface Electronic Warfare training was relocated to Corry from multiple sites. In 1990, Optics and Instrumentation training was relocated to Corry from Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois. In 1995, Instructor Training relocated from Millington, Tennessee to Corry. Aviation Officer Electronic Warfare training was relocated to Whidbey Island in 1999 and the last vestiges of Optics and Instrumentation training are being phased out.