PERFORMANCE OF FILIPINOS IN THE NAVY

Tin Can..

You remember playing "Tang" onboard? Or Mahjong. I heard this story from the Tin Can sailor. While playing Mahjong on board with his kababayan and losing a lot that night, the unlucky player could not stand it anymore. He wrapped all mahjong tiles with the Navy blanket and threw everything out in one motion thought the ship’s porthole. The night starboard lookout heard the splash on the side of the ship so he pulled the "men overboard alarm." All hand has to get up and muster to find out who was the man overboard about 0200 hour. The destroyer crisscrossed an area in the North Atlantic and found nothing.

Submarine Sea Story..

Stew was always either sea sick or homesick so he tried everything to get discharge and send home. He stopped working and refused assignments but the Captain tried their best to retain him. He was always malingering but one morning everyone on board was surprised to see him cleaning the head and bowl with gusto on his own. The crew can’t figure out and some even said he must be really sick now. Next morning he scrubbed the head again without being told. He cleaned, shined and polished the toilet bowl without being ordered. The officer was surprised but happy to see him go down in his knee putting the spit and shine inside and out. The captain was worried because dinner was being served and he was still cleaning the head

The checked him inside the head and saw Stew eating brownish human increments straight from the bowl using his hands. The officer realized now that he was really sick so he got his discharge and sent home the next day. Before he left, I asked him if it tasted good and why he had gone crazy.

"Crazy! I am not a fool. I took a jar of peanut butter and smeared it on the bowl that I cleaned and polished all day," he said and smiled as he bye.

..Eternal Vigilance is the prize of Liberty. You remember that, that was at the back of our Liberty Card.

Share your story ..

Muster and roll call before we get underway with flashbacks

DNTG66a@prodigy.com

Nestor Palugod Enriquez

USS Atule, USS Picuda, USS Tirante, USS Thornback, USS Tutuila, USS John Adams (Submarine Force Atlantic-SUBLANT)

Shore duty: Pearl Harbor, Washington DC, New York, New London

BootCamp: San Diego

soc.culture.filipino

alexander@islander.com

The Malays were once the greatest navigators and explorers. Their feats of exploration were unmatched until the modern era. From their ancestral homeland somewhere in Southeast Asia, they journeyed to Taiwan and the Malay archipelago and beyond. They reached the island of Madasgascar near Africa, the New Zealand (Aoteroa), the Hawaiian islands, and Easter island near South America. There are indications that the Malays even landed in Africa and introduced bananas, and the Americas where they introduced blow-guns. The Malays of Southeast Asia were probably the ones who discovered wet-rice agriculture and introduced it to the rest of Asia.

Today, the Filipinos, who are one of the nations of Malay descent, are all over the world. The journey and the spirit of adventure continues.

Yes, the call of the sea is strong. 3 of 10 world's Merchant Marines are from the Philippines. They are one of the biggest dollar providers from the country.

The White House Staff were all manned by Filipino Stewards at one time. Today the President's food preparation is controlled by a Filipina. When President Clinton's rehab began in March after a freak knee injury, his physician noted pessimistically that a runner sidelined by an injury can gain pounds in a year. She did vowed to be the hard-nosed "enforcer" (like a Master-at-Arms) who would ward off chili, chicken enchiladas, peach cobbler and other favorites for the president. She is Dr Connie Mariano, the White House Physician who is the daughter of a Navy Chief. She graduated from a High School in San Diego as a valedictorian and joined the Navy after becoming a doctor. She is now a Captain and I predict that she will be the first Flag Officer of Philippine ancestry. Yes sir! We came a long way. One of the instant successes was probably the Pinoy Sailor who won the Massachusetts million-dollar lotto while he was stationed in New London. It was a longtime ago that I forgot the name.

Couple of years ago I met Rachel Bundang, a graduate student at Harvard who is a second generation Filipino. She wrote about her experience and pride as a child of a Filipino who joined the US Navy almost directly from high school. I am also very proud to serve with another SR Chief Storekeeper Ray Dimapilis (Philadelphia) whose daughter graduated from Harvard Medical School few years ago. One way of measuring our success in this country will be how far our children will go from our humble beginning.

We of course have notorious kids who grew up like Andrew Cunanan, son of a Chief Petty Officer. Again we can discuss issues and debate them as we go alone.

Ex Navy Chief wins Vallejo City Council

The Filipino commnunity is a great supportive and solid group, new Vallejo City Council elective member Pete Rey thanked his friends and admirers by praising them.

Rey is the second Filipino American on the Vallejo City Council. His predecessor, Chris Villanueva steps down from his history making seat this month because of term limit. Rey, 59 was technical director at the Mare Island naval complex in Vallejo prior to its closure due to military cutbacks. As logistics management specialist he supervised some 60 sailors and worked with three civil representatives and reported to five military superiors.

The Torrijos, Marinduque, native is a 17-years resident of his city. He enlisted with the USS Navy in Sangley Point, Cavite in September 1958 and was a loyal servant of the force for almost 30 years. (from Phil news)

How about this record?

As for a record, could the holders be in the REQUINA family? The four

girls and three boys were born and raised in Cebu City (Labangon),

immigrated to the USA. All seven has served in the U.S.Navy covering

both officer and enlisted. Currently, four are still serving, one an

officer and the other three being senior enlisted, all having a lot of

shipboard time.

Should one of us drop this news message in the CEBU-L and see what

response might come about?

Regards,

Richard Doggett (husband of Zara Requina Doggett, USS Camden AOE-2)

My favorite story was about a boy sent by his mom to buy vinegar (suka) at the next corner store (sari-sari).

He saw a long line of boys lining up near the gate in Sangley Point. He got lost and followed the line. He was gone for a month till his mom got a letter announcing the he was already in San Diego Navy Boot Camp.

..Eternal Vigilance is the prize of Liberty. You remember that, that was at the back of our
Liberty Card.

Share your story ..

Muster and roll call before we get underway with flashbacks

DNTG66a@prodigy.com

Nestor Palugod Enriquez

USS Atule, USS Picuda, USS Tirante, USS Thornback, USS Tutuila, USS John
Adams (Submarine Force Atlantic-SUBLANT)

Shore duty: Pearl Harbor, Washington
DC, New York, New London

BootCamp: San Diego

US Navy related news..

nn: Family suspects foul play in death of Filipina US Navy Officer

OLONGAPO CITY, Oct. 02 (PNA) - The family of a dead 30 year-old Filipina United States Navy officer said they doubt preliminary police reports that the lone cause of their kin's death was due to a vehicular accident in a freeway in Norfolk, Virginia.

The corpse of Filipina Lieutenant Jocelyn Jaime is due to arrive in the country this week, and the family is also concerned that the Philippine government has refused the offer of the US navy to allow its US Navy officers to escort the body and perform the customary full military honors for their colleague.

Jocelyn's father said the Philippine officials told the family that the Philippine Military can instead perform the full military honors. The local television news in Virginia reported that Jaime died after she fell from the front passenger seat of the speeding car she was riding along a freeway in Norfolk, Virginia. Her boyfriend, who also works with the US navy was driving the car.

Her family however, suspect there was foul play as the Virginia news further reported that Jaime and her American boyfriend were arguing before the accident.

When contacted by Jaime's family, May Cups, Jaime's roommate and friend, refused to give details of previous events that might shed light on the probable reasons for the freeway incident.

Cups told May Jaime, the younger sister of the Filipina US Navy, that she has already given her statement to the police who in turn asked her to prevent Jaime's boyfriend from entering their house while the investigation is going on.

Cups also told the Jaime family that she has replaced the padlock of their house to bar the boyfriend from entering it. However, she added she dislike Jaime's boyfriend and said, "Something bad happened to your sister," May Jaime quoted Cups as saying.

Jaime was raised in Olongapo City, where she was a consistent honor student at a local private school here during her elementary and high school days. She enrolled at the University of the Philippines but went to the States ten years ago to finish her studies.

At the time of her death, Jaime served as a Public Affairs Officer in the Air Operations Department of the US Naval Air Station Navy in Norfolk, Virginia. (PNA) JV/cals

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