I served aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard from April 1970 till Oct 1970.  During that time at sea I had no idea what was happening at home. We did have closed circuit black and white television which featured taped Mission Impossible and Star Trek episodes but no news about the war or politics, just television reruns.  We did keep up with the current music which we could buy in the Navy Exchange. I remember wearing headphones with my shipmates listening to Jefferson Airplane, The Doors and other albums while we sat in the ready room sipping on cans of soda.

We all looked forward to receiving mail from home.  This was our one connection to the outside world and a welcome respite from the monotony of the work.

Mail reached the ship  in a sack suspended on a line while we were refueling. I remember the announcement on the PA, “The smoking light is out while taking on NSFO”. NSFO is an acronym for “Navy Standard/Special Fuel Oil”.

My family was great about sending me letters. It was all family news, nothing about the war or politics which was a blessing.

I would record cassettes featuring conversations with my shipmates and mail them home. My dad would send back recordings describing a wedding I missed or some local event. One benefit of being in a war zone was free postage.

My sister baked some chocolate chip cookies and rice crispy squares for my birthday. The Navy did a great job making sure it arrived safely, perhaps the mail bag slammed into the side of the ship.

I shared these with my shipmates and made a cassette recording of their comments to mail home, a precursor to an Amazon Review. I was celebrating my 24th birthday.

I cannot recognize my own voice on the recording. The 48 intervening years have aged my body and my vocal cords.

If you have a loved one serving in the military please send  them a card or letter. I can say from experience that they will appreciate it.