Remember Vietnam

Monte Gill: 11-19-2002
As I remember we were pretty close to Saigon and was having trouble with the forced draft blower in the fire room and had trouble trying to get underway. Every time the BT's tried to lite off black smoke came out of the stack and and more refugees saw us and came out to try to board. They were coming along side the jungle deck and tying up to the rails. We had people going aboard their boats and opening sea valves or busting sea strainers to sink the boats. As I remember they were then searched and relieved of their weapons and such and then were led to the fantail or 02 level aft where they stayed until Subic. Also if memory serves me correctly, we towed a rather large boat full of refugees around the South China sea for awhile. Don't remember what happened to them. Once again this is my recollection. I'll keep looking for photos as I get into closets.

Phil Poblano: 11-22-2002
I was a Deck Seaman in First Division and as I was on the bridge listening to the radio's crackle with ship to ship communications. I was on the helm, when we lost power. As Monte said, the bridge got real, real busy and I remember Capt. Hogan as very focused, and moving from one side of the bridge to the other. I think he called General Quarters. I went off the bridge and was mustered on the jungle deck. I still remember how calm the water was and how lucky the people on the boats didn't have to fight heavy seas. The first boat we saw was one of the old green Navy river craft. They kept screaming "we have an American onboard!" As it came along side, all the GM's were running around with their guns because the river boat still had 50 cals on the roof. I remember hearing Capt. Hogan yell "if they go near the roof, sink the boat!" It came alongside and one of the GM's and some of the BM's went on the boat after we lowered cargo nets off the jungle deck. About 10 of our crew shimmied up and down the nets as they put people on their backs and climbed back up. I was part of the group that searched the people as they came onboard. I remember throwing guns, knives, wine, food and anything that could be used as contraband overboard. Some refuges wanted to bring on their animals but the bos'n said "absolutely not!" One of the GM's asked permission to kill the animals and was told "no". You remember how each sentence for anyone onboard started with an "F"? I can still hear him saying "Fin" this and "Fin" that yelling how all we had to do is fire 1 shot to get another ships ribbon! Yep, they were all moved to the O2 deck aft of the wardroom. I remember thinking, "there goes the movies" cause that's our outside "theater." We all said that they should move to the wardroom. The officers should be willing to give up something! We hauled about 200 people on board. We did some unreps with all the refuges onboard, that was different. Within a few days we moved most of them to one of the carriers because we were not equipped to handle all the extra people. The cooks were screaming that we didn't have enough food. I remember one refuge army guy crying and trying to jump off the fantail because his family was still in Vietnam. We stayed on station for just a couple of days, when we took on and towed a YO class ship (filled with refuges) to Subic. When we went into Subic to refuel, BM3 Johns commented how empty Subic was. We were about the only ship in port. Remember seeing all the old US Destroyers that we had given to Vietnam? They were tied up, row after row about 5-6 deep in Subic. I think I was told that when the country fell, the CO was "given" the ship. Most steamed to PI, some to Japan and some tried to reach Hawaii. Our ships would steam to Grande Island, drop people off then head back to sea. As we went back to station, we were one of the last ships to leave Vietnam waters. Just as we were leaving the engines died, once again, and Capt. Hogan said he was worried because there were hundreds of small boats racing towards us. Boilers returned and the "K" was put to "Flank" and screamed out of the area.

I mostly remember all the unreps, Hong Kong (anchored at Green Island) taking the water taxi's and our "almost" being involved with the SS Mayaguez capture. I remember the OKLAHOMA City, Mobile, carriers and ship after ship after ship refueling 24 hours a day. Also, standing on the bridge I can still see flares being shot into the air during the middle of the night and seeing swarms of helo's trying to land on the carriers. Lt. Page, remember him? (everyone gave him hell) commented to me that he was glad the war was over. So was I. In seeing the refuges pain of losing their country, I am ALWAYS reminded why we should cherish our freedoms and protections in the
United States. We on the Kawishiwi had a safe harbor, good food, friends and family to come home to. The people we picked up needed our help and I was proud, as I am now, to say I was there.

Unfortunately, I was married at the time to a girl in California. When we broke up, she burned all my pictures of the Westpac. She destroyed 6 months of my life's memories. I have been trying to find pictures, stories and other accounts of what happened. I left the ship in August from Subic on
emergency leave and when I returned in September, no one really talked about a cruise book. I propose we gather pictures, stories etc for our 2003 reunion and see if we can create a 75 Westpac cruise book. This was one of the most important times, I feel, in the USS Kawishiwi's life and we need to finish the story, if only to put a close to that time in history for all of us.

I'm having a flood of memories, but time is short. I beg anyone who has pictures of our 75 Westpac to put them onto a site for all to see. I have 9 children and 5 grandchildren who have never seen what impact we had on history. Without the USS Kawishiwi, there are 285 men who would not have something special that binds us together. As a side note, AO-146 is still moored in Bencia, CA. She's protected for now and when I travel past her, I always give her a "thumbs up"!