Found a Rare Pic of AtTheWall

[Big Al]

My friend you have a photographic eye! Those are beautiful pictures.

[Chew]

Hey Rob....some dude was talking trash and saying you weren't really in the Coast Guard. I was just wondering if you had any proof?

[marshhunter]

Hey Rob....some dude was talking trash and saying you weren't really in the Coast Guard. I was just wondering if you had any proof?

I saw the same thing... need some serious proof to shut that loud mouth up!

[JW]

I saw the same thing... need some serious proof to shut that loud mouth up!

Omg!!! Link! Link! Link!

[Leonhogboy]

So you can take a few pretty pictures, can you fish?
Standing by.

Still no proof he can fish either.

[AtTheWall]

Since yesterday was the 225th Birthday of the Revenue Service \ US Coast Guard.

And some of her lot, served at Sea proudly, then retired from sea service.

I'll hit that golf all off the old T.............................


Got COKE? Escobar COCA? THE KING OF COCAINE'S FINEST!

3000LBS of pure, uncut cocaine. Street value, after growing another 6,000 lbs with chalk and or white fillers = 500 - 800 million on the streets of USA.

As it sits here......it's deadly pure! These colors - ESCOBAR'S CARTEL - THE MEDELLIN CARTEL

The fellow on the left appears to look familiar to me? HMMMMMMM

[AtTheWall]

At times, I'll simply state "I'll run you offshore to a point, you will cry for YO MOMMA!"

Here's what I'm referencing...hehehehehe

Morrow Bay inlet CALIFORNICATION USA.

[Iehooligan11b]

Amazing work, Sir

[AtTheWall]

Just sitting in a parking lot between Oakland and California. Got a few M-16s and M-60 Machine guns in a pickup truck.

We shot a lot. Toss a butt load of weapons in a Government truck, drive down the freeway in California to a Military and Law Enforcement "PRIVATE" shooting range and simply go "ROCK & ROLL BABY!"

We had thousands upon thousands of old Vietnam vintage ammo laying around...that had to simply be destroyed. You can't necessarily feel comfortable destroying it by fire, crushing and or other methods. So....we did what we had to do......WE SHOT ALOT and made SHOOTING GAMES OUT OF HOW WELL YOU CAN SPRAY AND PRAY, AND BEAT YOUR BUDS ON THE RANGE!

Man I miss this side of the old job. M16s on full auto are kind of like spraying a water hose...you learn to anticipate the torque and that flow of lead....as it sprays!

A couple of my old Texas buds...stuck on the left coast but, we had a go of good times while we were there.

And yes, we could wear beards back in the day and run around like Urban Cowboys at the range, shooting GUNS BIG FREAKING GUNS - SON!

I miss this stuff - Getting paid to shoot weapons - OH YEAH!!!!!

That GET IT ON STICKER....OH YEAH - WE GOT IT ON!!!! HA!

[AtTheWall]

Headed to Alaska - 1980. We are nearing the coastline of Oregon...Mount St Helens is blowing ash literally thousands of feet straight up into the atmosphere. The view of this scene at sea was unreal.

Standing in front of the Mount 51 deck gun. A gun I went to Naval Gun Fire support school to learn to fire and shoot, in Long Beach Californication.

[AtTheWall]

And I learned to shoot this SOB. Myself and my fellow shipmate Alex Segura, manned this beast during Battle Conditions. We both worked the wheels, one operated the barrel up and down and the other, rotated the turrent left to right. As a collective team, both of us talking to each other through "sound powered phones," we got it done.

My longest shot was 9 miles from this deck gun to an old tank, located on San Clemente Island - western shoreline. The local Marines rotated duty on this Island, and they setup our gunnery course. Purple smoke would pop up, marking the desired target they wanted us to shoot for score.

Alex and I shot perfect 100s on several gunnery shoots. This was the last fire control system where men aimed and triggered deck guns. All has been replaced by computerized fire control systems.

Sure glad I got to live this part of gunnery history. Learning to fire a weapon of this caliber, 50lb projectiles with a range of 9.5 miles = OH HELLS YEAH!

My Quartermaster buddy GONZO, snapped this photo of the gun mount, with me pulling a shot off at San Clemente. The concussion from this gun, had a tendency of blowing out lightbulbs

75 lbs of powder and a 50 lb projectile - ONE SHOT - ONE KILL ON STEROIDS!

The mooring lines on the deck, we did that to keep the shell casings from chipping our non-skid decks. The ammo handlers would drop the spent shell casings out of the back bottom side of this turrent. They would roll down deck and some went over the side, shot after shot.

[AtTheWall]

Doesn't really look like much...we've all seen sunsets and sunrises.

But....here's the difference.

THIS IS MIDNIGHT. THIS IS SUNSET & SUNRISE.

Roughly 200 miles above the Arctic Circle.

This is the ARCTIC OCEAN, above the Bering Strait. Standing on the fantail with my old Vivitar 450/SLD 35mm camera using a 50mm 1.8f lens, exactly midnight local time.

This is the lowest point the sun sets and as you watch her rise just a hair to the right, it climbs up probably 20 degrees to the right of due north, gets about 3 fists high above the horizon, before she spins to the west and gets about 20 degrees to the left of due north, before settling in this position at due north at midnight.

FREAKY TO LIVE UP HERE DURING THIS PERIOD.

We had to turn off inside lighting in the ship, to force us into thinking it was night time. Weird to get up and stand the Midnight to 0400 watch, only to get on the bridge and see it all daylight.

[Artos]

brilliant amigo...brilliant!!


really good stuff!!

[AtTheWall]

This is THE MAN!

Here stands my old Ship's commanding officer. His name is Robert E. Kramek. He's a full blown O6 Captain, and we are in Long Beach getting ready to play war with the US Navy.

What's so special about my old CO?

Well he went on to become the

COMMANDANT OF THE US COAST GUARD = THE 4 STAR TOP DOG ADMIRAL IN CHARGE.

Here he is, staring at me as I snap this bridge scene.

We both years later rejoined, after serving in Alaska together. The moment we finally rejoined, I just earned my Chief Warrant Officer's commission and was at the Coast Guard Academy in New Haven CT. During my days at the Academy, his retirement was held. Being the Commandant of the US Coast Guard - the top Admiral, this entire proceeding is filled with dignitaries from around the world as well as politicians and other senior ranking military brass.

Well........when he finally spotted me in this massive crowd of people, he ran over in front of all of his entourage and gave me a freaking bear hug and shook my hand till my teeth rattled. The folks in attendance, wondered in amazement why we engaged each other in this way........

There was one storm, we both lived through, where 26 men died... with us getting hammered to death in the Bering Sea for 5 days. We didn't save these men, we saved our own lives, and managed to get our ship back into Kodiak Alaska without becoming lost at sea souls of our own accord. When the Bering hits 80ft, and winds hit 120 knots, and your ship gets it's main keel bent 2 ft with engines ripped out their engine mounts....you realize, God's will was with you.

That was the reason why.....we hugged. And the reason why our wives still have the men they married, we dodged a bullet only a few men, live to tell.



Here's COMDT KRAMEK - A TRUE LEADER and I am proud of my old skipper!

[AtTheWall]

The best HELO pilots in the world right here!

Pitching decks, gale force winds, seas well over 30 - 40 ft....these boys will fly and rescue souls in conditions, a Coast Guard C-130 4 engine aircraft needs to fly cover for the Helicopter crew below, as they do their jobs saving lives in the worst Mother Nature can provide.

Dangerous work. Land and launch from a pitching deck. Wind gusts, rolling and pitching decks, fuel on board with bodies down below doing the chain down during land.

Living in this world, hearing that jet turbine and beating blades.....every time you prepare for the worst. A crash, an explosion, steel cutting through steel. Parking the bird.....it's DANGEROUS!











Rigged for Bering Sea patrol.




Saving lives - the bird at work. Alaska needs the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard is certainly there for the Men & Women who put it on the line working the Commercial Fishing industry!

Many bars in Alaska...we drank for free.