I competed welding school (1972) at the San Diego Naval Base, and soon after, I received my orders to a new destroyer escort, U.S.S. Trippe DE1075, whose home port was Newport, Rhode Island.
I flew to Providence, Rhode Island to report to my new ship. I took a local bus from the airport to Newport. Two women hopped on the bus and sat down in the seat in front of me. I leaned in as close as I dared. I didn't want to appear as if I were eavesdropping. I wasn't. I was trying to figure out what language they were speaking. It was English with a very heavy New England accent.
After spending a year on that ship and going home for the first time, my mother said, "Stop talking like that, you sound funny."
The accent had hopped on my tongue and followed me home. Most of my shipmates were from New England and had strong accents.
This book deals with my own awakening to the reality of war and the moral questions that war raises. Fighting in war is a messy and bloody business. We face a moral dilemma with our first kill. We are all taught that hurting people and certainly killing people is wrong. When we are put into a position where killing is "necessary", our moral compass goes haywire and we have to deal with it, not only in that moment, but for the rest of our lives.
Author's Bio.
- MUSHROOM MONTOYA
- Mushroom Montoya circumnavigated the globe aboard the USS Trippe DE1075 after killing soldiers, woman and children in Viet Nam. Now, as a shaman, he heals the planet one person at a time. Mushroom Montoya has an active shamanic healing practice in Long Beach, California and he teaches at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Cal State Univ. Long Beach.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Congress = Blessing or Curse?
January will bring a new Congress,
To our Nation’s capital.
Will the new "Blue" Congress
Be a blessing
Be a blessing
Or a curse
For Veterans of the
Viet Nam war?
Viet Nam war?
Will they pass new laws
To help those of us
Who risked our lives,
Who risked our lives,
Lost our limbs,
And Sacrificed our sanity?
Will they help the Vets of the
Blue Water Navy?
Will the new Congress
Blue Water Navy?
Will the new Congress
Honor their promises
To take care of the
Wounded Vets?
Wounded Vets?
We are watching.
We voted them in.
Will the new Congress
Will the new Congress
Be like the previous one
That said they would
But chose to ignore us instead?
Will the new "Blue" Congress
Be a blessing o
Be a blessing o
Or a curse
For Navy Veterans?
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Dead In The Water
After we left Viet Nam
In autumn 1972,
In autumn 1972,
I sat on the deck,
My back against the bulkhead
Of the helo hangar,
On the USS Trippe.
We sailed the Indian Ocean
Beyond the Gulf of Oman
Light blue skies above,
Dark blue ocean below,
Steady as she goes.
And then
Silence;
An eerie quiet
A calm rocking
Swayed into a big
Rocking.
Interior alarms
People yelling,
“Dead in the water!
Dead in the water.”
I sat on the deck,
My back against the bulkhead
Of the helo hangar,
On the USS Trippe.
Enjoying the quiet,
Feeling the rocking,
Ignoring the commotion,
Imagining sailors of old
Floating on the swells
Of the Indian Ocean
When the wind
Took a nap
And the
Silence:
And eerie quiet,
A calm rocking
That swayed into a big
Rocking
Without the alarms
Just the swells,
Light blue skies above,
Dark blue ocean below.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Grande Island
Excerpt from Chapter Blue Damsels
I climbed down into
the WWII landing craft that would transport me to Grande Island. I hadn't
noticed Norman and Krack sitting with their backs against the rear bulkhead
until I looked for a place to sit.
“Hey, Krack, I
thought you were flying back to the states for your grandmother's funeral?”
“I can't get a
flight out until the day after tomorrow. It looks like I'm stuck with you two.”
“Are you guys
spending the night?” I asked.
“Ya betcha,” Norman
said. “I need to sleep on solid ground without to sleep on solid ground without
rocking and rolling and the constant hum of the ship's engines. How about you?”
“I intend to have
the sun wake me up,” I said. Smiling widely I sat on the bare deck next to him.
“Riding in this landing craft feels like were floating in a shoe box.”
“We are!” Krack
said.
When we landed, we
walked into the little restaurant that protruded from the hotel. I asked the
old wrinkled faced lady who worked there for an ice cream cone.
“You sit,” she
commanded, with a frown on her face.
Norman smiled at me
and turned his palms up as he tilted his head. “Can you make that two?” he
asked the grumpy lady.
She scowled at him
and pointed to the table. We obeyed.
“I was hoping to get
pistachio ice cream,” I said to Norman.
“Fat chance,” Krack
said, “They probably only have one flavor, otherwise she would've asked you
what you wanted.”
She had disappeared
into the kitchen as the three of us waited for what seemed like a very long
time. We chatted excitedly about joining the two other ships on an around the
world cruise.
When she came out,
she said, “Fifteen cent.”
We dug into our
pockets. I pulled out a dollar and handed it to her.
She looked up at me
and said, “No change. Fifteen cent.” while holding out her hand.
Norman and Krack
both only had dollars. I handed the dollar back to her and told her it was for
all three and that she could keep the change. Maintaining her scowl, she took
the dollar and gave us our chocolate ice cream cones.
“I'll be glad when
we...
If you want to find out what happens next, support me by purchasing a copy of my book at
If you want to find out what happens next, support me by purchasing a copy of my book at
And at
BarnesandNoble.com
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