FTM3 on the 68 and 69 cruise. From Johnstown, Pa. I have tried several times and ways to locate. Any info or history would be nice. Thanks

Wierd Frank, aka Shaggy Wierdo, Fox Div, 66-68

I remember "Dusty". He worked for Jim McConnell on the 51C Radars. I worked in the missile computer room, first under FTM1 Ralph Murray in 1968, then took over the room when Ralph got out of the Navy. FTM3 Charlie Francis and FTM3 Bill Watts worked under me. Charlie married a Hawaiian lady and stayed on the Island they lived near the PCT (Pearl City Tavern) - remember the Monkey Bar there. I left the Cochrane as an FTM1 in 1972 for instructor duty at Mare Island - got out of the Navy in 1976. I have many Dusty memories - here are a few:
1) Dusty, Ralph, Ron Green (FTM2 who had the CIC) and I shared an apartment in Honolulu (on Lunalilo St). Frequent visitors included Leroy Liverman, Bubbles Benton, Jim Stafford (he was off the Stoddard), and several other Cochrane crew members. The highlight of the apartment was the 5 foot tall Philippine mahogany finger that Dusty bought on the way back from the 69 westpac. It took both of us to haul it aboard the Cochrane. (Yes - the OD let us take it aboard and we stowed it on the 03 level.) That was also the place where Ralph barfed up the worm. Doc said he probably got it as a result of eating the green apples they sold on the street in Olongapo.
2) Dusty, Leroy, the Indian (can't remember the Indians real name, but I think he was an FTG) and I ended up in the Olongapo city jail as a result of an incident at the East Inn Club - that's another story The East Inn was the out-of-bounds place where the chicken wire was on the inside of the windows! Dusty hung out mostly at the Cave bar on Magsaysay. A picture of the East Inn is attached.
3) Later on Dusty, Ron Green, Jim Stafford and I had an apartment in Waikiki near the Reef Hotel. We hung out at Coco's Calabash Bar on the corner of Kalakaua and Ala Moana. There was an unmarked back door. A few times when Dusty did not make it back to the apartment, he would sleep leaning against that door so in the morning when they opened it he would fall in and be ready to begin his day.
4) Here is a Leroy and Dusty story - While firing H&I one night near the DMZ, the aft mount had a premature burst that shook the ship and threw Leroy into the 440 bus he was working on. The XO (I think it was CDR Treiber) rushed back to the radar room to check on Leroy. After determining that Leroy was OK - he announced to the crew on the 1MC that Leroy was conscious and coherent. Dusty blurted out - "It must have done him some good because he hasn't been that way in 20 years.