Currently, I am an SM1(SW) serving my next couple of years of shore duty at the Security Datatchment of Fleet Activities, Yokosuka, Japan. I was born on 31MAY64, in a hospital in Van Nuys, CA but I would much rather to have been the only child born aboard the USS CHICAGO. And I nearly was.
My uncle, James Matthews, was about 19 when he was stationed aboard the CHICAGO. I think he was working in the galley at that time. He had invited his family aboard for a tour of the ship. I'm not sure if the ship was getting underway for the tour and I'm not clear whether this happened at sea or in port but my mother went into labor and had to be treated by a ship's hospital corpsman. I'm told that the HM was a very young third class petty officer who was extremely apprehensive of what was transpiring on his duty day. This was especially evident when my grandmother overheard him say "they never trained me about this!", or words to that effect.
I hope to one day meet that corpsman and anyone else who was there and swap some sea stories.
THE END
SM1 (SW) Steven O'Berry
shingobe@surfline.ne.jp