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Today's Featured Biography

 
Jim Branchaud

"From not-graduating in 1964, I "hid" from the draft thru 1965 at The College of San Mateo. During this same period I had worked at Delmo Victor, Belmont Machine Works, Ed's Chuck Wagon, San Carlos Theatre and S&F Auto Repair.

Academia was never my strong point. I was surfin' and workin' (see above) rather than learnin'. So in late 1965, with plunging semester "credits" at CSM, the draft notice arrived. That very same day, I immediately ran to a recruiter and joined the Navy. They offered me a '120 day catch' enlistment program and I signed up. This gave me another 4 months to screw off before having to serve my country. Yippee! more surfin'...

With a number of SF Bay recruits, I checked into Travis AFB for our flight to San Diego boot camp in shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops. We had no idea that they had closed that San Diego NavyTraing facility overnight due to a meningitis outbreak.

So on my Birthday in April 1966 we arrived at Chicago's O'Hara airport, in 8" of new snow. O'Hara was closed to vehicles because of the snow so we were bedded down in an empty luggage claim area.

Unfortunately all us California boys were freezing for our lack of clothing. There was a frantic call to the American Red Cross.

The next day, and looking like street people, we were bused to the Great Lakes Training Center, in Waukegan, IL. (California dreamin')

I completed boot camp in June 1966.

A very small group of us were immediately assigned to a military support group at Camp Perry (Sandusky) Ohio for the NRA's National Rifle and Pistol Matches. I worked in the Entry Office with one civilian. A grand 'growing up' experience! At the end, I fortunate to be given choice of duty station and I requested Hawai'i. It was September 1966.

I, and a fellow bay area Californian, 'cashed in' our California airline tickets and drove a 1958 Ford station wagon non-stopped to California, some via Route 66. We paid $75 for that Ford wagon while we were stationed at Camp Perry. An interesting vehicle, it burned more oil than gas.

After replacing the left front axle, somewhere in Nevada, and costing us everything we "saved" by this stunt, we made it to San Mateo. We were broke, But we saw the country, sorta.

A week later, in September 1966, I flew to Honolulu and I boarded the USS Forster (DER-334) a rusty 305 foot WWII destroyer escort at Pearl Harbor. The ship's primary duty was blockading the Vietnam coast in Operation Market Time and chasing Russian trawlers.

Immediately after boarding I was 'over the side chipping paint'. This was my welcome to the real Navy after my "near" civilian duty in Ohio. Starting as that "ordinary seaman", I ended up as its leading Radioman 2nd Class.

As R&R from our duties on the Vietnam Coast, we visited many times' the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and my favorite, Hong Kong.

By the end of 1969 I was sharing an apartment in Waikiki, working part time while in port and surfing whenever I could. I could afford to pay others to stand my duty, and did so frequently.

Then the USS Forster was going to be sent to the East Coast for decommissioning. "But not with me!"

Luckly that year's mass Vietnam "cutback" offered me an early out, so I decided to discharge from the Navy at Pearl Harbor. So I was transferred to shore duty at DESFLOT-5 message center to wait for my discharge papers.

My discharge came in early January 1970. Now working full time at the Polynesian Hotel as a desk clerk by day and MC'ing a stage show at the Romanie Room topless club at night. I somehow found time to surf Waikiki's beaches and night clubs in-between.

By February 1970 my social activities were costing me more than my income. By mere chance I hired on at the Bell & Howell Company's Hawaii office as a service trainee. I felt this was to just pay the bills until I could find a REAL job. From that field service trainee position I went to the Hawaii Facility Manager over the next 31 years.

I met my wife, Michele, on a blind date in 1975 and then married August of 1983. I had purchased condo in downtown Honolulu and we lived there for 12 years. Then in 1986 we bought our first new house in Kaneohe, on the other side of Oahu. We lived there for 9 years before making a small 'killing' in the Japanese house buying frenzy. Then in 1994 we purchased another new house on a hilltop overlooking the north/east side of the Oahu. We continue to be here.

July 2, 2001 Eastman Kodak Company bought Bell & Howell's service company and I chose to 'keep a job' and I returned to the field to service for Kodak.

I was then working harder than I had in all those past 31 years at Bell & Howell! After10 years I retired from Kodak on July 29, 2011 with a total of 41 years and 4 months of combined field service.

I continued to take a few side calls from old customers that still wanted to keep their obsolete equipment. But by July 2018 I decided to completely retire my tool bag.

Now crossing the line of 41 years of marriage (49 in togetherness) and 13 years retired, I'm enjoying fairly good health, golf and lots of travel. With my bride we are lovers of long shipboard cruising. After 14 different trips you would think I would have had enough of "sailing" back and forth across the Pacific in the Navy! BUT I guess not!

No little Branchauds (Phew!) but we had a cat, Riley, that was like a kid for 18 years.

With no more 'responsibilities' our life's saga continues...

BTW I created Carlmont Class of 1964 pages on Facebook. Hope to see You There!

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