Hide Article Text (OCR)
fleet command shipThey travel more than 60,000 miles a year, visiting nearly every free nation in the Western Pacific. They are intimately involved in the Vietnam War, yet they are equally at home in the small town atmosphere of Sasebo, Japan, and the cosmopolitan hustle of downtown Singapore.They are the 317 officers and men who make up the staff of Vice Admiral Maurice F. Weisner, commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. Their jobs are sometimes tinged with excitement and glamour, but the other side of the coin demands dedication and plain hard work.Petty Officer Third Class John L. Grear, 25, son of Mr. and Mrs. Finess E. Grear, 1017 W. Main St., Ottumwa, currently is serving with Vice Admiral Weisner’s staff aboard the fleet command ship USS Oklahoma City.Gerear, a communications yeoman, is working as a teletype operator and message handler in the Seventh Fleet communications center. He transmits radio messages to other fleet units by teletypewriter and delivers urgent messages to shipboard departments.A 1963 graduate of Ottumwa High School, Grear first enlisted in the Navy in September of 1965 and attended communications yeoman school in Norfolk, Va., as his first Navy assignment. He spent three years at the Naval Reserve Training Command at Omaha, following graduation from the school.Grear was released from active duty in 1968 but soon re -enlisted and reported to Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam, for a two -year tour. From there, he reported to the Seventh Fleet staff in October of 1970.He has traveled extensively throughout the Western Pacific with the admiral’s staff, visiting such ports as Hong Kong, Manila and Naha, Okinawa. He has also spent considerable time in the Vietnam combat zone during the command ship's frequent visits to the gunline.“I've enjoyed my duty in the Western Pacific, says Grear. “I think duty with the staff and the USS Oklahoma City is some of the best sea duty in the Navy.Virtually every man on the Seventh Fleet staff is hand-picked for his job. The staff’s officers, many of whom have commanded their own ships and squadrons, are experts in their respective fields. The officers and senior enlisted personnel are dedicated professional Navymen whose knowledge has been gained through years of experience on ships and at stations throughout the world.Construction down in IowaNEW YORK — January’s contracts for future construction indicated a slow start in 1971 for the building business, it was reported by the F. W. Dodge Co.January’s total contract value, at $4,383,206,000, was nine per cent less than the comparable year-ago amount and, after seasonal adjustment, was 11 per cent below the strong December 1970 rate.The Dodge Index for January, which uses 1967-100 as its new base, was 117, down from December’s 132. (Comparable Index values using the former base of 1957-59-100, which will no longer be applied, would have put January’s rate at 182 and December’s at 205. The shift of the base of the Dodge Index simply brings the point of reference to a more recent period, in keeping with current statistical practices.)“January’s contract statistics suggested that some hoped-for changes in the basic demand for construction may be taking place, observed George A. Christie, vice president of Dodge.Committee p special moviPaul Heckart of 101 N. Milner and a committee of nine persons have been busy preparing for the showing of the film “For Pete’s Sake to be presented at Evans Junior High School auditorium March 18 through 20 at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.World Wide Pictures Inc. of Minneapolis, producers of the movie, selected Heckart as coordinator for the Ottumwactviivina Thp film urill hp
Newspaper Details
Baptismal Register Sacred Heart
Ottumwa, Iowa, US
Thu, Mar 04, 1971
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Donny S.
TX, USA 28 Jun 2017
Other Publications Near Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa Daily Review
Ottumwa Courier
Ottumwa Tri Weekly Courier
Baptismal Register Sacred Heart
Standard Atlas of Wapello County Iowa
