Apollo ceremony. Photos provided.
By Lou Camerio
LILBURN, Ga. | Anyone once in the military knows that you never volunteer, for it’s no telling what’ll happen if you volunteer. Luckily, I found out that sometimes, volunteering can be good for you.
Camerio
It was back in February of 1969 (when we had the draft) that I was called to active duty and assigned to the San Diego Naval Air Base, while awaiting orders.
Before I realized it, I was among the first called and given orders. Three of the guys who were called up with me were sent to a Naval installation in Alaska. Next I was given my orders and was assigned to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Obviously, I was not very popular with the first three who went before me.
Shortly I was in Hawaii enjoying the good weather, and thinking about how lucky I was compared to those three sent to Alaska.
The next morning I awoke to airplanes in low formations buzzing the barracks and explosions taking place on Ford Island. It had me wondering at first. No, I wasn’t in a time capsule. You see, the movie, Tora Tora Tora, was being filmed.
I was assigned to Fleet Training Group and reported to the Master Chief. He looked at my resume and asked me if I knew anything about photography. I did not. But this is how I found myself assigned to the Pearl Harbor Naval photo lab.
There I was given a manual that was about an inch and a half thick and had on-the-job- training. Previously, I knew a little about photography. All of the other guys at the photo lab had gone through the Navy Photo School at Pensacola. I kept reading the manual and watching and asking questions of the other guys in the lab and passed the exam three months later and made rank as a photo mate.
Apollo capsule on ship.
Then came the Apollo 11 mission. Our lab was to send a team to the USS Hornet for the Apollo splash down. Our trip was canceled because of lack of space, since President Richard Nixon was to make a surprise visit, and there were too many news photographers going to be there.
The Navy then gave us the job of covering the return of the USS Hornet with the astronauts to Pearl Harbor. This happened on a Saturday. No one wanted to give up their day off. Even though I was told to never volunteer, I jumped at the chance. This was history and a chance for me to play a small part in it.
For the 50th anniversary of the mission, the Public Broadcasting Service did a special movie. As I was watching it, I saw the photo of the Airstream quarantine airstream container and the dignitaries and admirals, including Admiral John McCain, Sen. John McCain’s father.
If you look carefully at the insignia on the podium, I am standing directly under it, taking a photo. I was told to be out of uniform to blend in with the professional news photographers. I also photographed the return of the Apollo 12 moon mission.
These two assignments were the highlight of my military career. I was really blessed to be stationed at Pearl Harbor at this moment in time and found volunteering was not too bad for me.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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