I started at N0EFA in 1966, working for GySgt Oscar Shelton (God rest his soul, he was a wonderful fellow). Ran phone patches from the station, and one night a week went 'on the road' and ran 'em from the local hospital (Charley Med).  Oscar and I built the first station up in Phu Bai (N0EFJ). We erected a tower, put a beam atop it, got a CONEX shipping box and filled it with a home brew table and Collins equipment, and got on the air running message traffic and phone patches. Found a fellow there with electronics / communications background who took it over, and Oscar and I then returned to N0EFA in Da Nang. When FLSG (Force Logistics Supply Group) 3rd Marines moved, I built the station at Red Beach with the help of MGySgt Norman Larson (also a wonderful fellow).  Erected a tower and set up a nice "shack" in half of a Quonset hut. Had a nice waiting area, and even put in a phone booth for some privacy (sight wise) for the callers. Norm went on R&R to Hawaii and purchased two Collins S-Line transmitters and receivers, a nice linear amplifier, and a beam. He scrounged a tower from someplace in-country (Master Gunnery Sergeants can do that sort of thing, right?). On my return to The World, SSgt Dick Stulz took over the CHOP (Chief Operator) position from me at N0EFL, and I went up to Barstow California and worked at the MARS station there, now on the other end of the phone patches and message traffic. Then was transferred to Kaneohe Bay Hawaii and worked under SSgt Dick Stulz. Held the Amateur Radio call sign WA6NFQ from when I was about 13, and now hold my father’s old call, W6JMT.

Increased my understanding of people and how things are done. In order for the phone patch system to function, the operators had to listen in on the (radiotelephone one way) conversations. Probably learned a lot about human nature, and the nature of human problems and coping with them. Ran enough phone patches for several lifetimes, and don’t especially want to run any more -- ever :-) Met some really great people, and being and was afforded some really great mentors.

Sometimes we patched through to N0JPJ, which was the station at the Howard Hughes Aircraft Corporation. One day, a Marine whose wife was in a terrible auto accident back home requested emergency leave. It was denied. He came to us and called the hospital. The retired generals or admirals or whoever that were at N0JPJ, said, "Hang on a minute." Then they telephoned Washington, D.C, and spoke with other generals or admirals, like this: "Hey, Larry, Gene here...we gotta guy who needs emergency leave...his wife was in a car wreck." "Hi, Gene; tell him to pack his bags...he will be on the afternoon flight out of Vietnam. And say hi to Kathy for me, will ya, buddy?"

 Once when we were patching through to N0RSB at El Toro, Russ was on that end. Everybody that wanted to phone home had done so, and we had time left on the band. So I asked Russ to call over the BAM barracks (that's Marine talk for Broad Ass Marines), and ask if there were any girls from Iowa who might like to talk to me. Russ thought I must be desperate... But he did, and hey, Margaret was walking by...she was from my home state of Iowa. We chatted, and she said she'd write and send me a picture. Barry and Russ and everybody else laughed. Well, the laugh was on them when the picture arrived with this Cheryl Tiegs-looking blonde in her dress blues. Margaret had been Miss Teenage Iowa of 1965! Semper Fi!

The first N0EFA was built on the north side of Dong Ha, just north of the air strip. Every gook short round would hit our station. So eventually we moved it to the safe side ?? of the base. No hits. A Seabee drove up and wanted to call home. We told him we didn't have a telephone pole, or a hole in the ground or a way to make one, so he would have to wait until we figured that all out. He left and returned in 15 minutes with a backhoe, dragging a 55-foot telephone pole. He augured a 10 foot hole, picked up the pole, and put it in as we tamped the dirt tight. Then he extended a boom and raised our antenna so we could attach it to the pole. He spoke with his wife that night for as long as he wanted!!