Associate Degree Completion Program ADCOP
Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA
August 1973 - June 1975
In 1973 I applied for the Associate Degree Completion Program and I was selected. Upon being selected, they asked me when did I want to go (which quarter to start in, out of the next three quarters) and I said “the first available one!” It turned out to be a good choice, as the program was discontinued shortly after I started and anyone waiting in the que were out of luck. I selected Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA. My sole job, for the next two years, was only to attend college classes. I took several extra courses, which helped me shorten the time in obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree later on. I majored in Business Administration and graduated cum laude.
We were allowed to remain in our quarters on Treasure Island, and I commuted back and forth with three other ADCOP’ers on the island.
I remember my first day in class and an experience that had me wondering if I was cut out to attend class with this much younger crowd. The class was English 101, why it was labeled as an English class, I’ll never know, because we never learned any English related subjects. Anyway, I figured I would take a low profile on this first day, until I figured out the rules. So, I took a seat all the way in the back of the classroom, in the corner. The professor arrives and says “okay, everyone pair up for an awareness study session.” Not knowing what the hell an awareness study session was, I remained seated and just observed. Well, all these kids knew what this was all about and all the guys immediately jumped up and paired up with some chick. They went out the door holding hands, with one person closing their eyes and feeling around like they were blind. By the time I figured out what was happening, I looked around and the only person remaining to pair up with was this long-haired hippy looking guy. I looked at him and said “if you think I’m going to hold hands with you and go outside and feel up a bunch of rocks, bushes, and trees you’re nuts - I’m going down to the cafeteria, I don’t know what you’re going to do!” I went down to the cafeteria and had a cup of coffee and related the incident to a couple other older ADCOP’ers. They had a good laugh and said “welcome to college!”
We wore only civilian clothes, due to the anti-war and anti-military sentiment at the time. One stupid student mouthed off to one of the Marine ADCOP’ers one day and the Marine laid the guy out. It was beautiful to watch, but he was ejected from the program because of it. We were like a mini-mafia, we controlled the place! That’s what they get when they turn a bunch of sailors loose! We had our own large table in the cafeteria that the civilian students stayed away from. Most the students were naive liberals that wanted nothing to do with the military - especially during the waning days of the Vietnam War. We treasured terrorizing them as much as possible anyway.
We never had to worry about a class being full; we always got whatever class and schedule we wanted. One of the ADCOP’ers was dating the Dean’s secretary, so we had an insider. Hell, we even had copies of several exams (that some instructors were too lazy to revise)! We never worried about the civilian students when competing for a high grade, they were no competition. We only worried about competing against another ADCOP’er if only a few A’s were available. Everyone wanted that letter of Commendation from graduating on the Dean’s list - and I got mine.
I let my accounting professor talk me into tutoring Acounting for one Semester, which I got extra credit for. He wanted me to do it for a couple more semesters and I said one was enough. The kids I was tutoring were just above a rock on the intelligence chart and they never could understand the basic Debit and Credit concept of accounting. I even had one young gal proposition me! Anyway, I couldn’t deal with it and said never again.
The family had one very memorable summer, while I was attending college. We were required to take at least two courses during summer classes. They had the regular 3-month summer classes, an 8-week shorter session or a 6-week (4-hrs a day, 3 days a week) accelerated session. I chose the 6-week accelerated session and had the remaining 9-weeks to myself. We rented a site in a campground in the San Joaquin Delta area and spent 9-weeks boating and fishing the delta sloughs and just taking it easy - only going in to get my paycheck every 2-weeks. It was a great summer.
Submarine School Command New London Submarine BaseGroton, CT
June 1975 - December 1975Upon graduation from the Associate Degree Completion Program ADCOP, I elected to try something different. I volunteered for Submarine duty.
Actually, I had a friend (and fellow instructor at ET-B School) who was a submariner and I revelled in all his stories about submarine camaraderie and duty. It sounded like the duty for me!
Many years later, as a CWO4 on the USS Robison, I ran into him (a new CWO2 at the time) in the Officer’s Club at lunch one day. Upon approaching him, I said “you son-of-bitch” and he burst out laughing! He confessed that he had pretty much suckered me into volunteering for Submarine duty.
I was transferred to New London and attended the six month Ship’s Inertial Navigation System SINS MK 3 MOD 4 electronic equipment school. I moved the family (Janet, Warren Jr. and Tami) to a rented house in Ledyard, CT. We did a lot of sight seeing throughout the Northeastern States while residing there.