Second Sergeant-At-Arms:
Douglas "Wayne" Senter
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Franklinton American Legion Post 5240 American Legion Road, Franklinton, NC 27525 |
Home Site Map MyLegion.org |
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Franklinton American Legion Post 5240 American Legion Road, Franklinton, NC 27525 |
Home Site Map MyLegion.org |
Wayne served in the US Navy from June 1972 until June 1975. He said it was a 6-year contract, 3 years active and 3 years inactive reserves. After boot camp, Wayne reported to the USS Independence CVA-62, which was in dry dock in Portsmouth, VA. His primary duty was fueling aircraft, though he did a lot of chipping and painting while in dry dock.
For his first year, he spent time on board the ship, which was in dry dock. In May of 1973, the ship left dry dock for its home port of Norfolk, VA. From there, Wayne made two tours to the Mediterranean, visiting many ports, including but not limited to Cannes, France; Athens, Greece; Rota, Spain; and Tunis, Tunisia, Africa.
During Wayne's first Med Cruise, the ship went on high alert due to the Yom Kippur War between the Arab states and Israel. The ship operated off the coast of Crete as a possible Middle East evacuation contingency and as a deterrent to keep Russia from sending troops in support the Arab states.