Volunteer Firefighter for 27 years(Trench Rescue Tech, Rope Rescue Tech, Building Collasp Tech., Swift Water Rescue Tech., Safety Officer) also with the Steuben Regional Tech. Rescue Task Force Team. SFC acting 1stSG in the New York Guards A Co. 21st Eng. Battalion and with the Search and Rescue Team WW2 Reenactor, Civil War Reenactor
Other Comments:
I was Background Artist (extra) in Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Glory and Civil War Combat (Battle of Franklin) (History Channel)
Description OPERATION: KANGAROO ‘Gator Navy’ Above Australian C-rations are deli- veredaboard USS
Juneau. Right: A land- ing craft “parks” on beach. Facing page top: USS Fort Fisher launches amphibious landing craft. Facing page bottom: Sim- ulatad obstacle mines are detonated.
ONE a hazy mid-June sky in Lying uoised under .” Queenslands Shoalwater Bay, the “Gator Navy” was ready to strike in Kangaroo One, largest multination, multiservice peacetime exercise held in Australia.
Sailing through the Coral Sea, the seven-ship am- phibious task group of 2300 sailors and nearly 2000 embarked marines had rendezvoused in the remote bay 500 miles north of Brisbane to launch an amphibi-ous landing as their role in the exercise.
Minesweepers and mine hunters of the Royal Aus- tralian Navy led the U. S. group into Shoalwater Bay after clearing a simulated minefield. The group con- sisted of the aphibious transport dock uss Juneau (LPD lo), dock landing ships uss Alamo (LSD 33) and uss Fort Fisher (LSD 40), and the tank landing ship uss Bristol County (LST 1198).
Commander of the task group, which also included uss Waddell (DDG 24), uss Gurke (DD 783) and uss Buusell (DD 845), was Captain William H. Meanix, commanding officer of Juneuu. During the course of the 14-day exercise this past summer, some 38 ships, more than 120 aircraft and 15,000 personnel from the four participating nations sqw action in a variety of military maneuvers. Early in’ the exercise, the amphibious task group played a giant game of tactical hide-‘n-seek in the Solomon Sea east of New Guinea and south of New Britain in an effort to avoid simulated air, surface and submarine attacks by British, Australian and New Zealand warships.
Then the signal came: “Land the landing force.” Landing craft and LVTs from the well decks of Fort Fisher, Alamo, Juneau and Bristol County moved into the bay. Like mother hens, boats from Juneau lined up the landing craft and LVTs in columns and guided them in assault waves toward the beach 3000 yards distant. Strategists in the primary control ship, Fort Fisher, and in the task group command,Juneau, monitored the landing force’s advance to the beach, radioing orders to the craft as they plowed through the surf, As the assault craft approached, SEAL and Underwater De- molition Teams swam in ahead and exploded simu- lated obstacle mines in the surf line. A salvo of blank rounds boomed from the guns of the destroyer Gurke, followed by simulated strafing runs over the beach by fighter aircraft launched by the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne. In a coordinated effort, the landing craft and LVTs rolled onto the beach and U. S. Marines Corps helicop- ters flying overhead started shuttling troops to prear- ranged landing zones inland. Leathernecks of the 33rd Marine Amphibious Unit, commanded by Colonel Laverne Larson, scrambled from the landing craft and LVTs, charged across the sand and scattered into rug- ged bush.
The U. S. Navy’s Beachmaster Unit One, Hotel Team, from Coronado, Calif., assumed traffic control duties on the beach directing succeeding waves of various amphibious vehicles, weaponry and support equipment throughout the afternoon. Later, Assault Craft Unit One and Bristol County teamed to place a ciuseway on the beach under cover of darkness to facilitate the movement of marine support vehicles and equipment ashore. Kangaroo One officials termed the precision am- phibious landing by the U. S. Navy-Marine Corps sea-air-land team of the naval amphibious task group the highlight of the exercise. .And, in terms of the technical aspects of the U. S. Navy-Marine Corps team amphibious concepts, the landing was an unqualified success.
During the final five days of the exercise, a 1500-man contingent of U. S. marines and army troops from Australia, New Zealand and the United States clashed in the bush with an “enemy” force while the U. S. Naval Amphibious Task force remained stationed offshore to provide tactical support. While the marines were engaged in mock battle ashore, the three U. S. destroyers Waddell, Gurke, and Bausell joined British, Australian and New Zealand combatants in Shoalwater Bay patrols to protect the amphibious task group from simulated patrol boat and submarine attacks. Each of the U. S. destroyers also took a turn at naval gunfire support. Following Kangaroo One, the U. S. Navy Ships made port calls at several cities, including Sydney. “Gator Navy” had success in the exercise and also gained new friends “Down Under.”
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1979
To Month/Year
December / 1979
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories Night of the attack of the killer Kangaroo. The friendly snakes. Giant frogs at the Ranch. Pushing Gunny's jeep out of the Mud. The dusty trail that made us look like old men. And the big party with the Aussies and swapping uniforms with them.
