The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the October 2024 story of the month has been selected to recognize the service of United States Navy Veteran, EN3 John Roten. The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program was privileged to interview EN3 John Roten at the USS Hector Reunion in 2021.The Following reflections of EN3 Roten’s service was written by USS Hector AR-7 Historian, HT2 Charles Atkins

“John was born in a small town called Central, Arizona. His family moved on again to Superior, Arizona and then when his father heard from relatives, about work in Oregon, they moved yet again to Mill City, Oregon. His not so fond memory was of his sister getting bit by a rattle snake, in Arizona, has stayed with him. John grew up with two brothers and sisters in the small logging town of Mill City, Oregon. John went to High School there and held down part time jobs as an auto mechanic and machinery operator in a local cannery. When John was in the 10th grade, He had heard many stories from a neighbor, who had been in the Navy. The stories and a sense for adventure gave him a strong yearning for the Navy. When John was old enough, but still hadn’t finished high school, he headed to Salem, Oregon. He found a navy recruiter in the capital city and there, he enlisted into the US Navy for a, “kiddie cruise”, three-year enlistment.

John was sent to San Diego Naval Training Center, called Camp Nimitz. After boot camp, John was transferred to the IC Electricians School. After several weeks he learned he did not have a desire for this type of naval career. He decided to see the head of the school and requested to be transferred out.

John found his new assignment with the 7.3 boat pool on Coronado. They were putting together a task force for duty around Eniwetok Island. He found himself a fireman working the engine room aboard, a resurrected from mothballs, WWll tug boat called USS Mawkaw YTB 182.

Mawkaw was used to tow ships and barges used in the atomic bomb tests, Operation Hardtack, that occurred around Bikini and Eniwetok Pacific Islands, from January to June of 1958.

John remembers being awakened at night to observe a blast. They held their hands in front of their eyes to block the damaging light. He could see the bones in his hands from the brightness of the blast. They were also assigned to help wash down the exposed ships after a blast. There were teams in special outfits that would come aboard the ships they had washed, to check for radiation level readings. Sometimes they would have to wash the ship again to bring the radiation levels down. John sometimes wondered why the special suits for the boarding crews, but for the wash down crews, like himself, they just wore cutoff dungarees and nothing else. John believes he is the only surviving member of his group.

John was sent back to San Diego where he was given a 30-day leave. He returned home to Mill City, Oregon and worked for 2 weeks with his father in construction. He said he made more money in those 2 weeks than he did in 6 months in the navy. After his leave, John was reassigned to the USS Hector AR-7. He was in the second year of his enlistment. He reported to the Master at Arms, who took him to the personnel officer. He was going to have him assigned as a store keeper. John argued that he did not want to be a store keeper; he wanted to be an engineman. Store keepers had to work with numbers and he was not that good with them. So, John found himself attached to “I” division working the dirty jobs of the ship. He actually liked the work and was soon recognized as a good worker. He met and married Glenda, February 21, 1959 and soon after Deployed on a WestPac cruise.

When John made third class Engineman, he was assigned to the boat engine shop of EO Division. When not working on engine repairs, John was assigned to work on the liberty boats ferrying sailors to shore. After a while, John would work on the Executive Officers launch. This duty provided a watch standers liberty card and proved to be a good benefit for future liberty calls.

John’s General Quarters station was at the portside crane on the boat deck. His job was to climb the crane with a fire hose, to provide wash down in case of a nuclear blast and fall out.

John made one cruise with Hector in 1959/ 60. John and Glenda celebrated their anniversary the day Hector arrived in San Diego February 21st, 1960. Near the end of John’s enlistment, Hector was leaving for another Westpac, so he was transferred to the USS Klondike AR-22 temporarily.

John’s most memorable Hector experiences were, being assigned to Rear Admiral Tyee’s gig while in Bepu, Japan. Also, while Hector was in Sasebo, Japan and tied to a buoy, they were riding out a hurricane. The Hector broke her tie and started drifting to the sea wall. They came very close to grounding, but at the last minute, she was able to fire her engines, make steam and get underway.

The night before they arrived in San Diego from West Pac, John won first prize ($50) in a Bongo game. It paid for their first month’s rent on an apartment.

John left the Navy on 27 May 1960 after 3 years and 8 months. He got out in San Diego and return home to Mill City, Oregon. He immediately went to work in the logging industry setting chokers, running equipment and crane operations. Later, he would own a service station and drive logging trucks. His longest job was as a shop mechanic until he retired in 2007. He continued to work part time as a mechanic for a local lumber mill until a few years ago.

The United States Navy Memorial honors United States Navy Veteran, EN3 John Roten, featured within this series titled, Tales from the Navy Log, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site at https://www.navymemorial.org/stories-of-service