"I was thinking my time was over and then we hit Fort Lauderdale and St. Thomas...I thought bingo, this is what the Navy is all about... you work your butt off and then you pull into a port and get to visit somewhere you haven’t been before... after those two liberty ports, I signed up for two more years.”
- Hospital Corpsmen First Class Frank Reusche, USNR
The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the September 2019 story of the month has been selected to recognize the service of United States Navy Veteran, Hospital Corpsmen First Class Frank Reusche. The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program was privileged to interview Hospital Corpsmen First Class Frank Reusche at the USS Nimitz CVN 68 reunion being held at Philadelphia Pennsylvania in the Fall of 2018.
Hospital Corpsmen First Class Frank Reusche entered the United States Navy in 1974 after deciding to learn more about medicine with an interest in becoming a Hospital Corpsmen. He was sent to Recruit Training Command in Orlando Florida and recalled, "Boot camp was an extraordinary experience...I remember getting in after midnight...from the airport to the Naval Base it was all orange groves." Reusche quickly acclimated to the challenges of basic training and excelled at Orlando. His interest in becoming a hospital corpsman became a reality after being sent to Hospital Corps A School. After successfully completing A School he was ordered back to Orlando at the Naval Hospital and assigned to the orthopedic ward. The hands-on experiences learned at A School and Orlando would provide key lessons which he would use in the fleet. After reenlisting, Reusche spoke to Naval Personnel and shared, “I joined to see the world and so far, I have seen Sea World and Disney World.” The detailer through that was funny and said, “the USS Nimitz was preparing for a world cruise.” Reusche’s request to go to sea was granted, and the USS Nimitz would soon become his new home.
He met the USS Nimitz in Norfolk, which was returning from its first Mediterranean Cruise. Reusche reported to medical and settled in to his new home. After the Nimitz spent time in the yards and sea trials, Reusche's enlistment was coming to an end. He recalled, "I was thinking my time was over and then we hit Fort Lauderdale and St. Thomas...I thought bingo, this is what the Navy is all about... you work your butt off and then you pull into a port and get to visit somewhere you haven’t been before... after those two liberty ports, I signed up for two more years.” For the next two years, he participated in the USS Nimitz Mediterranean Cruise from 1977 to 1978. He encountered many challenging situations as the Nimitz represented the United States in foreign waters during key moments
Part One Joining the Navy and Memories of Boot Camp at Orlando in 1974
Part Three Joining the Crew of the USS Nimitz and Deciding to Sign on for Two More Years
Part Five Training the Crew for Medical Emergencies on the USS Nimitz in 1977
Part Seven Life on the USS Nimitz During the 1977 1978 Mediterranean Cruise
Part Two Hospital Corpsman School at Great Lakes and Service at Naval Hospital Orlando Florida
Part Four Memories of the 1977 1978 Mediterranean Cruise and Life in the Medical Department on the USS Nimitz
Part Six Air Operations and Medical Situations on the USS Nimitz During the 1977 1978 Mediterranean Cruise
Part Eight Service in the Medical Department and Final Memories of the USS Nimitz Before Returning Home
The United States Navy Memorial honors United States Navy Veteran, Hospital Corpsmen First Class Frank Reusche, featured within this series titled, Stories of Service, 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.