Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
4:56 | While on his way over to Vietnam, Al Stiles had a memorable trip travelling through the Panama Canal, Pearl Harbor and Midway. Once they landed in Da Nang, Al Stiles and his company provided back-up for ground troops that needed assistance inland.
Keywords : Navy journey travel Pearl Harbor Hawaii Japanese airfield fire enemy fire Da Nang inland support direct fire Naval artillery
Growing up in a military family, Al Stiles knew he wanted to join the Navy at a young age. After meeting his wife and being married for almost a year, Al Stiles departed for Vietnam on the U.S.S. Soley.
While in Vietnam, Al Stiles and his company employed Harassment and Interdiction Fire which sought to slow down or deplete enemy forces and supplies. They faced some obvious obstacles in this but got better at it over time.
While showing Senator Henry Jackson the U.S.S. Manley, they faced an explosion that resulted in a few casualties. Fortunately, Naval ships are equipped to handle attacks and many lives were saved from the blast.
While at port in Hong Kong, Al Stiles and his company enjoyed some R&R that they got to have while there. When returning home, they had to divert their route and change some plans along the way.
While heading home from Vietnam, the U.S.S. Manley made its way across the Indian Ocean and up through North Africa. While at port, they had a close encounter maneuvering the ship out into the correct direction but ended up having a smooth trip back to Charleston.
While coming back from the Baltic Sea, Al Stiles and his company practiced a difficult drill with a fleet of Naval ships. Though it was a challenge for him, they all executed it well and things worked out.
After service time on the U.S.S. McCloy, Al Stiles went to instructor duty to make Chief Petty Officer before getting ordered off to service on the U.S.S. Midway aircraft carrier, which differed from most of his time on destroyers.
