Suddenly there was a shot across the bow; Roberts and his colleagues realized they were being fired at by Army personnel.
The confusion soon cleared, but the memory lingered, Roberts said.
“So that was the battle of San Francisco Bay,” he told the laughing students at Middle College.
Later, the Reno was torpedoed by Japanese planes, he recalled. The entire crew evacuated the ship and was required to hold onto a line until their rescuers picked them up.
“I was the last one rescued,” he said; he held the line for about an hour and a half in the cold ocean before he was taken in.
Peacekeeping abroad
Don Maher, who tutors at Middle College today, served in the Navy and the Reserves from 1949 to 1979.
He said serving in the military was an excellent way for him to learn, travel and work off his education; the Navy sent him to USC for four years to study electrical engineering.
The most action he saw was when his group shot at drones they didn’t realize they were supposed to protect, he said.
He then began a long career at Hughes, developing and teaching about radar technology.
“It was just a long, interesting experience,” Maher said.
He encouraged students considering college to also consider a stint in the military.
Battlefield: Vietnam
For David Smith, who was drafted in 1970, his experience was derided at first but ultimately appreciated.
“I don’t speak in front of any size group ever, especially on this particular topic,” Smith said. “I don’t look at it as much as being a veteran as being part of a country.”
After getting out of the first draft cycle in 1969, he found himself No. 28 on the list of the 1970 draft lottery, and was shipped to Vietnam. He was 20.
“You really get involved at that level without knowing the big picture,” he said. “At a very young age, you are given huge responsibility.”
