Mount Santa Rita NLS
- MESSAGE BOARD -

12 Message Since 8-17-00

Posted 8-17-00
MSCM(SW/AW) Robert Corkish, Jun 1985 - Dec 1988
U.S. Naval Link Station, Mount Santa Rita

I was stationed on board USS MIDWAY (CV-41) from December 1981 to June 1985 and at NAVLINKSTA Mt. Sta Rita, RP from June 1985-December 1988.  In my single days I used to hang out at the Missouri Bar and Green Garden.  I am currently stationed on board USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63) in Yokosuka, Japan and frequently take leave and visit Subic.  I would like to hear from anyone who may have been stationed at Mt. Sta Rita or frequented the Missouri Bar or Green Garden during the same time frames I was there. 

Posted 2-16-01
Marty Maiorano, Cpl, 1978 - 1980
US Naval Magazine, Santa Rita, USMC Jungle School
maioranom@tacom.army.mil

Was station at the mag for a year, guard duty, real nice place if you liked bugs. Transfered to the Jungle School under Sgt Major Earley ( 2 tours nam). He taught me survival, the jungle, the corps training in Philippines, jest school, repelled off two lover's point ( 420 feet high). Other instructors, SSgt Baker, Sgt Smith, Cpl Beckly. Great time. Joined Recon when I got back to lejeune and  loved it. Training was cut, got boring, got out 82. Work for the military now in Michigan.

Posted 11-22-02
Darrell J. Lang, OIC, USNR
Pjbutterfly02@aol.com

Hi. I was stationed in the P.I. from 83 - 86. Corky, you didn't post an email. Would love to hear from you.

Posted 1-6-03
Frank Conroy, ETCM(SW), Mar 92 - Sep 92
FSCONROY@cs.com

I was the last OIC of Mt. Santa Rita. Turned it over to members of the Subi Bay Metropolitan Authority ?? (SBMA) on 01 Sep 92. Then went down to assist in the turnover of Subic and Cubi Message Centers. Departed on the last military charter to fly out of Cubi on 23 Nov 92. Would like to hear from anyone there at the time.

Posted 1-18-03
Lance Corporal James Flores, A Company, Port Platoon Guard Force, 1987 - 1989
DINOELLUSIONS@cs.com

I loved it so much at Mt. Santa Rita that I used to continuously volunteer for the duty when nobody else wanted it, because you spent a week up on the mountain with no liberty while everyone else had two days off.  In 87' the staff found out it was my birthday and through me a party there, I was in charge of the movie projector during the daily movie, I once put a Petty Officer on his face during a drill because he didn't have an I.D. Card and he had taken his shirt off; it was fun my boot on his neck - shotgun to his temple - and all while I couldn't stand the guy because he thought that He was in charge of the Marines there (yeah right).  There was once a time when the entire detachment showed up at Mt. Santa Rita, drunk as a skunk with Sgt Mack (NCOIC) being the worst because he provided the bottle of Jack while inroute to the mountain in the duty van, I thought that he was dead because he slept almost non-stop for the entire week after that.  You can't forget the monkies on the mountain, they were fun to watch and we used to get into trouble for feeding them oranges.  There was a time when my buddy; Marrero had called on the radio from Alpha Company's quarterdeck in Subic and he told me on the radio "Bro' you have a whole shitload of mail down here with a big fuckin' package from home".  I was doing push-ups forever for that - thanks Marlo!  Before I left, I made sure that I had a Mt. Santa Rita command ball cap, T-shirt, and I took the command placard off of the duty vehicle and I still have them stashed away. A lot of good memories spent on top of that mountain especially during Kennel Guard going up against those cheating Seals "Iron Butterfly".  We would watch them coming up the hill, detect them with the motion sensors, shoot them up with blanks, and then they would throw a flash bang and try and claim the victory; bunch of steroid babies - they never did impress me!

Posted 3-30-03
IC1(SW) Moses A. Clark, Retired, Dec 1986 - Dec 1988
bellm006@hawaii.rr.com

Hey Bob, just was surfing the web and saw this sight. I know your message is quite old, but if you happen to go back into this sight, send me a line. I retired in July 1999 on the the USS Safeguard (ARS-50). Now I'm a Merchant Marine and sail for Matson Navigation Co.

Posted 10-25-03
Tom Campbell, Dependent, 1956 - 1961
thcamp@tampabay.rr.com

Subic Bay Naval Station, Ship Repair Facility. I was 13 years old, beginning my 8th. grade, when my family and I arrived at Subic Bay. Attended the on base George Dewey Jr./Sr. High School while my father worked as a U.S. Civil Service employee, a foreman of one of the machine shops at this facility. Left the P.I. when I graduated from high school in 1961 to attend college back in my home town of Tampa, Florida.

Due to the escalation of the cold war threat in the mid 50's, there was some very serious expansion of U.S. military capabilities on the Subic Bay Naval Reservation due to its strategic location.  The Navy Seabees had just finished leveling a mountain side which became Cubi Point Naval Air Station.  Near that same time frame the top of Mt. Santa Rita had been leveled, the "million dollar highway" built to the summit and the construction of the microwave link tower was just finishing up. Anybody on parts of the base could easily see the tower many miles away because Mt. Santa Rita stood noticeably taller than its surrounding terrain.

In 1956, the Seabees had not finished the expansion of the Kalayaan housing area and we had to live in the upstairs part of a duplex in Olongapo for six months before a house became available to my family. Living in the middle of Olongapo, was an experience in itself, a culture shock!, that I will never forget! I was catching rides on jeepnees to get to the base to go to the hobby shop, skating rink, pool, movies, etc. at a young age (that is practically unheard of in modern times). At least a navy bus would go into town to take us "military brats" to and from the school on base. Once we moved into our house on the military reservation I could see "that radio relay tower", a few miles closer, but still far away, easily by day and its red blinking aircraft warning beacon light at night. I was always curious about it and wanted to go there.  I finally got the opportunity, at last!, to go to the top of Mt. Santa Rita some 2 1/2 years after I first arrived at Subic Bay.

We frequently had school field trips to board and tour aircraft carriers, heavy cruisers, destroyers, mine sweepers, submarines and just about everything the navy had that floated. My most memorable field trip was to Corregidor Island in January of 1957 when the small water tanker vessel, the Mark (AKL-12) took us there (at 10 knots or less); 4 hours on the boat each way. We had about a 2 hour limited guided tour of Corregidor, a lot of shell holes, bullet holes in all buildings and a lot of rubble from the war that ended just short of 12 years from the time we were there.  The island hadn't been cleared of all live or unexploded ammo when I was there.  The second most memorable school trip was in January of 1959 when we toured the Santa Rita Mountain Microwave Relay Facility. It was during the dry season, no clouds and the view of Subic Bay, the Seven Sister's mountain peaks, Olongapo and Cubi Point was absolutely spectacular! Claude Darden, my friend in the same class, made some very clear, sharp and beautiful color 35mm slide photos while we were there. We've been in touch by email in recent years and I'm going to talk him into sending photos to the webmaster not only of the vista from the tower, but photos that will help fill the gaps of other usmilitarypi.com links.

Posted 12-25-03
Greg Bucsit Jr.  Station Engineer, 1987 - 1992
greg_bucsit_jr@yahoo.com

Hi, I was surfing the net and stumbled on this site. Looking at the pictures did bring back the memories of those days at NLS.  I served as the link between the different batches of ET's and RM's ensuring that they were trained on the different Microwave and Multiplexing equipment.  I want to hear from all the people I worked with.

I am presently working at Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, United Arab Emirates on the GSM Mobile Network. I hope to hear from any of the guys.

Posted 1-22-04
Peter Matthews, PO1, 1986 - 1989
Electronics Technician
peter.matthews@navy.mil or dextrous51@yahoo.com
Perla Matthews at: petespearl616@hotmail.com or pearl2166@iwon.com

Hello everyone! I was surfing about Subic Bay and found this site. And oh what a surprise! Thank goodness. Reminds me of the "good ole days" in Subic Bay, Olongapo City. PHILS. I am the dependent spouse of Peter Matthews who served in Mt Sta. Rita Link Station from spring of 1986 until spring of 1989 as an ET. Bob and Moses, Pete will be retiring this year. He is now stationed in NAS-JRB Fort Worth, TX. I also included my email addresses just in case the ladies wanna get hold of me.  Just went through the pictures taken during that party held in Grande Island. Been wondering where are all the others now. Would really appreciate if we all could communicate again even just through emails. MORE POWER TO YOU! God bless all the people who had served in Mt. Sta. Rita LINKSTAY as well as their families. Posted by: Perla 

Posted 9-6-04
Kevin Sumpter, (Ret), 1985 - 1987
Kevin.Sumpter@ferc.gov

I was stationed at Santa Rita from 85-87 as part of the naval security force. Where did you such nice pictures of the mountains early years?

Posted 9-14-04
Gary Withrow, CYN3, December 1965 - October 1967
withr6@aol.com

Thanks for the site.  Would enjoy hooking up with guys that served on the mountain during that time.  Returned in 1993, after the based closed, and enjoyed seeing all the changes.

Posted 9-14-04
Dianne Causey, 1982 - 1984
dianneic@msn.com

Hello Mt. STA Rita! - My first duty station in the Navy 1982-1984.  I believe I was the first woman to be stationed there.  My OIC was a vietnam vet that hated monkeys and snakes.  He would go into the jungle, kill snakes and take pictures of them for his wall.  I was an SKSN and made third class before I left.  We had one Chief stationed there, his name RMC Carmen who I believe retired in the PI.  Are there any fellow shipmates out there that were stationed there with me. My name at the time was Dianne Iacopella.  Love to hear from you....   P.S.  I retired Feb 2002 while stationed in Virginia after 20 years of faithful service.

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