Recollections of Tony Mongillo
My rate in the navy was RM3rd class. A lot of things happened while I
was aboard the Nassau....One time at general quarters, my battle station was a place way
down in the ship, probably 3 decks down, where we had all kinds of radio stuff and a
direction finder I used to turn on and hear music from a radio station, I think from
Japan. Anyway, during general quarters a lot of us had battle helmets and headphones on
and we could talk to each other only if it was in the line of duty, One time I happened to
push the talk button and the music was piped all over the ship......All at once a voice
came over the head phone and it was the Commander (second in charge over the captain) and
he wanted to know who it was that did this (AWFUL ACT) he said I know it’s a radio
man and I want to know who it is......Well that morning he came into the radio room and
wanted to know who it was, and if he didn't own up to it there was no liberty in Pearl
Harbor for any radioman when we get there, which was our destination at that time. Well
everybody looked at me and I had to own up to it and I thought I was going to the brig,
but I got a good talking to from the Commander and our own Communication officer and I
never did that again, but I continued to listen to the radio down in radio 2.
Tony Mongillo
08/15/02