Hi, I'm Eddie Luffman. I know the name up above says
Elden, and you can call me Elden, but I'll probably think
you are calling my dad and won't answer. I first entered
the Navy in Sept 1973. Did the bootcamp thing, came out and instead of
heading off to Vietnam, I went to Electronics Technician school. By the
time I finished all the schools the Navy thought I needed it was Feb 1975.
By then they were looking at pulling all the Armed Forces out of Vietnam.
After hearing what my Dad had to say, others had to say, the news, and books
I've read about Vietnam, I guess it was a God send that I didn't go. Many
weren't as lucky as I was, many lost their lives, and many are still there
waiting to come home. My first real tour of duty was aboard the USS John F.
Kennedy (CV-67). Yep, an Aircraft Carrier, commonly know as a "Bird Farm".
I spent 3 1/2 years aboard the Kennedy. I then went to CINCLANTFLT
(Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet) for 2 years. At that time (1980) my
enlistment was up and I decided to get out and work in the "real world".
So I moved to North Carolina and spent the next 4 years working for TELEX
Computer Products, a company home based out of Tulsa, OK. TELEX was a good
company, and I enjoyed the work, but something was missing, the Navy. So
when opportunity knocked, I answered. I reenlisted and got stationed at the
Reserve Center in Greensboro, NC (part of the reenlistment deal). I spent 4
years there before transfering to the USS Clifton Sprague (FFG-16) in
Philidelphia, PA. I left the Sprague in 1991 and returned to the Reserve
Center in Greensboro, NC for another tour. Not many have pulled that off.
It was a real good deal for me because my family still lived there.
After another 3 years in Greensboro I went to my final duty station, EOD
MU-12 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 12), in Charleston, SC. I
spent 2 years and seven months with EOD. On July 18, 1997 I started terminal
leave with a final retirement date of 31 August 1997.
Below are the ribbons I am entitled to wear. 6 of the 11 ribbons have medals
that accompany them.
My Dad (left), and me 1997. Click on picture to see a larger version.
