USS William H. Standley (DLG/CG-32)
Biography of Webmaster
CW3 Charles F. Mitchell (US Army/Ret.)

Born and reared in Brundidge, Alabama (Pike County - 11 miles south of Troy, AL)
PCHS Class of 1957
US Navy 1956-1974.

US Navy Duty Stations:

Boot Camp, SDiego, CA, Co 554, 1956, SR-SA;
FT/"A" School, SDiego, 1957, SA-FTSN;
USS Fessenden (DER-142), 1957-1960, FTSN-FTG2;
USS Boston (CAG-1), 1960-1963, FTG2-FTM1;
FT/"C" School, GLakes, IL, 1963-1966, FTM1-FTMC-WO1;
USS Newport News (CA-148), 1966-1968; WO1-CWO2;
FAAWTC, Dam Neck, VA, 1968-1970, CWO2;
USS William H. Standley (DLG-32)(BEST DUTY!!), 1970-1971, CWO2;
NavCruitDist, Montgomery, AL, 1971-1972, CWO2-CWO3;
USS America (CVA-66), 1972-1974, CWO3;

US ARMY 1991-1996
A/3/112 FA, NJ ARNG, 1991-1996, SSG
Counter Drug Support Program - ATF, Fairfield, NJ, 1993-1996, SSG-CW3
Retired - 1 June 1996, CW3

WHY DID I GET OUT?
The reason for my broken service is as follows. I enlisted in the Navy in Nov 56, worked up from SR to FTMC, and was appointed to WO1 in 1966. My first tour as a warrant was on the USS Newport News (CA-148). I got divorced shortly after I left the Newport News, and married again in late 1970. I sued for custody of my 3 kids from my first marriage, and won. The courts wouldn't let me take them out of the state of Ala while I was subject to 'long family separations'. So, I resigned my commission in 1974, and reared the children. I had 17 years, 1 month and 28 days in before I got out.

After the kids were adult, I tried to go back into the Navy, and they wouldn't give me the right time of day. I even asked the recruiter about going on permanent mess cooking for 3 years as a SN - no dice. The nearest Navy Reserve unit didn't have any billets for an FT or a Fire Control Gunner. I screwed around until I was almost past the max age, and then enlisted in the NJ ARNG in Jan 1991 (SSG-E6 - Section Chief of Fire Direction Center in a Field Artillery Battalion). I volunteered for active duty at every opportunity, and in 1993, I got back on active duty. I finished the 20 years in 1996, and retired in grade on 1 June 1996 (at the age of 57) after getting reappointed to CW3 (the Army's designation for a CWO3). I was re-appointed as a Tow/Dragon Missile Repair Tech. I have been living in the same house in Clifton, NJ since we bought it in Oct 1977.