U.S. Navy Vietnam War Mundelein, IL Flight date: July, 2019
By Carla Khan, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interviews Volunteer
Joining the Navy seemed just the right thing to do for young Stewart Margolis from New York City. He enlisted and, barely 18-years-old, found himself at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago. The start was a little rough because he got German measles but after that, it was smooth sailing. Boot Camp and subsequent special training were so encouraging that Stewart decided to take advantage of each and every opportunity of learning and training that the Navy would offer. It was a decision that would serve him well throughout his Navy career. His first training was as an Electronics Tech for Controlled Firing and Missile Systems quickly followed by computer operations training for the Terrier System, surface to air missiles with a 40-mile range. The electronics training was all in Great Lakes and the missile training in Dam Neck, Virginia.
His first ship was the USS Leahy out of Charleston, South Carolina, patrolling the Atlantic and deployment to the Mediterranean. At this time, the Navy asked Stewart for an additional four-year commitment and he readily agreed. He enjoyed Navy life, its regimentation, the new things he learned and the responsibility as well as all the new people he met. After a brief return to Great Lakes, his next assignment was on board a brand new ship, the USS Biddle which was a guided missile cruiser with a target range of 40 miles. They ran the necessary tests and when the equipment passed, they left Norfolk, Virginia, in February, 1968 for Vietnam via Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines. Although they were out at sea, technically they were in a war zone which required long duty shifts, 24/7 vigilance and 45-day rotations. They even had a search and rescue helicopter on board for possible missions, but never needed its services. The crew monitored air traffic — friendly as well as the enemy’s. There was one incident which occurred when their relief ship, the USS Chicago was anchored so close by that on the radar screen the two ships looked like one. An enemy aircraft, probably thinking it was at a safe distance, ventured too close and, according to Stewart, was shot down by the USS Chicago which had a missile range of 100 miles.
Captain Scott had been so pleased with his crew that, instead of going home the way they had come, he treated his men on a trip around the world. The first stop was Vietnam followed by visits to Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, back to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mozambique, Cape Verde Islands, Lisbon, Copenhagen, and finally back to Norfolk. Yes, for Stewart it literally was “Join the Navy and See the World!”
His experience had been so good that he readily accepted the Navy’s offer to serve a one-year tour on a “reconditioned” ship, the USS Harry E. Yarnell. Besides, their cool hats said “HEY.” Stewart couldn’t resist. After this deployment, he had already completed six years of his 10-year commitment and it was time for shore duty which meant going back to Great Lakes but this time as an instructor.
In order to earn some pocket change, he occasionally babysat for senior officers’ families. This surprisingly paid off in more than one way. The wife of one the officers wanted to introduce him to a lovely young lady. Stewart was not interested and refused several times till he was threatened in a friendly way to accept the blind date or forget about ever babysitting for her again. He begrudgingly agreed to meet up with “Lois” from Kenosha, Wisconsin. They went out not only on one date, but hit it off so well that they met again the next day and the next and the next. In fact, they were so busy dating that Stewart had no more time to babysit. They were married in December, 1973.
Around that time, Stewart also received another offer from the Navy, this time it was an all-expenses paid 2-year scholarship if he would sign on for an additional six years. Remembering his vow to learn as much as he could, Stewart readily accepted and the newlyweds set off for Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he graduated two years later with high honors.
His last deployment was on the USS Josephus Daniels, a CG27 guided missile cruiser out of Norfolk, Virginia. His rank by now was Chief Petty Officer and he received many awards. Lois, meantime, was in Norfolk with their little boy. Only one thing did not go as planned: during a cruise to the Mediterranean, Stewart was suddenly called to the communications center because there was an important message. He had become the father of a second boy who had his own schedule and arrived almost 2 weeks prior to planned. Stewart quickly exchanged his plane tickets and flew home where his family was delighted to see him. The cruise was completed with Stewart as a Chief Fire Control Technician.
Thanks to his diligence and love of learning, when it was time for shore duty, he was called back to the Great Lakes Training Station where in 1982 he was offered the position of Master Training Specialist. He particularly enjoyed working with the young recruits and established a very effective preventive counseling program. Of his 1,250 students, the drop-out rate went down to less than one percent! The Navy also encouraged him to be involved in a civilian function and become a member of the North Chicago Elementary School Board.
On September 30, 1983, the day to retire and say goodbye to the Navy had finally come. Stewart embarked on a new career, using his acquired Navy skills. He was employed by Motorola, Harris Lanier, and Sprint in various electrotechnical supervisory positions. After accepting an early retirement offer, he worked as a private consultant for the Chicago Public School system where he installed cellular networks in many schools.
At last, it was time to really retire and enjoy time with his wife, Lois, their two sons and their families including four grandchildren. But Stewart is not sitting still; he does volunteer work and has become a competitive bridge player!