Tom Oshgan: Honeymoon Surprise

By Marilyn Lucas, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

Imagine the surprise reaction to the draft letter Tom received upon returning from his honeymoon. With little hesitation, Tom enlisted in the Navy. Not wanting to serve on land in Vietnam, along with his interest in flying and ships, choosing the Navy was an easy decision. He served the Navy from 1970 to 1974.

Tom began his naval career at Great Lakes Naval Training Center where he attended Operations Specialist Training. Furthering his education with Electronic Warfare Training at Norfolk,Virginia and Newport, RI., prepared him for his service on the new Destroyer Escort DE1078 USS Joseph Hewes. Tom was a “plank owner” on the USS Joseph Hewes destroyer. Plank owner was the title given to the original members of a newly commissioned ship. 

In 1972, he served on nuclear fast attack submarine SSN Jack for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) training, learning submarine defensive tactics. The majority of 1972 his ship patrolled the coast from Saigon to Cam Ranh Bay, DaNang, Hue, Quang Tri and Vinh  in Vietnam. They were performing naval gunfire support, anti-submarine warfare, air defense, aircraft carrier plane guard and search and rescue operations as needed along with drone recovery operations as required. The ship was stationed roughly 10 miles off the coast of Vietnam as that was the range of the missiles.

The goal was to fire 1100 rounds of shells each night to keep the enemy awake. When intelligence was received regarding troops, bridges, or tanks, the ship would move within a 6 mile range in order to maximize the shelling of specific targets. As an operations specialist, Tom’s responsibilities varied from search and rescue for a pilot that was stranded, to retrieving mission information, thus preventing the information from falling into the hands of the enemy. Tom had top clearance in order to gather this information. 

“Join the Navy …See the World” certainly applied to Tom. He has circumnavigated the globe, crossed the equator, experienced the north and south Atlantic, and Pacific oceans, along with the Mediterranean Sea. China, Japan, Philippines, Kenya, Spain, and Greece are a few of the countries he had visited through his naval experience. He has maintained a relationship with the brotherhood formed during his service on the USS Joseph Hewes. A May, 2023 reunion is planned in Las Vegas. As one can see in the photo below, Tom is ready for that reunion.

Tom was very interested in sharing his experience during The Yom Kippur War in  October of 1973. He mentioned this was the largest naval confrontation of the Cold War, not the Cuban missile crisis. There were 42 ships patrolling the area from both the Soviet Union and NATO forces. As the fierce battles raged between Israel and the Arab neighbors, the U.S. Sixth Fleet and the Soviet Mediterranean squadron circled each other a few hundred miles out to sea with their commanders’ fingers on the button. Things were so tense at one point, the Sixth Fleet commander sent a message to his Soviet counterpart requesting him to adhere to the accord obliging their vessels not to point guns or missiles. On a lighter note, Tom tells the story of how the ships were so close they could throw a baseball and hit the deck of the enemy. On one occasion they were able to see the Russian crew who were holding up the centerfolds of Playboy magazines to incite the American crew. The American crew lined up along the ship, turning their backs to the Russians, then bending over and allowing them to see the “American Moons.”

Upon returning to America, it was difficult for many of the Vietnam vets to find jobs. So many of the vets were drafted at a young age without completing any formal training or education. Many employers did not feel the Vietnam experience qualified these young men in the job market. Fortunately for Tom, he had some college prior to his service and his experience with engineering opened the doors for him at Motorola. Motorola paid for him to finish his education and employed him as a mechanical engineer.

Tom resides in Mount Prospect with his wife Cynthia. He is still working for Optimal Design as a mechanical engineer. He and Cynthia raised two sons, Rob and Steve, who followed in their father’s footsteps as mechanical engineers. He is entertaining the idea of retiring to continue his passion of traveling the world. Tom answered one final question during the interview. Would you do it again? “YES” His closing remark, “Home of the Free because of the Brave.”

Tom, thank you for your years of courageous service to our country. Enjoy your day of honor as you experience Washington D.C. for the first time.