Acadia (AD 42) - Naval Cruise Book

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COMMANDER THOMAS R. GILLESPIE WAS BORN IN COUNCIL BLUFFS. IOWA, ON JANUARY I2, I946, TO BURKE MONTROSE AND MARJORIE WILBUR GILLESPIE. HE ATTENDED ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL AND IS A I969 GRADUATE OF THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY. COMMANDER GILLESPlE'S FIRST DUTY ASSIGNMENT AFTER RECEIV- ING HIS COMMISSION IN I969 WAS IN PHILADELPHIA, PA, ABOARD USS C.S. SPERRY IDD697I. FOLLOWED BY A TOUR WITH THE USS VREELAND IDD-IO68I. HOMEPORTED IN CHARLESTON, SC, AFTER HIS TOUR WITH USS VREELAND. HE SPENT A TOUR AS SHORE PATROL OFFICER, NAVAL STATION, CHARLESTON. HE THEN ATTENDED DESTROYER SCHOOL IN RHODE ISLAND IN 1975. COMMANDER GILLESPlE'S NEXT TOUR OF DUTY WAS AS WEAPONS OFFICER ONBOARD LISS TRIPPE IFF- 10751, ALSO HOMEPORTED IN CHARLESTON. IN 1977, HE SPENT TWO YEARS AS THE OPERATIONS OFFICER ON DESTROYER SOLIAD- RON 34 STAFF. IN 1981, COMMAND- ER OILLESPIE ORADLIATED FROM THE NAVAL POST GRADUATE SCHOOL, MONTEREY, CA, WITH A MASTERS DEGREE IN ENGINEERING SCIENCE. PRIOR TO ASSIGNMENT AS EXECUTIVE OFFICER, USS ACA- DIA QAD-421, COMMANDER GILLESPIE WAS ATTACHED TO THE USS LONG BEACH ICGN-91 AS THE WEAPONS OFFICER. COMMANDER GILLESPIE HAS BEEN AWARDED THE NATIONAL DE' FENSE SERVICE MEDAL, MERITORI- OUS UNIT COMMENDATION AND THE .NAVY ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL- HE IS MARRIED TO THE FORMER DONNA M. GOHLINGHORST AND HAS TWO CHILDREN, MICHAEL, I0 YEARS OLD, AND SUSAN 4 YEARS OLD. THEY PRESENTLY RESIDE IN SAN DIEGO, CA.

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1- f gr . I . L X Q I THINK THE MOST REWARDING THING ABOUT BEINGA COMMAND- ING OFFICER IS WATCHING AND OBSERVING THE EFFORTS OF A WIDELY DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TOWARD A COMMON GOAL AND MAKING A COMPLEX ORGANIZATION LIKE A SHIP RUN. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CREW OFACADIA HAS BEEN UNSURPASSED. THERE 'S NOTA THING THIS SHIP HAS BEEN ASKED TO DO THAT IT HASN'T DONE WELL. I'VE FOUND THERE TO BE A REMARKABLE LEVEL OF SKILL AND DIVERSITY ON THE SHIP. l'LL MISS ACADIA AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THE CREW CAPTAIN FINCH IN A PENSIVE MOOD DURING THE CEREMONY. PERHAPS HE IS REFLECTING ON HIS 23 YEAR CAREER AND HIS TOUR ON ACADIA, WHICH HE REGARDED AS HIS MOST MEMORABLE ASSIGNMENT. COMMODORE BUTCHER PRESENT- ING CAPT FINCH WITH THE LEGION OF MERIT. CHAPLAIN DODD, CAPTAIN HAR- NESS, COMMANDER, TASK FORCE SEVEN THREE, COMMODORE BUTCHER AND CAPTAIN FINCH ON THE DAIS AS THE CHANGE OF COM- MAND CEREMONY BEGINS. COMMO- DORE BUTCHER WHO WAS OUR IM- MEDIATE SUPERIOR IN COMMAND WHILE ON DEPLOYMENT, ACTED AS GUEST SPEAKER. ' ,f s. N 3-ui . ..- I , :Ili , I N. .--Y:- I- ff... ,III

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, SSRSSNN X A It 5 1 ' I I - x A A RNNNNNX xxx X XS I 1' NCCM COLLMAN BEGAN HIS NAVAL CAREER WHILE STILL ATTENDING HIGH SCHOOL BY JOINING THE NA- VAL RESERVES. IN SEPTEMBER OF 1957 HE REPORTED TO USS HAS- SAYAMPA, WHERE HE BECAME A QUARTER MASTER. AFTER COM- PLETING TWO YEARS HE WAS RE- LEASED FROM ACTIVE DUTY TO THE RESERVES. FOR THE NEXT TWELVE AND A HALF YEARS, THE MASTER CHIEF REMAINED IN A DRILLING RESERVE STATUS. IN JUNE 1972, MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER COLLMAN RETURNED TO ACTIVE DUTY AS A OM1, FROM A RESERVE STATUS OF OMCS, IN TIME TO COMMISSION. USS KISKA IAE-351. FOLLOWING A BRIEF SEA APRIL 1982. TROR ON BOARD THE AMMUNITION VESSEL, HE REPORTED TO THE UNI- VERSITY OF KANSAS AS A NROTC INSTRUCTOR. IN AUGUST 1977, NCCM COLLMAN RETURNED TO SEA ON BOARD USS SPERRY CAS-121. IN 1979, HE CROSS RATED FROM OMCS TO NCCS, AND SHIPPED OVER TO THE REGULAR NAVY, AFTER COMPLETING 22 YEARS OF RESERVE SERVICE. MAS- TER CHIEF RETTY OFFICER COLL- MAN CAME ABOARD USS ACADIA IN NOVEMBER 1980 AS THE COMMAND CAREER COUNSELOR. HE WAS AD- VANCED TO NAVY COUNSELOR MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER IN WHILE ACTING AS THE LINK BE- TWEEN ENLISTED PERSONNEL AND OFFICERS, NCCM COLLMAN OFFERS VITAL ASSISTANCE NECESSARY IN A COMMAND OF THIS SIZE. STRESS- ING THE IMPORTANCE OF UTILIZING THE CHAIN OF COMMAND IS ONE OF THE MASTER CHIEF'S PRIORITIES. ANOTHER IS THE WELCOMING ABOARD OF NEW PERSONNEL, AND GETTING THEM THROUGH A COM- PLETE INDOCTRINATION PROGRAM. HE IS MARRIED TO THE FORMER CAROLYN SONS, AND HAS A DAUGH- TER, PATTY, AND A SON, BRETT.