Gurke (DD 783) - Naval Cruise Book

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tgirl' , ,nv-ul-'1 ,f-ff T-473-' 'n' IW' 'tg' CHINHAE MISS AMERICA f. Probably the last thing a destroyerman expects to find waiting for him on the Pier upon the return from an anti-submarine warfare exercise is Miss America and six other state beauty queens. However, that's exactly what welcomed back the men of the GURKE from the TAE KWON DO I exercise at the port of Chinhae, Korea in spring of 1973. Along with Miss America were Miss lndiana, Miss California, Miss Delaware, Miss Kansas. Miss Maryland, and Miss Oregon. The girls were on a tour of the Far East sponsored by the USO and couldn't pass up a chance to entertain such a captive audience. As show time came the GURKE men surrounded the ASROC Deck to watch the girls do a delightful song and dance routine. As always some people are generally luckier than others and such was the case with PN2 Gary Show, who had the honor of escorting Miss America for the day. Sharing in his good fortune were FA Richard New and HT3 Jack Culver who escorted Miss Maryland and Miss Oregon. Rumors were reported later that these men applied for hazardous duty pay, after all what could be more hazardous than escorting Miss America around the decks of the GURKE when all anyone else had was their division officers. . . , 0 w , 1 'W- I Q ,, lil g 1 .l' . l 9:11 I

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V' r. A... .... COWBOYS FROM THE GURKE While USS GURKE plunged through Pacific swells off Japan one day this fall, two of ner crew were west of Tokyo aboard the rolling, twisting backs of bucking horses. The unusual swapping of deck plates for horse flesh was made by enlisted men Ron Ford and Gary Jenkins. For about three weeks while the GURKE was operating with the U.S. Seventh Fleet, they were Fiodeoing with the Casey Tibbs Wild Western Show 20-miles from Tokyo. lt was a life every sailor turned cowboy could enioy: plenty of bucking horses, street brawls, pretty girls and all the Sukiyaki a strapping six-footer in cowboy boots could eat. The Tibbs Show was making its second appearance in Japan on a tour that will even- I 1 tually take it to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand. Tibbs is a six time winner of the world title for Bronco Riding and has iwice captured the All-Around Cowboy Crown. Tibbs' Show is made up of more than 100 American Cowboys, Cowgirls and Indians, as well as live stock and reproduction of a frontier town and indian village. Ford and Jenkins managed to sign on with Tibbs' outfit with the permission of CDR. Holland and through the Cooperation of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. They were allow- ed to participate in the show on no cost temporary additional Orders. They appeared before tens of thousands of Japanese people of all ages. Both Ford and Jenkins were born and raised in Texas and were not strangers to the show's 120 horses and ponies, 12 cows and calves, and three buffalo. Ford is from Springtown, by Fort Worth, and Jenkins comes from Pampa, near Amarillo. Each claims to have been astride a horse before they could walk. They carry boots, hats and spurs aboard GURKE, where Ford is a machinery repairman and Jenkins is a hull technician. Along with riding horses, steer and buffalo twice a day, seven days a week, Ford and Jenkins filled in as the Bad Guys in simulated street brawls, handed out pamphlets to visitors, and gave pony rides to wide-eyed children. The Wild Western Show wasn't exactly like being back home in Texas, but the two GURKE sailors felt they had found the best of the West in the Far East. ,',u. SU?

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