Monticello (LSD 35) - Naval Cruise Book

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SEPT 25, 1976 It ' s said the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. For the MONTICELLO that single step began on the 25th of September 1976. The stores were loaded, our tanks were full, all of the last minute details, the final preparations had been made. It was time to get underway. It was a day we had planned for months and now it was finally here. There were loved ones to say goodbye to, wives to give that last passionate kiss to, children to give that last hearty hug. Somehow it all seemed harder to say goodbye than we had originally thought. But we ' d be back. Everyone knew that we ' d be back and those tears of sorrow would turn to tears of joy. UNDERWAY . . . the navigator plots a course to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. WESTPAC 1976-77 had begun. m

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It was now our turn to assume the watch over peace in the Western Pacific. The MONTICELLO, an integral part of Amphibious Squadron One, with her 350 officers and crew and her embarked detachments, was now at the ready to confront any threat to peace in the South Pacific and the Far East. During our eight months overseas we would call on many countries, sail over 30,000 miles and meet thousands of new faces. If anything is to be said about the schedule of our 76-77 deployment, it couldn ' t be called dull. Many of us would cross the earth ' s equator for the first time, an experience in itself. Then there was the promise of a port call in Australia. For many it would be their first time setting foot on Australian soil and the promise of new friends and new experiences in the land of Kangaroos made the trip all the more alluring. The warmth and vitality of the Philippines is no secret among American sailors and Subic Bay, our overseas homeport, promised to be no less exciting. MONTICELLO sailors returning to Subic looked forward to renewing acquaintances, while those making their first trip were eager to see and experience for themselves the city they had heard so much about. Later in the cruise our schedule called for a trip to the Pearl of the Orient Hong Kong, a city many of us had only read or heard about. For the first timer there was much to see and do in the city of Hong Kong. Then there were the other scheduled ports of call; Guam, the American territory with a culture all its own, the magic of the people and culture of Thailand and, of course, the port call of South Korea. All served to make WESTPAC 76-77 an adventure to look forward to.