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He remembers being called to general quarters, and relates a harrowing incident between him and a Marine detachment moving a nuclear weapon aboard ship. He talks of memorial services and the emotional reserve of the serviceman. In addition to his duties as chaplain's assistant he was a hull repair technician. The Caribbean cruise lasted nine months and he witnessed a hurricane's impact. Konz-Krzyminski talks of his two deployments, to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. He speaks of electric typewriters and payroll ledger books, of the Presbyterian chaplain who was a big brother to him, and of another chaplain who had a drinking problem. He explains why working in the chaplain's office was "an injection of humanity" in the world of a nuclear-armed aircraft carrier. He talks of dating and of gay bars in the 70s. Raymond expresses his awe at the city that was the aircraft carrier, with 5,000 people and eighty planes and his consciousness of standing out aboard ship with his Navy jeans and baseball cap. Obeying the orders of the man he had volunteered to replace, Konz-Krzyminski arrived at the USS Independence docked in Norfolk, Virginia. Konz-Krzyminski further describes his time in Biloxi as a period of greater awareness of his sexual orientation aided by a 1970's national culture that was bringing to the fore the disco group Village People.
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He describes the basics learned: how to "rig" for church services, handling the chaplain's billet, filing, counseling. At that time, the Navy did not have a school for chaplain's assistant. In Biloxi, Mississippi, at Keesler Air Force Base, he became a yeoman with a Religious Petty Officer specialty. Konz-Krzyminski's orders leaving A School were to report to Naval Air Command in San Diego, California, but he instead volunteered as a substitute in a religious specialist training program. He left yeoman school as an E-2, seaman apprentice, explaining why his attempt to become an E-4 petty officer was unsuccessful. After basic training Konz-Krzyminski went to administrative training school in Meridian, Mississippi. Konz-Krzyminski covers what he learned, skills in basic training as well as terms used in the barracks. He found basic training to be congenial as he states that he likes rules, and structure and camaraderie prevailed there. Passing the physical he then began basic training. Upon completion of the "Fat Boy Training Company" and after a stay in sick bay for a surgical procedure, Konz-Krzyminski went to a medical holding company. He joined a Blue Jacket choir and performed at recruit graduations. He tells of being assigned to the "Fat Boy Training Company" after passing the swimming test but failing the physical.
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His basic training would last twenty-six weeks. Konz-Krzyminski's first stop was at Orlando, Florida, for basic training. He tested high in typing skills and would be trained as a clerical assistant. Konz-Krzyminski recalls his confusion at a question on his enlistment papers regarding homosexuality. With the Air Force recruiter at lunch, Raymond was Navy-bound. At his brother-in-law's suggestion Raymond decided to pursue military service and visited a recruiting station. After a few years in Florida and a broken marriage engagement he returned to Milwaukee in 1975. He concluded that the priesthood was not to be his calling. A brief enrollment in a Diocesan seminary led him to stay with his retired parents in Florida. He states that he was planning to be a priest but was buffeted by confusion over his identity. The eighteen-year-old Konz-Krzyminski felt fortunate when the draft ended. His Catholic schooling and service as an altar boy combined with his deep patriotism to give him a moral compass in life. Peers ridiculed him due to his weight and lack of athleticism. These stories of duty, protection, and the military filled the young Konz-Krzyminski's consciousness. An extensive family roster that stretched back to a conscript ancestor in the army of the Russian czar. He had uncles who served in Second World War on D-Day and at Tarawa and an older brother in the Army Reserves.
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One of six children and son of a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, police detective, Konz-Krzyminski was conscious early on of a service ethic within his family. In this oral history interview, Raymond Paul Konz-Krzyminski discusses his service in the United States Navy from 1976 to 1978, including deployment aboard the USS Independence (CV-62).