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[IP = 64.68.239.84] -United States 
Graduated RM "A" school on Dec 22 1961 and entered Panamanian water via the good ship USNS (Rupshured) Upshur (spelling ?) in Feb 1962. Hot and humid as hell. Within a month placed and ad in the Navy Times looking for a swap. No takers, thank you. After being there for a few months I was ready to stay for years. Did not like the crazy shift work. Three mids, double back to three swings, and double back to three days with 72 hours off and start again. There was no leave issued until two of us were allowed 30 days in Apr 63. You had to be there for over a year and have over a year left before being eligible for leave. Whet home to marry my sweetheart during that leave. A few days before being married the Thresher went down. My bride and I were married on Sun the 28th of Apr and we arrived on Wed morning and back to work on Thur. What a honeymoon. No housing available at Farfan but I arranged for housing in Coccoli (near the old bridge over the canal).Before being married we would get off the first swing shift and head to town for a dinner of steak, a Pepsi and a tip for $1.00. Then head to "J" street for some rum and cokes for .20 a pop. Base pay for a seaman was about $64.00 a month. WOW. Second swing, maybe do it again. And for sure after your last day shift. That way you could adjust your sleep to start the mids again. They rotated one person off each shift for pub corrections and when my turn came, Chief Butrum told me that was my new job. Not bad, day shifts and a duty day every 6 days. Ticked a few people off. I did not ask for it. A few months before leaving I had to help a career 1st Class do traffic analysis. Busted my butt. On the bright side, before being married a practicly lived at the pool. Even made it point to jump in the pool between a mid and a swing on Christmas day. I was given time to captain the Navy swimming team and we were champians over all the services in the Canal Zone for two years in the row. Rah-Rah. Spent time after day shifts going through the antenna field to the beach. Usually with a case of beer. Movies were free in the evenings and they even paid me .75 a night to show first run movies. Had to fight your way to the theater through a ground full of taratulas. Use to throw sh&t can cover over them and stomp on them. Never ending battle. Also remember laying at the pool with all the scorpions. We survived the Cuban crisis (a story in itself) ,we later found out how close we were to war but during the crisis (port and starboard) the communications was shut down except one "nerk" circuit so we could wash and wax the decks, Kennedy"s assasination and the first Panama crisis in Jan 64. Flash Flash Flash messages up the gazoo. Enough, send notes. Larry
[IP = 74.203.114.254] -United States
I am looking for a color picture of the NBA Station Patch. As a member of TOGETHER WE SERVED NAVY.. web site ( pretty cool if you haven't checked it out), I am trying to get the patch added to their site. They dont have it, to include. I found a black and white but I need the color scheme so their graphics guy can do some majic. BTW... have enjoyed reading the posts since I found this site a year ago or so. Cheers!.. Gina
[IP = 74.170.41.233] -United States
Jack told me about this site and thought I would check it out. I lived in the WAVE cage (anyone remember that term) at Farfan. Tho I wasn't a RM or ET I hung out with them. Anyone know where Rhonda Logsden or Terri Burnette is? After leaving NSC BALBOA I went to NAS Meridian, COMNAVACT London, PSA UK/NOREUR, RTC Orlando, USS GRASP (ARS-51), and NORU Pensacola. Retired in May 94 as SKC and moved back to Orlando.
[IP = 75.140.119.44] -United States
I arrived at Farfan on May 19, 1971. I was assigned to work at the CommCenter in Fort Amador and lived in both barracks at Farfan while I was there. It was a great place to live with the swimming pool, Bohio, baseball field and adjacent jungle. When I first arrived there was plastic sheeting on the windows, large pole fans and a myriad of bugs that had to be swept off the bed before retiring. About half way through my time there the two story and three story main barracks were extensively remodeled with glass windows, suspended ceilings, air conditioning and new furniture for each room. There were two types of furniture, a western style wooden locker, bedstead, and chairs and tables. The other was a modern style wooden locker, blue upholstered modern chairs and chrome table lamps and fixtures. The EM Club on the first floor was pretty shabby with white walls and hand drawn black figures of mermaids, sharks, etc. When the barracks were redone so was the club. There was a new wooden bar, wooden tables and chairs, pinball machines, red flocked wallpaper and mirrors on the columns. There was also a dance floor and band platform constructed at the same time. The Galley was great, always good food. My third year there saw the arrival of Navy Waves who were quartered on the second floor of the main barracks across from the galley and an aluminun door with security keypad was installed, but there was usually a tennis shoe lodged in the doorway so that everyone had free and easy access to it. The duty room on the first floor never changed, it looked the same when I got there and when I left. There was a small library in the corner of the duty room that I never saw anyone in. We had a 2-2-2 and 80 watch schedule and Headquarters personnel traveled to the CommSta in Navy Carryalls. The C.O was Commander Burch and the X.O. was LCmdr John D. Morris. Being stationed at Farfan for 3 1/2 years was great, had a car and motorcycle, we used to travel to Rio Mar often and pretty much anywhere else we could find. You couldn't find any better duty in the whole Navy in my opinion. Life was easy, work was work, never wore uniforms off duty and we were pretty much left to ourselves. I've missed it for 35 years now. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I could.
[IP = 97.126.87.164] -United States
I arrived at NAVCOMSTA Balboa in '71 and left in '72. Barely survived the party. Lots of great memories. I have been in touch with Wayne Elliott.
[IP = 68.231.94.206] -United States
[IP = 68.192.86.106] -United States
I WAS FIRST STATIONED UP AT SUMMIT FOR ABOUT A YEAR. IT WAS GREAT.. HAD LOTS OF LAUGHS.. SUMMIT ZOO WAS OUR HANG OUT WHEN WE HAD NO MONEY TO GO INTO TOWN. RALPH BOTTE, JIM COLE, FRANK VOYSCIK, ( HE IS NO LONGER WITH US.. HE WORKED IN THE MINES IN PENN, AND CAME DOWN WITH THE LUNG CANCER.. REALLY GREAT GUY) THERE WERE A FEW MARINES ALSO, TRAINTOR WAS ONE, TOMMY BARROW (CLIDE) WAS ANOTHER... THEN I WAS DOWN IN FAR FAN FOR ANOTHER YEAR... HEY CHIEF HANRAHAN, REMEMBER ME???? I PLAYED 3rd BASE FOR YOU DURING THE 69 SEASON.. WE HAD A GOOD TEAM.. ALSO SPENT A LOT OF TIME UP AT RIO MAR... WENT THERE WHEN WE HAD A 72 ON THE WEEKENDS WHEN WE GOT PAID.. THAT WAS A GREAT PLACE... THEY HAD THE BEST FRENCH TOAST.. AND THE COFFEE WAS GOOD... I CAN TASTE IT NOW... ANOTHER GREAT PLACE TO EAT IN TOWN WAS NAPOLI ITALIAN RESTURANT, RIGHT DOWN THE BLOCK FROM THE GOLDEN KEY... IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE WHEN I WAS LATER MAZ
[IP = 190.5.238.243] -Panama 
I was a Shift supervisor at the US Navy Commercial Radotelegraph station, COMLE, located on the ground floor of the Farfan communications station, where a total of 21 US and Panamanian civilians worked on a 24 hour basis.
The mission of COMLE was to provide Private, Commercial, and Panama Canal message traffic worldwide via H/F radio telegraphy utilizing several 10KW transmitters at Summit. The receivers utilized at COMLE Farfan were the famous Collins R-390 mechanical digital frequency readout.
COMLE was forced to close down October 31st 1979 in agreement with the Panamanian government to take control of all Commercial communications in and out of the Canal Zone, at which time I was then assigned to work at Ft Amador, assisting in maintaining equipment with the civilian Mr. Carlson, and assisting the CMS Custodian, Mr.Charley Waller, whom some of you probably remember.
I was then reassigned to NAS Corpus Christy and shortly thereafter was reassigned to the Pentagon DOD main communications center.
Retired from DOD Pentagon and relocated in 1997 to live in Panama City, Panama. Ham Radio Operator, call signs: KZ5AN (FCC) and HP1XRH ( PANAMA ).
[IP = 63.122.231.194] -United States
Stationed at the HQ Building of Navcommsta Balboa from 79-81 and at IANTN Farfan 89-91. Another Guest asked about "Charlie" the bartender at the Cellar Club. Last I saw him he was working at the EM Club (Anchorage Club) on the Rodman Naval Station in the early 90's. I also saw that Warrant Officer Barton had posted. He put in a good word for a knucklehead Seaman at XOI back in late 79 or early 80 and got him off the hook. I still thank Mr. Barton for that today and would say: Roll Tide!
[IP = 76.83.31.54] -United States
Hi Guys- I was stationed at Navcomsta Balboa from June 1966 through June 1968, my time in the Navy and at Navcomsta was a turning point in my life and prepared me for any small amount of success or achievement I have attained since. Lots of memories from that time. Anyone got a box of line feeds, or a roll of three part paper that some how got rolled up wrong at the factory? Still got some purple ink on me somewhere from the ditto machine at the Traffic Desk and sore shins from marching in yet another parade for a two bit South American general. I am retiring at the end of this month, after more than 37 years with the same employer, where I played a major role in the development of automated payment systems, and it all ties back to my training, experience and maturation while in the Navy at at Navcomsta Balboa.
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