"I was assigned to Company 191 and there were 50 of us. We were from all parts of the country, California, Hawaii, Texas, the East Coast states, and we learned to get along and start working as a team. It was something different for me because all of a sudden from an individual you are now part of a larger group and part of a larger machine.”
Petty Officer Frank Cardoza, USN
The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the February 2018 story of the month has been selected to recognize the service of United States Navy
Veteran, Petty Officer Frank Cardoza. The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program was privileged to interview Petty Officer Frank Cardoza at the USS Abnaki ATF-96 Reunion in Baltimore Maryland in the fall of 2017.
Petty Officer Cardoza enlisted in the United States Navy and attended boot camp at San Diego in 1972. When reflecting on his boot camp experience Cardoza remarked, "I was assigned to Company 191 and there were 50 of us. We were from all parts of the country, California, Hawaii, Texas, the East Coast states, and we learned to get along and start working as a team. It was something different for me because all of a sudden from an individual you are now part of a larger group and part of a larger machine.” Upon graduation he attended Radioman A School and Sea School where he learned Morse code and valuable skills which would serve him well in the fleet. Once completing Sea School Petty Officer Cardoza received orders to report to the USS Abnaki ATF-96 which was the first ship of the Abnaki class of fleet ocean tugs, named after the Abenaki Native Americans.
When recalling his first memories of the USS Abnaki he shared, “I was rather surprised because I didn’t know what a fleet tug was, you see the movies and the glamour of being assigned to a destroyer or an air carrier, these ships are all front-line combat vessels but you never see the backdrop. The Abnaki was an auxiliary tugboat and I came to learn that there was more to it than appearances.” He spoke highly of his Abnaki experiences and shared valuable life lessons. While on the USS Abnaki, Petty Officer Cardoza served on the 
participated in the WESTPAC Cruise. The USS Abnaki served in a support role during the Fall of Saigon and Cardoza spoke of the experience as if it were yesterday, “As these helicopters were landing on the aircraft carriers, they were so overwhelmed on these ships... as soon as the passengers were unloaded, the sailors were pushing the helicopters over the side. It was something because we were at a distance, you could see helicopters landing but then you didn’t see them take off anymore. So we evacuated Saigon and we did what we had to do out there.” Petty Officer Frank Cardoza shared his service memories in detail while he reflected on his time in the United States Navy and the Navy Reserves.
The United States Navy Memorial honors United States Navy Veteran, Petty Officer Frank Cardoza, featured within this series titled, Tales from the Navy Log, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site at http://navylog.navymemorial.org/stories-of-service.
To view this interview please visit the USS Abnaki ATF 96 Collection on the Navy Memorial Stories of Service page or view below.
Interview of Frank Cardoza Part One Joining the Navy Memories of Bootcamp at San Diego and Radioman A School
Interview of Frank Cardoza Part Two Memories of Life on the USS Abnaki and the Crew
Interview of Frank Cardoza Part Three First Experience on the USS Abnaki and Homeport in San Diego
Interview of Frank Cardoza Part Four Memories of the West Pac Cruise on the USS Abnaki and the Fall of Saigon
Interview of Frank Cardoza Part Five Memories of the USS Abnaki in the Pacific
Interview of Frank Cardoza Part Six Serving in the United States Navy Reserves