So there we were in the yards prepping the ship with sea trials in GITMO coming up in a few months. I was at that time a fresh senior enlisted and my AN/APX-72 omnidirectional antenna required maintenance. One of my junior techs ran the gong aloft request to let everyone know not to rotate or radiate while I gathered the needed tools and materials for the job since I was the only IFF tech onboard at the time. When we were all set we strapped on our safety harnesses and proceeded up to the radar platform near the yardarms with the lonely little IFF antenna on the end.
The junior tech said he'd crawl out the six feet to the antenna and take care of removing the old protective tape and check the connector, which is what the maintenance called for, if I handed him the tools as needed. I watched as he attached his safety rope and slide out on the yardarm to the antenna. As he reached the antenna I turned to grab the first tool he'd need out of the tool bag we'd brought aloft and set down on the platform. As I was searching through the kit for the tool I heard him call my name. I turned around and looked... There sat the junior tech chicken choking my antenna and trembling for dear life.
What to do??? Well I told him to not let go but close his eyes. Then I told him to raise his head so he wouldn't be looking down and slowly open his eyes. When he had accomplished this, and most of the trembling had stopped, I asked him if he was alright. He said he was and I told him to slowly slide back until his butt and back were up against the radar support structure the yardarm was attached to. He slowly did this and I helped him down to the radar platform that was four or five feet below him at that point.
He asked what we were going to do and I told him I'd take care of it while he handed me the tools. So I got up on the yardarm, strapped myself off above my head, walked out to the antenna, placed a hand on top of it for support, and sat down straddling the yardarm. From behind and underneath me i heard the junior tech say "You're crazy". I looked at him and said "What? I'm strapped off." He shook his head and proceeded to read the PMS card to me and hand tools up to accomplish the task. We were just finishing up when we ran into a glitch. The can of Scotch Kote to seal the new tape on the freshly inspected connector had solidified in the can.
Well!!! I slid on my butt back to where I was above the radar platform again and leaned back against the radar support structure. I looked at my young assistant and told him to run down to the shop and get a can that wasn't bad. He asked if I was going to come down to the platform or stay up there on the yardarm? I told him that I was tied off and sitting with my back against something so I was fine and while he did what I asked I was going to have a smoke. He responded "You're crazy!" But he went and got the needed item while I sat having a smoke and looking around at the various ships... Including my first command that was moored there in mouth balls. When he returned we finished up the job no problems. I found out later that he had a deathly fear of heights and asked him why he wanted to go out on that yardarm, much less up to the radar platform?
His response was "I don't know but you're Crazy!"
*****CHUCKLE*****
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