The above picture is of my parent's home after it was remodeled with new owner's vehicle in driveway. 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room, den & dining room. They lived there from 1969-2007 after my father passed away. My mother had a aneurysm stroke in late 2006 and was put in a nursing home until she passed away in 2014. My first ex and my daughter moved in until they had to move out since my father got a reverse mortgage and bank told them to vacate.
1969 moved from Northern California to Southern California to Canoga Park in the San Fernando Valley. 1969 went to El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills was a new school that year I went. In late 1969 I tried out for the University of Southern California Marching Band which had went to different colleges and high schools for more members. They were going to play against University of Michigan which had a huge band. I was made a substitute when I tried out.
1970, my junior year, I went to the Solo/Ensemble contest where I played my trumpet in front of a judge who graded me on all sorts of things. I got a red ribbon which meant second place. I decided I needed trumpet lessons so I went to Canoga School of Music on Canoga Ave. The trumpet teacher I got was Walter Moeck https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailynews-sun/obituary.aspx?n=walter-f-moeck&pid=123184007. The next year I went back to the Solo/Ensemble contest and this time I got blue ribbon which was first place.
One day a trumpet player was late and the USC Band Director was fed up with his lateness. He told me to take his place so I did. When he arrived he told me to move out of his spot and the Band Director told me to stay and he was now a substitute. He said do you know who my father is ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Hefti) and he said I don't care. I marched in the 1970 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl with the USC Marching band and I was only 16.
In my senior year I had 3 different girlfriends, one in the beginning who I met in choir, one in the middle that I met in a class and she was Mexican and last one who I took to my Prom and then Grad Night at Disneyland was a drummer in the band. My last semester I was in Jazz band, Concert band, Orchestra and Choir. I played a trumpet solo in the Jazz Band in my crazy outfit I wore. The shirt was a see through with stars and pants were red, white & blue stripes bell bottoms. I graduated with honors from High School 1971. This year we had the Sylmar earthquake on February 9 and was a 6.6.
My first job in Southern California was at Ontra Cafeteria next to Sight & Sound in Fallbrook Square. Next was Reseda House of Music on Sherman Way near Reseda Blvd. I bought my Selmer trumpet from Reseda House of Music. 1971 I went to summer school to Los Angeles Pierce Community College. First 2 years I was a music major and of those 2 years for 2 semester I was a music senator. I played in the marching band. I played the trumpet for 12 years and started in 4th grade. The last year my major was general. I dated my first black woman who was the best since we did have a lot of fun together. She lived in Watts where I drove to pick her up from her parents home and they were so cool. People thought I was crazy driving to drive there. I had no problem driving there. My parents didn't like me dating her. I graduated with an Associate Arts degree in 1974. 1974-1975 I went to San Fernando Valley State College in Northridge.
June 1975 I enlisted in the Navy. I did Boot Camp at Great Lakes, IL. The pic on the left is from Boot Camp. The main reason I enlisted was because of a woman who was taking guitar lessons at House of Music. She was on the delayed enlistment program and going to Great Lakes, IL for "A" School and I though I loved her. Half way through Boot Camp got a Dear Duane letter and we know what that means. 1975-1976 I was a Company Commander Assistant for 2 different companies. The right pic is of me as Company Commander Assistant. I had to train one company by myself since the Company Commander was always sick.
While stationed on board the ship in 1976 sold my 1966 Ford Mustang since I ruined it trying to make it into a Hot Rod. I bought a 1976 Datsun F-10 Hatchback with a 5 speed manual transmission and no air conditioning. Had a 8-track put in then eventually cassette player.
1976-1979 I was stationed on board of the USS DULUTH (LPD-6) in San Diego, CA. Late 1976 my shipmate got tired of me coming over getting drunk and sleeping over and the manager of his small apartment complex had a girlfriend she was tired of her dating life style. Jan. 11, 1977 we were set up on a blind date. We dated each other a lot and in July 1977 I proposed to her. Sep 1977 our ship got underway for a WESTPAC (Western Pacific Tour). Here are the places we went to Hawaii; Okinawa; Subic Bay (Home Port over there) & Dumaguete, Philippines; Sasebo, Japan; Busan, South Korea; Taipei & Kaohsiung, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Easter Weekend 1979 we went to Vancouver, Canada. While on board the ship my first duty was Legal Yeoman then later I was OPS Yeoman. When I left the ship I was Yeoman Petty Officer Third Class (E-4).
This pic was on our wedding invitations.
The pic below is of my first wife's Prom dress 1972.
She was half Portuguese on her mother's side and the rest was on her father's side.
July 22, 1978 we got married in a Catholic Church at St. Therese Parish where her mother went. The priest that married us, we were the first he had ever married. I also had to go to Pre-Cana since I was not Catholic. I took a short course on the Catholic religion plus promise to raise our children in the Catholic faith and got baptized.
The picture to the left is my younger bother who was my best man, my grandma, who flew in from Texas to see me get married and me on my wedding day.
When we got married we did not have enough money for our honeymoon. We had a money dance where my wife got the most money and her work gave her box full of money so we were able to pay for our honeymoon. On the bottom of my left shoe I wrote on heel HELP and sole NEED. The right shoe on heel ME and on sole MONEY. I knew we have to kneel during the wedding ceremony. Got a good laugh when they read the bottom of my shoes.
Our Honeymoon the first night was at the Sheraton in San Diego, Queen Mary in Long Beach, Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo and San Francisco. We also visited my aunt and her family in San Jose and went to Great America.
The picture on the left is of me as the captain's phone talker for Capt. Grimes, Commanding Officer of the USS DULUTH (LPD-6). The picture on the right is of me working in the Yeoman Office and person at the back was in my wedding.
May 1979 I reenlisted for another 4 years. In July we drove across country from Canoga Park, CA to Philadelphia, PA where the car would be shipped from to Naples, Italy. It did between 40-50 miles per gallon. We stop to see my grandma in Texas. We stopped in Memphis so my first wife could have her pic taken in front of the gate at Graceland. She saw Elvis twice in concert, once during Blue Hawaii stage and the last time during his fat stage before he passed away.
My next duty station was going to be at CINCSOUTH, Commander In Chief, Southern Europe (N.A.T.O.) in Naples, Italy. I worked in the Protocol/Visitors Bureau for a 4 star U.S. Navy Admiral. Our office made arrangements for distinguish visitor to see CINCSOUTH. We made hotel reservations, assigned an escort officer with transportation, sight seeing trip and made arrangement to visit different officers.
