NATTC "P" School Norman, Oklahoma

In the 1950s there were twelve ratings in the aviation field of the U S Navy.  They were Air Controlman, Photographer’s Mate, Parachute Rigger, Storekeeper, Electronicsman, Ordnanceman, Boatswain’s Mate, Electrician’s Mate, Electronic’s Technician, Structural Mechanic, Aerographer’s Mate, and Machinist’s Mate.  The Familiarization Course at NATTC Norman, Oklahoma (called “P” School) taught future aviation workers what they could expect in the various ratings.  The entire course was only about five weeks in length so not much time was spent on any one rating, and that varied from rating to rating.

I reported for duty at Norman December 10, 1955, spent the remainder of that month working in the bakery and began school after the first of January.  I left there February 6, 1956 after having been on the base a little less than two months.  I remember little of the curriculum there, but I do recall that in structural mechanics training we were given a six inch square of aluminum, a form, a small mallet, and told to make an ash tray.  I cut and pounded that chunk of metal until it looked reasonably like a round ash tray, but no one would have ever called it good, much less great.  Because two of my brothers, Bob and Dell, had preceded me down this path, and both chose to be structural mechanics, I too chose that way to go, and so it was that on February 6, 1956 a large group of my P School class was placed on a big Navy grey bus and we were hauled off to NATTC Memphis, Tennessee where I would be enrolled in Aviation Structural Mechanic School.  This was designated an “A” level school.