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Albert Penta's Navy Service SagaBy Albert PentaI joined the US Navy in 1958, right out of high school. Eisenhower was in the middle of his second term. I was almost 18. I re-enlisted and did five years aboard ship. In 1964, I was selected for a special program where I would attend four years of college and become a Naval officer. I drove across the country and arrived in Seattle as a UW freshman at age 24. It was 1964, the summer of Civil Rights in the South and the autumn of Free Speech at Berkeley. It was also in August of that year that the "Tonkin Gulf Incident" supposedly took place. It was later shown to be "fake news," but it did provide the excuse for the USA to go full bore in its war on Vietnam. I drifted along at UW but paid close attention to the war news and what was starting to happen on campus. As the war news became more horrific, and as student demonstrations grew in early 1967, I joined in the Quaker's Silent Vigil for Peace in Vietnam. Late in 1967, I knew I couldn't remain on the USN path. I filed in September 1967 as a Conscientious Objector. I was removed from classes and given a makeshift job while my CO file was sent back to USN Washington, DC. In December 1967, I was ordered to a ship at Pearl Harbor, arriving a week before Xmas. In January 1968, my CO file came back as "Disapproved" ("Too old" at 27 and "not having strongly-held religious beliefs"). We were told the ship would sail to "Vietnam waters" the next Monday. On Saturday, I left the ship for the last time and caught a one-way flight back to Seattle, using an assumed name. I was AWOL for over a month. I went to San Francisco and Berkeley to speak with people from the War Resisters League and the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors. They advised me to return to Seattle and "turn myself in," to have a better chance of remaining closer to home and family. In February 1968, I turned myself in at Naval Station Pier 91. I'll never forget that morning: A crusty old WWII warrant officer was on duty. When I told him my story, he said, "Why I ought to throw you right in the Brig, but I don't want you to contaminate the younger enlisted men!" So, I went into Solitary—a very plush Solitary: an unused old Officers' Quarters, a nice room with a bed and a bookshelf full of books, and a private bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet. I was there for a month awaiting special Court-Martial. That happened in early April 1968: I was found guilty of AWOL and missing ship's movement, busted in rank, and given a fine… But, thanks to my Quaker lawyer, Bill Hansen—a wonderful man—the Court-Martial Board said that I seemed to be a sincere CO and I should re-apply for CO status. Unfortunately, the C.M. Board couldn't grant that, and I would need to wait 2 or 3 months for the decision back in Washington, DC. I was free to go home to my family at night and would be given a temporary day job while waiting. It was April 4th, 1968, my son's 4th birthday, and MLK Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. The next day, I reported to the same crusty old warrant officer for my job assignment: He was LIVID! "I can't believe they let you off! I would have sent you to Leavenworth for life! I'm going to give you the lowest, most demeaning job on the base. (I was visualizing scrubbing toilets.) I'm making you a Bicycle Messenger Boy." As a lifelong bicyclist, I smiled inwardly. This was like Br'er Rabbit getting thrown back into the brier patch. I got my bike and soon traveled all over the Pier 91 Navy Base. In the process, I met many of the ne'er-do-wells who were also being held on the base: dope-smokers, homosexuals, fighters, and other "trouble-makers." We formed an ad-hoc peace group on the base, mostly plastering anti-war stickers everywhere. The CO application process went very slowly. I remained a Bicycle Messenger Boy for almost a full year. Finally, the CO application came back "DENIED," but it essentially said, "Since you don't want to be in the Navy, we don't want you anyway." I was given an Honorable Discharge effective April 1969. I was very fortunate. Many younger guys in similar situations were given Undesirable or Bad Conduct discharges. I returned to the UW on the VA and got my BA in 1970. I got a "temporary" job at the Post Office—and retired in 1999. As a civilian, I was active in the anti-war movement and the anti-nuclear weapons movement of the 1970s. I remain a life-long peace activist.
Albert Penta Albert J. Penta was born in 1940 to an Irish mother and Italian father in Revere,Massachusetts. He joined the Navy the summer after high school graduation in 1958. After his Navy saga was finally over, he settled in Snohomish County in the 70s with his family, homesteading at the Penta Peace Farm. Al was a founder/co-founder of a handful of peace councils in Snohomish County in the 70s through the 2000s. He was also a member/supporter of many peace and progressive organizations. He dedicated his life to peace and justice. He was going to demos and marches for Palestine until he passed away from Merkel Cell Carcinoma (triggered from a fall), a rare but aggressive cancer. Al had the most positive energy, and throughout his life he had many enduring friendships. —by Kim Loftness, his life partner
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