Sept-Dec 1997 By Bill Heffernan

Travis and I were in BAA (Basic Acoustic Analysis) together and I can tell you that it is a VERY demanding school. Well, Travis was having a tough time remembering the Numbers that he needed to remember and he actually went to MRB (Military Review Board). It was where people went when they failed a test or two. A bunch of Chiefs would talk to you and see if you were going to study or not. If you got 2 MRB you were dropped from the class. Well,I don't know what happened, but Travis went into high speed. He studied his butt off and managed to remember everything in this one particular hard section on German Diesels. He wizzed that test and got the highest score in the class and after that he started getting high scores. I will never forget that. After BAA we went to 53C Ops together (AN/SQS-53C V 4/6 Operators Class) that taught us how to operate the sonar system on the ship that we were going to. He did good there too. His main concentration wasn't on Sonar though, it was SEALs. He did nothing but PT. I guess when he was in trouble of messing up his SEAL chances he worked hard at keeping up with the Sonar stuff. Well, I can remember seeing him run around base with his boots on and doing pull ups and push-ups all day long. After School we went to the USS Mahan, it was in Bath Maine being built and we got there as a 3rd class, Travis and Jason Strawbridge made it on the test together. Well, we both went to work for CA01 (Hull Mounted sonar workcenter) I can still remember his jokes and funny stories. He always had a way of lighting up the room or cheering people up. I can't remember when it was but the day that he transferred off the ship to go to BUDs, the division gave him a bell that was engraved-"Good luck in BUDs, This should be the only bell that you ring." I don't remember the exact engraving, but it was something to that effect. I can also still hear the words that were passed over the 1MC as he left (he was a Plankowner so he was gonged off the ship) The word was -*Ding* *Ding* STG3 (Surface Warfare) Travis R. Weston, BUDs Candidate, Plankowner, Departing. That was the last time that I saw Travis. I had heard that something had happened and he was out of BUDs, and I also heard that he wanted to transfer back to the Mahan, But the detailer said no. I guess it would have cost too much money to send him back to the East coast. If he had gotten his way, he might still be alive today. Knowing that, I wish I could have paid his way back to Virginia. He was a true asset to the USS Mahan, and I can honestly say that he has touched me so deeply that I will never forget him. My Wife and I both knew him and even though my wife didn't know him all that well, she is saddened by the loss as well. I am sorry that I couldn't make the Funeral for him, I had a family emergency of my own and couldn't go. I still feel the loss as deeply as when I found out about it. If there is anything I can do, Please feel free to let me know.