Charlie, I was not aware of this article and I was quoted! Imagine that?
Anyway, to answer you question; SOSUS was never officially equated to combat duty although it should have been. I think the closest I came to having that distinction is in a Fitness Report from Commodore Neil Rondorf in 2000. For years there was a block #39 on Navy Officer's FITREPS. The block was a grade for Tactical Performance - Basic and tactical employment of weapons systems. It had the following qualifier "Warfare Qualified officers only". So; IUSS officers always received a grade of "NOB" in Block #39.
Commodore Rondorf recognized that SURTASS was a tactical weapons system in it's own right and commented about being "administratively prevented" from marking block #39 on my FITREP although I was "employing assets and sensors in Theater USW". Such is life. I never wanted to join the VFW anyway - too smokey in those places for me! (<: - Jim
When I changed over to OT from MS in 1975. It was considered sea duty (kef). When I graduated from OT "A" school in Nov 1975 (Phil Blauvelt instructor), I received orders to Antigua and not Grand Turk island (Bill Winholz got that set of orders). It was because I came from Kef and Bill came from shore duty in California. We were the only two 2nd class petty officers graduating from that class. I lucked out thanks to Kef. As it turned out though, Bill passed through Antigua a few times on the "range liner" and told me that he had a sail boat and he and his wife lived onboard in the Grand Turk harbor. So he liked it there. Good for both of us!
For enlisted (87-07) it was considered sea duty for rotational purposes and was classed as arduous or other. Luckily the Navy gave me the opportunity to "volunteer" for OEF, so I am now a VFW life member.
