Alpha and Omega

Frank Pine
"The Old One"

                                        
                                                     9 March 1914 - 11 August 2011
“Ohhh, Cisco!”
The only place you’ll see the Cisco Kid these days is on cable tv reruns.  “Poncho”, on the other hand, is alive and well – and lives in Newport, RI .
“Poncho” was the nickname given by some of the crew to Motor Machinist’s Mate Frank Pine.  Frank, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday, was born March 9, 1914, in Middletown, RI, to Portuguese immigrants. As many of the folks of that generation know, times were difficult back then.  Frank was forced to leave home and school at the age of 10.  He worked as a farm hand, and his meager earnings were sent home to help support the family, which eventually numbered 13 children.
Frank set off on his own in 1928, working at various farms.  In 1930, he began working for a local agricultural nursery.  In 1932, Frank joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he learned to handle explosives.  He worked with the Corps at several locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
During this time, Frank discovered motorcycles – a 1927 Henderson, purchased in 1930, was the first of several he would eventually own.  In 1931, a fellow member of the Star Riders Motorcycle Club introduced Frank to his sister, Angelina Correia, of Little Compton, RI.  They were married on November 4, 1935.
That same year, Frank left the Civilian Conservation Corps, and returned to work at an agricultural nursery.  In 1937, he began work, part time, with the Work Projects Administration (WPA) as a tree surgeon.  These were Great Depression years, and Frank supplemented his income by working in junk yards, driving trucks for a construction company, working as a mechanic and operating bulldozers.
 
By late 1943, Frank had a wife and six children at home.  Long overdue for a vacation, Uncle Sam obliged by drafting him into the U.S. Navy.  He sold his beloved motorcycle, and went to war.
Boot training at Sampson, NY was followed by a short stint in Groton, having been sent for submarine training by mistake.  Arriving late for small boat training down in Fort Pierce, Florida, Frank was temporarily assigned to work with the Underwater Demolition Team.
He eventually received his Higgins Boat training at Fort Pierce.  Motor Machinist/Seaman Pine then reported to LST 621 at the yard where she was built.  Frank stayed with the ship throughout her European Theater deployment, through the harrowing days off Okinawa and the end of the war.  He was discharged from active service in December, 1945, and elected to join the Naval Reserves.
 
Frank, a man of extraordinary natural mechanical aptitude, worked as a diesel and automobile mechanic, heavy equipment operator, and truck driver.   Although he now had seven children at home, he was activated for Korean War service in 1950.  He saw action as a crewmember of U.S.S Thompson, DMS 38.
 
Released from active duty in 1951, Frank was hired by the Navy as a heavy equipment mechanic and operator.  He retired in June, 1973, but continued to work as a mechanic at a Newport marine repair facility and at a local garage.  He was also a night driver for the Armored Carrier Corporation for five years.
 
Frank decided to return to motorcycle riding when he was about 76.  He is still riding, and is the only life member of the Viking Riders – a group he helped start back in the ‘30’s.  He is also still associated with the Star Riders, a life member of the American Legion (58 years), a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (10 years), and a life member of the Knights of Columbus (27 years).  He is an associate member of the local Vietnam Veterans, and recently discovered that he was never discharged from the fabled Newport Artillery Company – which he joined in 1937.
 
Still very active, Frank does just about all of his own home repair and yard work.  He still tinkers with an occasional engine out in his shop.  His family reached a total of eight children.  All four of his boys joined the naval services.  A daughter served in the army.  Frank and Angelina have 15 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.  A grandson currently serves with the army in Iraq, and a granddaughter is a nuclear naval officer  (USNA, ’00).
Frank Pine was  honored by the Newport Elks Lodge #104 as the 2007 "Veteran of the Year." In addition to his continued service and volunteerism for veterans, he also helps the elderly and underprivileged children in our community as a member of the Viking Riders and Patriot Guard Riders. At 94, Pine, who still rides his motorcycle a few times a week, is the oldest licensed motorcyclist in the country and co-founder of the Viking Riders. active with the American Legion, VFW, Artillery Company of Newport and Knights of Columbus.
Frank now also joins the ranks as a full-member of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association’s Rhode Island Chapter 9-1
As Frank was straddling his motorcycle not long ago, he was heard to say the words that say it all: “The good old days are now.”
 
 

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