Basilio Cabunot Nacar

Basilio C. Nacar Sr. 
Military Biography

Basilio Cabunot Nacar was born in a small town of Mabini in Balayang-Pangasinan, Philippines, on November 28, 1932. He was the fifth of twelve children and was raised on a farmland tending to the rice fields, produce gardens and livestocks. His fond memories were school, toy making and hitting targets with his “home made” sling shots. After graduating from Central High School of Alamintos, Basilio moved to the City of Manila and pursued a government position as an armed security guard at the National Rice and Corn Corporation. At the same time - he was always interested in traveling and yearned to see so much of the world.

Basilio joined the United State Navy in November of 1955, and was processed through the Cavite Naval Recruiting Depot. After bootcamp and tech training at the Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland, he was assigned to the USS General H. W. Butner, a transport ship carrying troops and passengers from New York, across the Mediterranean Sea - to Bremerhaven Germany, while serving as a steward for the executive and chief officers in command. 

In 1957, he was transferred to the Fuel and Store Ship - U.S.S. Mississinewa - which became a flagship of the 6th Fleet Commander Service Force, and departed it’s original home port of Newport, Rhode Island - and embarked for Naples, Italy. During early winter 1957, Basilio stood by in case they were called on to intervene in the Suez Crisis and the tense period that followed. Again, in mid‑July 1958, he got underway on short notice to provide logistic support to ships of the 6th Fleet during an emergency in the Middle East, this time in Lebanon. Remaining off the Lebanese coast until September, Basilio was part of the crew that refueled over 200 Vessels as the U.S. 6th Fleet landed the U.S. Marine Corps and then stood by at the request of President Chamoun of Lebanon, in “Operation Blue Bat.”  In early 1960, he met his wife to be - Antoniette, which he married a year later, and eventually gave birth to their twin boys - Michael and Ciro. 

With Naples as his home port, Basilio cruised the Mediterranean servicing the 6th Fleet in normal and crisis operations until 1962, when he was re-assigned for shore duty and relocated to Beville Naval Auxillary Airstation, Texas. Basilio served as a mess specialist, serving as in intrical staff for the Executive Ward Room. There his wife would give birth to thier 3rd Child and only daughter - Georgiana.

In late 1963, Basilio received orders for Charleston, South Carolina, where the U.S.S. Rodgers - was ported for Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization. He would be involved in test deployments through out the year while serving on this modified destroyer. In May of 1964, Basilio and his family moved to Coronado, in San Diego, California, when his ship returned to the Pacific Fleet for on going manuevers, while at the same time, his 4th child - J.R., was born.

During the summer of 1965, Basilio toured San Francisco, Puget Sound, and Hawaii as part of the Pacific Midshipman Training Squadron. One year later, Basilio made his first tour in Vietnam - in the Golf of Tonkin, serving on Search & Rescue and shore bombardment missions from August 1966. He returned to San Diego in August 1967, and was involved with the 1st Fleet off the west coast of the United States until deploying again to the western Pacific in September 1967 where he achieved his rank as First Class Petty Officer. In mid-November, Basilio found himself on his 2nd tour in Vietnam - in the Gulf of Tonkin, which he recalls as “hearing the most guns fired” from a destroyer. In April 1968, he returned home to his family to San Diego, California. Soon after, he was assigned to shore duty, serving under Rear Admiral Henry Stone Monroe - who was the commander of the Amphibious Training Command- for the Pacific Fleet in Coronado.

In August of 1969, First Class Petty Officer Nacar, was reassigned to the Amphibous Assualt Ship, U.S.S New Orleans. He served on the flagship for the “Amphibious Ready Group Bravo” and was part of the crew that performed many weeks of maneuvers in the South China Sea, and visiting such ports as Hong Kong, Manila, Subic Bay, Okinawa, and Tapei. Between 1970 and 1971, Basilio would serve on various ships, such as the USS Dubuque - which would extend his travels throughout the western pacific and far east.

Basilio’s last ship was on the U.S.S Blue Ridge, a Flag Ship of the 7th Fleet. This would be his 3rd and Final tour to Vietnam. On 5 April 1972, Basilio departed on the Blue Ridge for the war zone, the Gulf of Tokin. He was on the command ship during April through July for the last major combat amphibious engagement of the Vietnam War. The Easter Counter-Offensive was "the largest concentration of wartime amphibious force since the Inchon and Wonsan landings of the Korean War.”  

Basilio finally retired from the Navy in 1974. He persued his Real Estate License and became a broker / owner of his own real estate firm. While running his company, he was interested in becoming a restruanteuer, and bought a restaurant which was successfully ran with the help of his wife - Antoniette, and his children. 

As a civilian - Basilio officially retired in 1997 and currently resides with his wife in Bonita, California. As the Patriarch of the Nacar Family, Basilio enjoys time with his wife, his (4) Kids, (10) grandchildren, (2) great grandchildren, and often travels between San Diego and Orange County where they reside.