Did they ever find out who killed ex-swimmer turned Hells Angel ASM3 Tate. Anyone ever serve with him and what kind of guy was he? I read a little bit about him in a book recently published about the Hells Angels. It's weird how he went from one life style to another.
I replaced Chris Tate in San Diego in October 1998. I saw him a couple of times after that and I thought he was a good guy. I'm not sure why he wanted to be with the Hells Angels, I think he may have just wanted a change from the CG and was not really into the whole gang thing. Just my 2 cents. Dave
Hey Jay, It's good to see you still stay in touch. You were great for the rate and those of us stationed with in you Mobile.
I went to school with Tate and he was a great guy. Fun loving, smart, and just down to earth kind of guy would describe him best. Tate was from SoCal and being close to home and old friends didn't do him any favors in his case. He had always wanted to be a bike mechanic and after he was escorted out of the Coast Guard, I believe that, and a little wild streak made him gravitate towards that sort of group. I was very suprised to find out that he was in the Hells Angels because he didn't fit that stereotype. I had lost touch with him after he got out. It was mindblowing to find out what happened to him. I do not believe anybody has ever been charged with his murder. He was a great lose for anybody who ever knew him.
xswimmer2006, I was stationed in San Diego with Chris after he graduated “A” school. One of my biggest regrets is that I did not stay more connected to Chris. Not that I would have kept him from joining the Hells Angels, though maybe, I could have understood his decision to do so. I think of him often, he was one of the better guys. I Googled his name to see if I could find the book you eluded to and found the attached web site. http://christiantate.com . What was the book your were reading?
I was the shop Chief in SD when Chris was there. He was one of the hardest working guys I had. He and Curt Rohrich decided one day during lunch to go back to the barracks and shave their heads. They showed up back in the shop. Curt had a question mark left on the top of his head and Chris had an exclamation point. They walked around for a while like that until I spoiled their party and told them to shave it all off. He was a great guy and I was sad to hear of his death.
Martin, Good hearing from you again. I remember the head shaving like it was yesterday. Chris was definitely a rebel but in a good way. I remember the bike he built and sold to Sciubba (sp?). He had some talent and it was a shocker to hear what happened.
