DATE: Thursday, July 17, 1997               TAG: 9707160628

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: AT SEA

TYPE: MILITARY

                                            LENGTH:   52 lines

A HOLIDAY'S NO HOLIDAY, NO MATTER WHERE YOU SPEND IT VETERAN JOURNALIST SPENDS HIS FOURTH AT THE BOTTOM OF A VOLCANO.

Who would have thought that I would spend the Fourth of July in a volcano in Italy?

Just two short years ago, my family, friends and I were sitting in the front yard of my Missouri home, watching the fireworks set off from the park across the street. This year I was in Naples, sitting in a volcano crater, and thinking how similar the two locales were.

Try to imagine the oppressive heat and humidity of the Mississippi River Valley in July, buzzing mosquitoes large enough to carry you to high altitudes, and being surrounded by family and friends.

Contrast that with a quiet, cool Italian evening, a small carnival in the background, and being surrounded by shipmates from the Kearsarge. Different, but the same: both places celebrating a United States birthday.

Those in the military service love to observe the Fourth of July, including myself. I've always enjoyed the holiday, with its noise and bright lights.

Most of my Independence Days have been spent with my family and close friends. Barbecuing in the back yard with Dad charring what used to be meat. Mom keeping a close eye on my brother and me so we didn't injure one another with our rowdy play. Watching ``the bombs bursting in air'' from our front yard. Those memories will remain with me wherever I celebrate Independence Day.

Including Carney Park in Naples, Italy. The recreation area, in the crater of a dormant volcano, is for military personnel stationed in the area. Where there used to be molten lava and clouds of smoke, there is now a quiet area where military personnel and their families can relax.

When the Kearsarge arrived in Naples on June 26, many crewmen looked forward to enjoying the Fourth of July on foreign soil. I joined my shipmates on the bus to Carney Park.

We spun on carnival rides, played games and listened to live music by the Navy Band and USO-sponsored groups such as MC Lyte and members of the Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker bands. The scene actually reminded me of the little fairs held throughout southeastern Missouri each fall. The music drifted through the crater. The atmosphere was festive, and it was definitely American.

At 9:30 p.m., after the Navy Band finished playing ``I'm Proud to Be an American,'' the fireworks began. Rockets and flares lit up the sky and, for a moment, I forgot I was in Italy.

As the final spark faded, it occurred to me that my family and friends would enjoy the same activities seven hours later.

It felt like home. MEMO: Trevor J. Hoehne is a journalist seaman apprentice aboard the

amphibious assault ship Kearsarge.

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