I HAD MY OWN GENERATOR FOR LIGHTS AND MANY OTHER THINGS THAT MADE LIFE A LITTLE EASIER. THIS KEEPS MORAL UP WHEN YOU'VE GOT SOME OF THE HANDY ITEMS TO MAKE LIFE MORE COMFORTABLE. I'D EVEN GO DOWN TO THE LANDING AREA AND TAKE A BULL-DOZER SO AS TO DIG HOLES TO PUT OUR BARRACKS IN. THEN I'D CAREFULLY RETURN IT TO THE LANDING AREA WHEN NO ONE WAS LOOKING. IT ALL WORKED OUT VERY NICE. SOMETIMES I'D EVEN STOOP AS LOW AS TO ASK IF I COULD BORROW SOMETHING BUT THAT TOOK ALL THE JOY OUT OF IT...
WE HAD TWO OFFICERS IN OUR OUTFIT THAT WE REALLY RESPECTED A LOT AND IN TIME THE TWO OF THEM WERE PROMOTED TO BATTALION COMMANDER AND EXECUTIVE OFFICER. THEY TOOK GOOD CARE OF US. MAINLY BECAUSE WE HAD ALL STARTED TOGETHER...
WELL A BUNCH OF US DECIDED THAT THE HUT THEY LIVED IN WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR SUCH GREAT OFFICERS. THIS BEGINS A TALE OF MISFORTUNE FOR MYSELF AND TWO OTHER MEN IN MY OUTFIT....
WE HAD OUR BATTERY CARPENTER DRAW PLANS FOR A BUILDING TO HOUSE TWO MEN IN STYLE.. TWO BEDROOMS,FLUSH TOILETS, OVER- HEAD LIGHTING AND MUCH MORE. AFTER THE PLANS WERE DRAWN UP HE GAVE ME A LIST OF ALL THE MATERIALS NEEDED TO BUILD IT.
AT THIS TIME THE NAVY WORE BLUE DENIMS THE SAME AS WE DID. SO I WENT DOWN TO THE NAVE AND BORROWED A CHIEF PETTY OFFICERS JACKET. THEY ALSO CARRIED SUB-MACHINE GUNS, THIS I HAD. WE STENCILED U.S.N. ON THE DOORS OF OUR TWO TRUCKS LIKE THE NAVY DID ON THEIRS EXCEPT BEING THIS WAS ONLY A TEMPORARY THING WE USED WHITE CHALK. THIS WAS OUR FIRST MISTAKE. I ALSO GOT A FEW SHEETS OF REQUISITION FORMS FROM A GOOD FRIEND IN THE NAVY. WE HAD THE CARPENTER FILL THEM OUT AND FOR WHAT EVER REASON I SIGNED THE ADMIRAL'S NAME. THIS LOOKED AS IF IT WOULD WORK WELL. THE PLAN LOOKED GOOD AND WE FIGURED NOTHING COULD GO WRONG..
WE PROCEEDED TO THE NAVY STORAGE YARD AND AS WE APPROACHED THE MAIN GATE WE WERE STOPPED BY THE NAVY SHORE PATROL. I SPOKE TO THE SP IN CHARGE AND EXPLAINED THAT THIS MATERIAL WAS FOR THE ADMIRAL AND IT WAS A RUSH ORDER. I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU WHEN THEY HEARD THE MATERIAL WAS FOR THE ADMIRAL THE ASSIGNED A HALF A DOZEN MEN TO LOAD OUR TRUCKS.
WHEN THEY HAD FINISHED LOADING WE HEADED FOR THE MAIN GATE. WE THANKED THEM FOR ALL THE TROUBLE WE HAD CAUSED AND AS WE WERE FINISHING OUR THANKS THE SP ON MY SIDE BRUSHED AGAINST THE CHALK WRITING ON THE SIDE OF OUR TRUCK AND IT CAME OFF ON HIS COAT.
WELL NEEDLESS TO SAY ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE, THEY DRAGGED US OUT OF THE TRUCKS AND PROCEEDED TO LOCK US IN THE BRIG.
BY THE NEXT DAY WE WERE MISSED IN OUR OUTFIT AND OF COURSE THE BATTALION COMMANDER GOT WORD OF THE MESS WE WERE IN.
ABOUT NOON THEY TOOK THE THREE OF US TO THE ADMIRALS OFFICE AND THERE WAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS AS TO WHY THE HELL WE WERE IN THE NAVY YARD AND WEARING NAVY UNIFORMS.
MY EXPLANATION WENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I EXPLAINED THAT OUR WHOLE OUTFIT RESPECTED THESE TWO OFFICERS AND WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING NICE FOR THEM, AND THIS SEEMED LIKE THE THING TO DO..
WELL I GOT TO TELL YOU THE ADMIRAL WASN'T A BIT HAPPY ABOUT THE WHOLE THING. THEN WE WERE LED INTO THE NEXT ROOM WHILE THE ADMIRAL TALKED TO OUR BATTALION COMMANDER. I OFTEN WONDERED WHAT WENT ON IN THERE BECAUSE WHEN WE WERE CALLED BACK IN THE ADMIRAL REALLY GAVE US A CHEWING OUT. THEN HE SAID THAT THERE WON'T BE ANY PUNISHMENT BECAUSE ANYBODY THAT THOUGHT THAT MUCH OF THEIR OFFICERS SHOULD GET A BREAK. HE ALSO MADE MENTION THAT IF WE WERE EVER CAUGHT ON NAVY PROPERTY AGAIN WE'D BE SHOT.. A LESSON WELL LEARNED..
AS WE LEFT THE NAVY AREA IN THE BATTALION COMMANDERS JEEP HE APPEARED MAD AS HELL FOR WHAT WE HAD DID. BUT HE SOON HAD A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE AND HE SAID HE WAS PROUD OF ALL US BUT FOR CHRIST SAKE DON'T PULL A STUNT LIKE THAT AS LONG AS YOU LIVE..
AND BY THE WAY WHEN WE ARRIVED BACK AT OUR AREA HE CALLED ME IN AND SAID I WAS DUE FOR THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL AND IT HAD CAME IN THAT DAY. WHAT I HAD DID WASN'T THE THING THAT WARRANTED THIS KIND OF DECORATION BUT WHAT THE HELL. I DESERVED IN FOR PLANNING IT AND ALMOST GETTING AWAY WITH THE WHOLE THING.
I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU I KEPT A LONG DISTANCE FROM THE NAVY AREA AFTER THAT......