| HUMOR.... well kinda |
| TRAINS DON'T WANDER
ALL OVER THE MAP 'CAUSE NOBODY SITS IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP Burma Shave SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH BY MISTAKE SHE THOUGHT IT WAS HER HUSBAND JAKE Burma Shave DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD TO GAIN A MINUTE YOU NEED YOUR HEAD YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT Burma Shave DROVE TOO LONG DRIVER SNOOZING WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IS NOT AMUSING Burma Shave BROTHER SPEEDER LET'S REHEARSE ALL TOGETHER GOOD MORNING, NURSE Burma Shave CAUTIOUS RIDER TO HER RECKLESS DEAR LET'S HAVE LESS BULL AND MORE STEER Burma Shave SPEED WAS HIGH WEATHER WAS NOT TIRES WERE THIN X MARKS THE SPOT Burma Shave THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF PAUL FOR BEER LED TO A WARMER HEMISPHERE Burma Shave AROUND THE CURVE LICKETY-SPLIT BEAUTIFUL CAR WASN'T IT? Burma Shave NO MATTER THE PRICE NO MATTER HOW NEW THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE IN THE CAR IS YOU Burma Shave A GUY WHO DRIVES A CAR WIDE OPEN IS NOT THINKIN' HE'S JUST HOPIN' Burma Shave AT INTERSECTIONS LOOK EACH WAY A HARP SOUNDS NICE BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY Burma Shave BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL EYES ON THE ROAD THAT'S THE SKILLFUL DRIVER'S CODE Burma Shave THE ONE WHO DRIVES WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING DEPENDS ON YOU TO DO HIS THINKING Burma Shave CAR IN DITCH DRIVER IN TREE THE MOON WAS FULL AND SO WAS HE. Burma Shave And an all time favorite: PASSING SCHOOL ZONE TAKE IT SLOW LET OUR LITTLE SHAVERS GROW Burma Shave SeaBat sent me these little diddies. Bet she was reading them when she was only a year old. |
| When the Navy starrted courting me to re-enlist as my days started getting short. (They call one such as that a shortimer) They started by having the personnel on the ship talk to me and try to convince me to re-enlist. That not working, they sent me over to the nearest base personnel for further "indoctrination" on civilian life and it's many shortcomings. One thing they all had in common was to tell me that I would forget all the bad times and just remember the good times once I got out. Well, its been over fifty years for me and I still have some memories of some bad times. |
| WADING IN THE BILGES FOR FRESH WATER
As you may expect it to happen, the night before we were to get underway for the Far East from San Diego, the boiler used to keep us in fresh water went out. I was not married, and as usual, before we got underway, I would “stand by” for the married guys so they could be with their family that one last time before the nine month cruise. As you might expect also, I had the 8-12 generator watch in the auxiliary engine room prior to the failure. I had just hit the sack and dozed off for about an hour when I was called to the rescue. I was an electrician, a circulation pump for the boiler had a wire going to it, so I was responsible for getting it back into operation. Never mind that a Boilerman should be there with me, just get it going was the word. This pump had been on this ship, I’m sure since it was built in 1945. It had been painted so many times the nuts and bolts holding it were barely visible. Being visible would not really have helped, the rust had set in with a vengeance in spite of the paint. Try as I may, I could not get them to move, nor was there a wrench made to fit the size of the rusted items. I worked above the bilges for a while trying to get the pump loose, but finally had to get down and dirty and stand in the bilges. I rolled up my dungarees to above my knees and removed my T shirt then got down to business chiseling the nuts and bolts away. The unions on the piping did break loose after much hammering and torque. I finally got the Pump with Motor loose and out and able to look at about 0300. The Pump was locked, and the Motor was burnt so a complete unit was needed. Of course we did not have one so we got busy calling the base about getting one. This took an hour or so just to get someone to go look at the inventory to see if one was available. Sure enough they did have a replacement. I went over to the base, dressed of course in my rolled down, wet, dirty, dungarees, and dirty T shirt, carrying the old assembly to ensure we got the right one back to the ship. Well, the pump capacity and motor data was correct, so we brought it back to install. Installation was not too bad, but have you ever tried to find couplings and unions on an LST. Anyway by hook and crook we found the parts and were ready to get that boiler running again when they called Muster. Yeah, we needed that. Picture this: I’m up to my knees in the bilges, have the pump about half installed and almost ready to wire in when they called that Muster. I heard the yell from the hatch above to go to Muster. I told the guy to go to Hell. Later, down comes my E Shop PO in charge telling me to go to Muster. I told him to go to hell as well. The line apparently formed at the rear, because there was the EN1C then the Chief PO telling me to go to Muster. I again told them they should report to Hell, that everybody in the Navy knew I had been standing in the bilges repairing this damn boiler all night, and I saw no reason to report to Muster. Next came my friend and Engineering Officer, J. L. Shepherd usnR. He explained that the Captain was waiting for all to Muster that were not on actual watch, which was a standard Naval Regulation. Our Captain did not take these type of regulations lightly. So just for the record, Lt. Shepherd asked if I could go just as I was, no shoes, no T shirt, dungarees rolled up, dirty and what not, and just allow the Captain to see me at Muster, then do an about face and go back to work. One of us had to give and I knew which one it needed to be regardless of what my personal feelings were at the time. I complied and marched up “AS IS” within view of the Captain at muster with my E Division, and abruptly returned to complete the repair of the fresh water boiler. I never got recognition for that all night emergency repair from the Captain. Of course there were times when I did not recognize him as Captain either, or at least acted like I didn’t. I believe that one was the time when he reduced me in rate !! (And they told me I would only remember the good times in the Navy) Buddy Benton EM3 (a couple of times) USS Snohomish County LST 1126 |
| “A” BOMB WAS DROPPED HERE"
On a trip to the Far East aboard the LST 1126 in 1956 we made port in a lot of places where we were greeted with plenty of smiling faces. First we came through Hawaii and those expensive smiles and tourist traps. Then it was on to Yokusuka, Sasebo and their outskirts. I had not given much thought to the amount of animosity anywhere in Japan. I had found the people with smiling faces, eager to please and ready to always take my yen or Script whatever the case might be. This somewhat changed during our visit to Nagasaki, Japan. First, we had to moor alongside another ship, a destroyer I believe, which was already at the docks when we made port. First they were reluctant to have us even moor alongside. However, our Captain was a Lt. Commander at the time and had a certain amount of “Mustang Authority” he developed on his way up through the enlisted and officer ranks. Anyway we came alongside and made a gangway UP to their main deck. Our Captain had us get everything in place and in order before he gave the liberty announcement. We started peeling off, showering and moving out for liberty as fast as we got the word. When we started to pass over the other ship on our way to liberty, we were detained a little while by their Captain who attempted to settle a point. The Captain of the other ship did not offer his troops overnight liberty. They enjoyed only Cinderella Liberty, where they had to be back at midnight. We always got overnight liberty unless we were getting underway early the next morning. The Other Captain did not think this was proper and did not want us to be wandering in at any and every time of night and day. He mentioned this point to our Skipper who informed him that if he did not want us walking across his decks, then we could change places on the dock with them being on the outside. Our Captain won that option offer and off we went across their spanking clean and bleached wooded quarterdeck. They were not happy campers as you might have expected, and it got worse when we started coming back, 4 sheets in the wind so to speak, with beers in hand or pockets, singing and or what not. On the first encounter with our heavy drinking Cookie they attempted to relieve him of his bottle. He snatched it out of their reach, ran back down the gangplank, finished it off, and then broke it on their starboard side. I had mine hidden in my peacoat pockets, the quart size Nippon’s as I recall. They came calling after this incident and our Captain told them not to bother his troops at their gangplank. He reminded them they had no jurisdiction of his troops, and they would be handled appropriately at our side where the gangplank allowed entry to our LST quarterdeck. Our Captain won another !!! During muster the next morning, our Captain urged us to be a little bit more considerate, and don’t break your bottles on their ship’s sides. This visit and arrangement lasted for about a week as I recall. Back to the Nagasaki welcome we received. First we visited several small bars and food centers to partake of the obvious, where we were welcomed quite well. Then as we ventured further out the downtown areas and around we found this nice looking bar with some jam up music coming out the door. Just the right place for us to spend some time we thought. We went in, about six of us, and just as quick as a wink, in a well orchestrated movement we were in no uncertain terms ushered right back outside. “NO AMERICANS , JAPANESE ONLY “ were the words and it was not at all hard to understand that they meant it. We found several places like this on the outskirts of the town as well as some Sushi stands and eerie three sting music plunking. Of course there were enough others to satisfy our needs so we didn't persist on staying. At the time, it was November and cold as a well digger’s toes. We would walk from one bar to the next with a quart size Nippon beer in hand, or for myself, inside my peacoat vest pocket. Upon entering one bar I was grabbed by a large, friendly bargirl with a bear hug, and forced back on a table with my hands still in my coat pocket. Yes, the opened Nippon beer flowed quickly into my clothing as I was held prone by this “friendly” girl. My yelling could not overcome the overall noise of the people in the bar and everyone else, so I had to fight myself free to stop the beer flow. She was apologetic afterwards, and offered to dry my clothes over a habachi pot. This could have taken all night, so I passed on the offer. Anyway it proved that everyone was not unfriendly in Nagasaki !! Later after I had time to think about Nagasaki and the visit, It made more sense on how they reacted to us in those private bars. It had not been very long since that place was devastated by the Atom Bomb. They had not yet forgotten that and let us know it in no uncertain terms. Since we were there a few days, we got to venture out in the daylight and found they had a monument designating ground zero. No, they had not forgotten, and they had a monument to remind themselves not to. Calhoun C. Benton, EM3 (A couple of times) USS Snohomish County, LST 1126 |
| Jack L. Shepherd, Lt. usnR
Lt. Shepherd was our Engineering Officer on the USS Snohomish County, LST 1126. He was a young Lieutenant, and quite likeable as a person even if he was an officer. Being young as he was, he partied with us (enlisted personnel) on occasions. I recall once when I was on restriction for “what ever”, he got me on the “Ship’s Party List” as a worker to set things up and clean up afterwards. Otherwise I would not have been able to go to the Party. At the end of the Party, they blinked the lights to let everyone know the party was over. He and I were at the bar with the suds hanging on one another shooting the bull about whatever and I told him the party was over. He asked how I knew and I said the lights were blinking on and off. He was very serious and said that he noticed the blinking, but thought it was his drinking too much. He left the party and took off in his Studebaker to parts beyond. The next morning he was heading up the “Clean up Team” and again I had to go over with him to do my part. We rode the liberty boat to shore, went out to the officers’ parking lot and there was his Studebaker with the top down. He was surprised at that, because the top had been broken forever, and he had been unable to get the top down. Not only that, we found a fifth of Vodka between the two split front seats, unopened. Well, at least for a while it was unopened. We went on over to the place of the party and I mentioned the lights blinking the night before. He was again surprised and did not even remember the blinking lights or us leaning on one another at the bar the night before. I said he partied with us enlisted, but he definitely partied with the officers too. Lt. Shepherd’s Naval career began when he was in his final year of college. I don’t recall where, kinda mid-west, but it’s the same college that Theresa Brewer, the singer, was going to before she became famous. Anyway from NROTC he was offered Officer’s Candidate School, as well as Flight School. He gladly accepted the offers, and “Joined” the Navy. After OCS he went to Flight Training in Pensacola, Florida. He spent a little over nine months in these programs before the Flight Training came to an abrupt ending. Seems Lt. Shepherd had three power failures “on take off” in the last week of his training. The reason it happened in his last week is that “He Quit” the flying part of his obligation. Something told him to get out before it was too late. Of course the Navy did the only thing they could for this person who snubbed his nose at them. They sent him to a low, slow, flat bottom, rough riding, measly little LST to be an Engineering Officer on a ship he knew absolutely nothing about. A ship that did not even have a name, just a number, USS LST 1126. It was however, later named the Snohomish County. As I said we partied a bit together at times, and got to know each other pretty well. As it turned out, Mr. Shepherd was suppose to get out about a month of two before I was in accordance with our “Joining Times”. He would kid me about him being a short timer compared to me since he was to get out before me. He was not the most happy camper on board any ship in the US fleet. He would sign his logs using small letters on the usn, and end it with a large “R”. It was J. L. Shepherd, Lt. usnR, and always emphasizing that reserve part of his capacity. Since I was a movie operator in addition to being an Electrician’s Mate, I made the trips over to the bases to pick up the movies to be shown on board. I would go over on our “liberty boat” along with the Mailman when he went to pick up mail. You know, the mail we had missed at the Mail Buoy’s at Sea. Well, once after returning with the mailman, I was making up the Movie Roster for the next few days in a compartment just across from the Yeoman’s Office where the mail was dropped off. I heard this large horrendous yell and the sailor’s vocabulary in spades. It went on and on and on like a person possessed, but I could not exactly understand what this person was saying. I went out into the passageway and there was OLE Lt. usnR babbling to himself and anyone else to hear. I asked what the problem was and he told me in not too nice of words that the Navy had extended him for the training time he was in Flight Training because he quit. Now he was going to get out about eight or nine months after I would be getting out. To be sure, this to him, was unacceptable. How some ever, that’s the way it went as I reminded him then, and often, until I waved goodbye in San Diego. Buddy Benton EM3 (a couple of times) USS Snohomish County LST 1126 |
| RAISIN JACK IN THE BLUE ROOM
All passengers of an LST know that speed is not one of it’s fortes, neither is comfort, nor shear beauty. The comfort and speed areas became a problem during our tour to the Far East. The speed caused us a time lapse between comfort areas in that it took us “with the wind” twelve days to get to Pearl Harbor, then 21 days to get to the next stop of Japan. The comfort of socializing in the bars with cool beers or taster’s choice was lost during these times at sea. We got use to the speed, but the lack of the comfort of a bar and cool brew was not that easy to get over. Fortunately, or depending on how you wish to take it, unfortunately, we had an ole salt on board that had a plan. The “E” shop furnished the 5-gallon glass jug in which battery water was stored, the cook supplied the raisins, sugar, yeast and whatnots. We proceeded to the forward anchor locker and started the plan. The jug was filled with the proper amounts of the ingredients, and “kinda” capped off with cheesecloth. It was stuffed in the mouth of the jug to allow it to ferment and keep the ingredients from splashing out. All went well for a while, and everyone in the know kept checking on it. The anchor locker was a secured area and not all were allowed in there even before the creation was placed there. Of course it’s hard to keep it a secret, but early on not all knew of this concoction. It was about a week or so out of Pearl on the way to Japan when the problem popped up, or really out. The cheesecloth got saturated with the ingredients splashing around and made an airtight seal. This was not in the plan, the ingredients had to have room to breathe. Well, when it got sealed good, the fermentation continued until it blew out the cheesecloth. It must have been a pretty good release, because there was Blue all over the bulkheads and the overhead. From there on it was called the Blue Room. The smell was next to overwhelming, but everyone still wanted to go check the Blue Room after that. We waited until the ole salt said it was right, and then we tested it. It was a weekend, and with the off day except for the shift watches, we started on it early in the afternoon. To say the least, after you got by the first couple of swigs and the smell, it was down right good. Sure put a warm feeling into you. Had it stopped there, everything would have been OK on my part, but sure enough, I had movie operator duty that night on the main deck. When the Captain wanted to see a movie, it was to be shown on the main deck. When the Skipper did not plan to attend, it was shown in the tank deck. Below decks, I would set it up to view from starboard to port, with the screen on the port bulkhead. I could operate out of the “E” shop that way, and that type of setup worked well with the roll of the ship. As always, with the Captain at the movie, I set the rig up with the screen in front of the super structure. This always made you have to be more alert to the ways of the ship. On the main deck, the movie projector stand tended to tilt easily with the roll of the ship. In the tank deck it was not such a problem although I usually kept one hand on the projector, most of the time. Well, let the movie begin !! I cannot remember what the movie was, but it was a dung kicking western and it had been used a lot. The film sprocket holes were pretty bad in places and a couple of times it slipped so much that I had to stop and start the threading over again. Mind you, I had been messing with the Raisin Jack most of the afternoon. The Captain was somewhat irritated that I had to stop and redo the threading these several times. Things started going pretty good as I got into the second reel. We did not have synchronized projectors like larger ships did, and I had to stop the movie to change reels. Anyway into the second reel I was warm and cozy when I noticed the picture starting to dim. Aha , the take up reel was not taking up the film. It had broken, and had filled the projector enclosure with an abundance of excess film. Well, I again stopped the movie and told the Skipper it would be a few minutes to get it going. He said, “Call me when it’s ready”, and went to his stateroom. I got the film out of the enclosurer, threaded it back on the take up reel and through the projector again, then had the Skipper summoned. About ten minutes later, the ship rolled, I failed to hold on to the projector while I sampled my raisin jack, and the projector toppled off the stand. The Captain was a little up set to say it mildly, and stormed away yelling “Don’t call me, I’ll call you !!” Fortunately, I got the projector back on the stand, finished the movie and went back to sampling the juices. I’m not absolutely positive that the Raisin Jack from the Blue Room had anything at all to do with the many problems, but when I woke up the next morning and tried to roll over, I believe I hit my head on all four bulkheads. The Blue Room was later painted white again because there was no way to wash those blue stains away.(and we tried) That stuff was strong in more ways than one !! Calhoun C. Benton, EM3 (a couple of times) USS Snohomish County LST 1126 |
| Lost in a Sea Lane
I read with enjoyment the various articles concerning the life and times aboard the LST’s. The information in these articles is interesting, sometimes funny and certainly historical. The descriptions given by the various writers reminds me of a party in which a statement or phrase is whispered around the room to all present and then hearing what it sounds like after passing through the lips and ears of all present. This makes for some unusually funny phrases. It also proves a point that the ones repeating the phrase are doing it their way as they heard it. I don’t mean to say the writers of these articles have their story wrong at all, but really that they are depicting the things that happened through their own feelings and eyes as they felt during that time. I don’t believe I’ve read an article in the Scuttlebutt that I did not believe. I don’t believe any writer tried to embellish on the situation to make them or their ship stand out in a way that was not true. I believe that that’s the way they saw it then, and remember it now. I prefaced my article just for that point. It’s been forty years since the time I was onboard my ship, namely The USS Snohomish County, LST 1126. The incidents I may write about are as I remember them too. I was welcomed to the Navy Boot Camp in San Diego Training Center on my 19th birthday. Got a very good free haircut and straightway lost my high school sports sweater with the Jock stripes. No matter, I surely could not use it for any good reason now. Anyway, Boot Camp was uneventful except for all of the events. I got out in 13 weeks, went through Electrician Mate’s School, Movie Operator School, and went to my choice of ships. Yes, I had a choice by finishing 4th in my class of the Electrician school. I chose the LST because of an Instructor at school. He had about 16 years with PhibPac and said his best times were aboard an LST. He described it as Dungaree Navy and that in itself almost did the trick for choice. He also related how close the men were to each other on this smaller ship. I choose the LST over an Aircraft Carrier, and other Destroyers. I never really regretted it, although sometimes I questioned my choice when riding the high seas. This brings me to my story as it may be. I made two trips to the Far East during my tenure aboard this ship and enjoyed them both. On each sojourn we visited Okinawa with troops and or materials. Each time we made this run we ran into very rough weather. The one that caused me to reflect on my choice was in 1954. We had been to Okinawa and dropped our load whatever it was, and started back to Inchon, Korea. We were about two days out to sea when all hell broke loose with a typhoon of sorts in the area. During the bouncing around our Gyroscope Compass became locked with a safety latch in a freak bounce. Of course being unable to turn it toppled. We were in no way going to try to get it back on line and settled so we started using Ye ole Magnetic compass. You can imagine how accurate it was ... or was not. It was rolling and bobbling like a fat lady walking on soft boiled eggs. You could not call out commands fast enough to make changes with the way the ship was floundering. As time went on, and this was several days, we were unable to determine where we were. They could not get a sighting on any star, moon, and or other thing to check it out with an azimuth. So here we are, by our lonesome, riding the high seas , and they were high, for a number of days trying to use our Magnetic Compass the best we could. During this episode our main deck split in numerous places. Thirteen stress cracks comes to mind. You could view the light from the cracks above while in the tank deck. Finally we saw a ship way out on the Horizon. Each time we came on the top of a wave we flashed them with our signal light, but to no avail. It kept on it’s way and we ours. You might wonder why we did not communicate with them by radio, and the reason was that our mast had broken at the yardarm. We had no out going or incoming communications. I had to climb the mast and install temporary running lights after the weather settled down. Later when the weather permitted, an azimuth was taken and we were on a sea lane heading directly to Inchon. I’m sure we were somewhat late, but we made it. We dropped our load at Inchon, Korea and went on to Sasebo, Japan for some well deserved Dry dock and repairs. It’s a little bit Ironic, but while we were fighting this typhoon in the Pacific, Hurricane Hazel was ravaging my home town of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Calhoun C. Benton, EM3 (a couple of times) USS Snohomish County, LST 1126 |
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| These are not funny!! |
| SORTA SICK SASEBO SP SITUATION
I wrote previously about my close friend Gabe Correa IC3 and of times we were together either doing some no-no, or getting caught in some no-no situations. There were more, several more, and some involved a Shore Patrol escort back to the Landing where we had to catch our Liberty Boat. The Captain called us the “Gold Dust Twins” because we looked like some gold panhandlers of the old west with our dungarees shot with holes from working around batteries and battery acid. There was no clothing allowance for us, so we would, on occasion as a pair, intentionally wear those clothes trying to gain support for an allowance. It didn’t work while I was on board. In fact once when we were entering port, we were both on the fantail during the arrival. The Captain passed the word down to the Petty Officer in charge and told him to have the “Gold Dust Twins” change into something not so revealing. Seems he could see too much of Gabe’s skivvies. Once, in Sasebo Japan, Gabe and I along with a couple of others were escorted back by the Shore Patrol for “building a pyramid of beer cans” and refusing to let the bar personnel remove the empties. I guess all young sailors at one time attempted this feat. Anyway, we kept trying to stack them, but also kept knocking them over in the process. There were more than the two of us making the pyramid, so we were all escorted to the Shore Patrol Office at the liberty boat landing. They had a lockable cell for sailors like us and let us hang out there until our liberty boat came to take us home. They took our ID’s, wallets, kerchiefs, and one guy’s asthma pills and inhaler medication. After we were in the locker for a bit I pretended to be the guy who needed the asthma medication and faked an attack. I lay on the floor, face down, gasping for air, groaning and moaning like a dying person. My cohorts called for help. They came in and about freaked out. They had no doctor anywhere near, and here’s a guy dying because they kept his medication. They asked all kinds of questions to everyone and even tried to speak to me in “my condition”. After a bit they rolled me over on my back and started trying to get me to use the medication they had retrieved from the office. It was just too much, and I started smiling. Needless to say they got a little bit upset, but had no way of retaliation but to slam the door shut and ensure it was locked. Oh yeah, they did ask if the owner of the medication needed to keep his medication with him. I don’t believe they cared to have another such occurrence. Luckily the liberty boat came shortly thereafter and took us back to our safe haven where it was warmer. It was winter in Japan and no heat in the “Can” where they had us detained. I wonder if the guys who were standing Shore Patrol duty that night ever reflected back on that occasion. Buddy Benton EM3 (a couple of times) (During a Reunion in 2005 I mentioned this to a shipmate and he told me he was in the group, remembered it, but didn't recall who all was in the crowd or who pull the sickly act) |
| Delegated Explanation Driver Education
It was not totally uncommon for “Just Plain Jim” and I to obtain a free and sometimes fast transportation back to the ship. The Shore Patrol or sometimes Military Police were not our favorite people, but seemed to be our sometimes-favorite mode of transportation. We had a reasonably lenient group of officers and enlisted in charge of us, so when we came back without missing the ship and not having done some dastardly deed, they pretty much overlooked the incidents. As I noted previously in a Scuttlebutt article, Gabe “Just Plain Jim” Correa and I spent a lot of liberty together, and over three years together as co-workers onboard ship. We meshed very well in most all respects, work and play. We were continually pulling the wool over someone’s eyes with our some what double talk. On one incident when the Shore Patrol was nice enough to bring us back to the 1126 the Executive Officer, Lt. Erickson questioned what was the cause of their actions. Kinda insinuating they did something wrong. I cannot remember exactly what the real reason was, but we reportedly smelled of beer upon arrival to the ship. I commented that we had been picked up for “Drunken Driving without a Car”. Lt. Erickson questioned how that could be ? Gabe said that I had pretended to drive a car down the sidewalk and that he was making the noise of the engine, vroom, vroom. We told him of these Shore Patrol guys coming from out of nowhere and saying “Hey Pull Over There”. We told of how they tried to get us for going down a one way street in the wrong direction, but unable to make that stick, finally charged us with Drunken Driving without a Car. We again had them all laughing, the Quarterdeck Watch, along with Lt. Erickson. Lt. Erickson suggested we go below and get some sleep. Jim cranked up the car engine and I drove us on to our bunks. Calhoun C. Benton, EM3 USS Snohomish County LST 1126 |
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| SAVING OPOSSUM
I know that you’ve seen the dead opossums laying beside the roads all over the state. It’s a sad affair. It seems they are forever getting run over by unknowing drivers of vehicles. By the numbers one sees on the side of the road you would think they are about to become extinct. This is not too far from the truth in the opinion of many. Those of us with this concern have banded together in an effort to eliminate the untimely deaths of these mild mannered animals. We have decided it is our duty to somehow save these animals. We have begun a concerted effort to have light sensitive reflective safety collars placed on those still living. We are asking for your help in this endeavor and ask that you send ten dollars which will be used only for this effort. Your ten dollars could save the life of seven animals. Right now we are paying approximately one dollar and forty cents for these collars, but as the program develops we feel we can get a better price. We have thus far placed over 700 collars on opossums in this county and hope to make it more regional later. So far it appears to be working. Have you seen any opossums beside the road wearing our safety reflective collars? If so, please report it to me at the above address and I will obtain the collar for reuse. If you’ve not seen any with the reflective safety collar then that in itself proves the system is working. You may want to increase your donation to maybe fifty or so dollars. It can be sent to the same above address. We have agents right now in the fields placing these collars. It’s not an easy job, but they are dedicated just as you and I are. Please send your donation as soon as possible so they can continue their work. |
| LOST AND FOUND We had an engineman on board the ship who was of pretty large stature. His name was Gary T. Adair. He came on board about 8-10 months after I did and we became good friends. He was a hard worker, steady, and knew his trade. As I said he was pretty large and had a powerful set of healthy hands. We joked him about them and actually called him fondly "Hands". I mentioned before everyone on board ship had some type of querky handle it seemed. Anyway once there was a major bildge cleaning in the Main Engine room where they got down and into them to get the debris. During this cleaning they found a rubber glove, kinda like one that an electrician or person handling chemicals might use for protection. No doubt it had been there for sometime and had swollen to maybe twice it's size from the oily bilges. Someone brought it up to display and yelled, "Hey, Hands, we found one of your gloves in the bilges". Of course we all got a laugh out of that including "Hands Adair". |
| MORE FOR LESS
I’m sure a lot of sailors met the paymaster with wild anticipation, or with anticipation of a wild time after receiving his pay. Of course Pay Day Stakes in the mess area consumed a good deal of many a gamblers pay. I certainly lost my share. Also I got my first pair of “Button up” dress blues pants playing pay day stakes while attending Movie Operators School in San Diego. In Boot Camp we had been issued the newer “zipper front” blues a lot of you are not familiar with. This preface about pay day stakes gambling has little to do with my story. I believe I noted in earlier articles that I was EM3 a couple of times. What goes up sometimes comes down. Anyway, I was AWOL one hour and twenty minutes and was reduced in rate from EM3 to EMFN by a “Mustang” (LtCdr) Captain. At the Captain’s Mast the Executive Officer and the Engineering Officer both gave me great reviews. They sounded so good it may have unwittingly put a smirk on my face. No way I thought, as they described my shining work ethics and knowlege of the ship, could he do much more than restrict me a few days. After all now, my Electricians Mate 2nd Class test was already on board ship waiting for me to take it in a couple of weeks. Yeah, dream on Buddy, that test was returned without ever being opened . Even with all of this, the Captain stated in one long winded sentence that although both officers thought highly of me, I had completed the correspondence courses for Electricians Mate 2nd Class, as well as the Military Requirements, the 2nd Class test was onboard for me, I had maintained a 4-0 conduct, that he could not tolerate this type of action by a Petty Officer and I would be reduced in rate to EMFN effective this date. I could not believe my ears, and a rush went over my body as never before. I felt limp from head to toe. It was a very short ceremony. To make things worse, a few hours later that evening while I was removing my 3rd Class stripes, my brother reported aboard ship to visit me. Oddly enough, he had just made his IC1C promotion a very short time before. Even this preface has little to do with the story I started to write, but I thought it interesting. Six months or so later after losing my EM3 stripe and arriving in Yokuska Japan, I went up to get my meager pay as EMFN. I was told by the Paymaster who was brought aboard to pay the crew that I would not get any pay, and in addition, that I owed the Navy due to overpayments to me. I was told to go over to an old LSD which was moored in the area being used as a Pay Station and discuss getting some “Distress” money to tide me over for personal items. I went over and started crying about how we just got into port and how I was due to get liberty for the first time after over 30 days at sea coming from the USA. When the yoeman started describing why I was not being paid, he noticed a couple of problems in THEIR bookwork. They had reduced me to EMFN but when the pay increase came in the following year I was not raised to that level as I should have been. In addition they had failed to add in sea duty pay AND my two year hump pay which should have come about the same time. Needless to say, I owed them nothing, and they owed me a bunch of bucks. I made liberty that evening and made it in style. I also was able to buy gifts for my family and girl friends in the states. A Nortake 144 piece, twelve place setting of Award Winning China cost $43.00 and Mom was bought a set. With my normal pay I would have had to borrow a few dollars to get that much to spend. So even though I was working for less, I got much, much more that payday. Of course thinking back to when they called for “All Non Rated Personnel” to load stores in each port, maybe I did more for less having lost that 3rd class stripe and becoming once again a Non Rated sailor. Buddy Benton EM3 (a couple of times) USS Snohomish County LST 1126 |
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