Join the Navy and See The World

In order to tell you about my time spent in the navy I will have to take you back to before I enlisted. In 1949 We were living in a government low rent housing development called “English Woods” At the time I thought it was a very nice place, I didnt know we were poor, no one ever told me. It has since deteriorated to a level that attracts drug dealers, welfare recipients or very low income people because the rent was and still is based on how much you earn and what you can afford to pay. I really enjoyed living there. I knew most of the people who lived within 1/2 mile of our apartment. In those days I was “dating” a girl named Lois who I remember as being well endowed, It wasn’t really dating because we never went anywhere that cost money. We just hung out together and smooched on the park bench behind my apartment. A strange thing I remember about that was Lois had a best friend that was rather plain looking and they were inseparable. She always sat on the steps next to us as though we were invisible.

There came a time one summer that a traveling carnival came to the neighborhood. It set up everything on the baseball field area. The ball field was set in a deep ravine type of landscape that was surrounded on three sides by the apartment buildings which were about 50 feet above the field. Sometimes the guys I hung out with used to go to the field at night and pitch a tent and spend the night there. In those days that was a big deal. I remember my mother standing on the hill above the field shouting for me to come home and spend the night at home. I realize now what a worry that must have caused her and I would never have let any of my kids do that. It was also a big deal to stay awake all night. We used to walk to the White Castle restaurant which was at least 2 or 3 miles away. To get a couple of 10c “sliders” and a 5c cup of coffee.

On the night of the carnival it was the custom to spread blankets around the perimeter of the ball field and relax and talk. I had had a few beers and was relaxing when Lois’s best friend “Donna’ came by and sat beside me, I have to admit she was a very attractive girl who was very well built but a little short. She was engaged to a Marine who was in Korea. We talked for awhile as dozens of people milled around us so it was not very private but nevertheless she reached over and planted a big kiss on me just as Lois walked up to us. Talk about fireworks!!! There was some scheduled for that night . But Lois set off a few of her own. My memory is fuzzy about what happened after that but I knew our relationship was over.

There were several other girls I used to “Date” but another memorable one was “Rosie” She lived just outside the English Woods complex on a large cone shaped hill. There was a road that led to the house which lookeda lot like the “Munster’s Mansion” on TV. but there was a sheer drop off on the other 3 sides. A bunch of us would gather at her house and play cards or spin the bottle or charades. We went to the movies a few times, but in the afternoon as it was cheaper than at night. We used to walk about 3 miles to get to the theater and really enjoyed the time getting there talking and fooling around. We also would organize bicycle field trips. Sometimes as many as 20-25 friends on bikes. We were like a un-motorized motorcycle gang. One time we biked all the way to Mt. Airy forest which was close to 10 miles away.

I remember the first time in my life I got drunk. We were at a Christmas party at Rosie’s grandmothers house. It was a beautiful winter evening with snow falling as large as quarters gently floating to the ground. Her Grandma asked if I would like a drink. I was only 17 at the time but no one had ever offered me alcohol before so what the heck, why not? She gave me a water glass with about 3 “ of Sloe Gin, I don’t know if she diluted it or if it was a mixed drink. It tasted really good to me, something like a spicy Kool-Aid. I don’t know how many I had, quite a few I think but if was not affecting me at all. When it came time for us to leave and we stepped out into the cold winter air it started to hit me. We had only gone a few steps when everything started spinning. I was finding it difficult to walk. We managed to get to where a few other friends had gathered. My mother and sister had moved from English woods a day or two prior to this and the only thing they knew was to take me to the empty apartment as it was still heated, I still had the key. I remember them setting me down on the floor on an old quilt. I can’t remember what happened after that, I must have passed out. I have often wondered if my mother ever found out or when and how I got home.

More to follow..............