You said: “while you-all are sailors all squeeky-clean in your whites”…

I’ll have you know that, as much as we might have LOOKED squeaky-clean in those dress whites, there was a devious and cunning enemy who would stoop to no low and dastardly deed to spoil our appearance, our hard-worked and washed and starched “whiteness”. I am speaking, of course, of the Mess Management Specialist or “Mess Cook”.

Though often smiling, and always asserting his desire to please us, still and all, he was about his wicked ways whenever there was due notice given of a Change-of Command ceremony, or some such nonsense afoot.

His most evil plan was to spoil our fun through serving us something which was bound to interfere with our spotless gleam, our upright, forthwith and Naval appearance. I am speaking, of course, of the infamous “chicken adobo” or the equally strongly-colored “Lasagna” or, most vile and indellible…. “chili”.

Served in monumental proportions upon a slippery china plate, these concoctions were designed with but one purpose…. to stain our uniforms and extract more of our hard earned yankee coin for the laundry-boy’s purse.

To my dying day, I will curse the memory of the laughing mess boy as he surveys the horrid carnage of sauced-besmattered whites, cursing sailors, and wide-eyed laundry boys, who saw in our glum and violated expressions a large and joyous windfall.

Respects,

Ahh, the dreaded night in the barrel – had the misfortune of riding through a couple of them as an E-2 NFO…night recoveries suck for everyone for different reasons – for E-2 guys, you get to come down last, listening all the while to everyone else have their go at it. On bad nights – no moon, pitching deck (think USS Midway), etc. – it was not fun to loiter listening to the LSO power and bolter calls knowing that your nugget in the left seat was listening to the same stuff and was starting to really think about “riding the bicycle” on the ball. We couldn’t tank, so blue water ops made for some interesting scenarios to consider when in said loiter. But, hey, we also have two pilots. So after the first guy takes his turns ratcheting up the pucker factor, you head out at a couple hundred feet and watch the guys in the cockpit try to switch seats without falling on the controls and taking you all to see Davy Jones. I hated those nights.

On motion sickness – just went to a change of command for a West Coast VAW sqdn. The new CO is a very fine fellow who, when we both hit our first fleet squadron, was known as “chunks” due to his propensity for severe motion sickness. He willed himself over it and the Navy’s so very much the better for it.

On Navy showers – a C-clamp??? S**t! That never even crossed my mind (slaps his forehead).

Thanks for the great writing and the history lesson. A chapel makes a hamlet a village – who knew?

“…For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom ?

“…For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”

http://www.constitution.org/scot/arbroath.htm