Speaking of going to war. . . XXX.
Sometime in 1944 we were invited to the Marines' version of the Marianas
Turkey Shoot. We, of course didn't want to be the turkeys. Our accommodations were the usual the Navy had to offer in those days. The food wasn't that bad, but it would be illegal to serve it to a convict today. This really didn't matter that much, as we had some time ago given up thinking about good food, a cool bunk and linen sheets: they were only a distant dream.
The idea of speed in those days was to keep ahead of the slowest boat and
that wasn't much better than 6 knots an hour. Knots, Eddie, is a Navy term
for a little faster than one mile an hour. One of the passengers even had enough time to compose that great tune, A Slow Boat to China.
About ten days out, we were invited to rehearse our landing a couple of
times at Kwajalien or Aniewetoak Atoll. I can't remember which one, so take
your pick. They were in the Marshall Islands though. When we finished up the second day, the Navy said, "Well done. Now you Marines can have a nice beer party."
In those days the Navy felt rather strongly about mixing Marines and beer in
such close proximity to one another .
So we each received two cans of open, warm beer, with the appropriate
"atta-boys" from the local admiral.
Then our local Commander-in-Chief thought it would be a great idea if my
company would stay ashore and keep a liberty party of a battalion of Seabees off
the old invasion beach, simply because their skills were too valuable to
lose while looking for old Jap ammo cans and bayonets. The 4th Marine
Division had left a lot of litter some few months earlier.
So Privates McKinney and Roberts squared off at one end of the beach to
assume this great honor and post of so much responsibility.
An hour or so later the Seabees came eagerly ashore. For some reason the
Navy stores provide its own kind: all the beer they could drink, unopened
to boot.
This didn't of course go un-noticed by any of us leatherneck highly-trained, efficient guards. But we were too tired by that time to care, being
softened up by our luxury accommodations and great food on this ocean
cruise liner we were aboard.
But lo and behold, along come two sailors with a whole case of beer.
They buried it pretty close to the shade of our shelter-half that we had
rigged to a shot-up old palm tree. No foliage on the tree though, as the
4th Marine Division had used it as part of their disagreement with the
Japs.
But they must've thought it would be safe and cool there . After they had
buried their treasure , they then went back to look for more beer.
This of course was a bonus from heaven to us thirsty warriors, so we went
and dug up their beer and re-buried it in a much cooler spot in the near
tide water.
Now, as those sailors came back to unearth their beer, digging ability took
on a whole new meaning. Those Seabees could really dig, I mean really dig.
It gave us a whole new respect for their skill and ability. They lasted
quite a while, and dug like a bunch of mad, wet monkeys, digging up most of
that atoll, But they eventually gave up and went away to look for some more
beer.
So Private McKinney and myself , when our shift was up, dug up our new
treasure and carried it back aboard our LST .
We had a fine time drinking that beer and laughing about those poor, sober
sailors. But alas, too soon the beer was gone and we of course thought of
ourselves as being mighty drunk.
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