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Back when I was a VERY young Coastie (a few months past my 18th birthday), we were in yards in Charleston, SC. My shipmates and I were all (even the officers) working hard every day, and were extremely relieved that the Navy was gracious enough to assume the bulk of Shore Patrol duty for us. The only exceptions to the general liberty at night was a skeleton crew (mostly firewatches, which I never stood) and the two "token Coasties" assigned to the nightly Shore Patrol (which I did).
Since we were billeted off-base in a series of boarding houses, I had a civilian look and a civilian address...it wasn't long before I started dating a local college girl. Looking back, I realize that she only ever saw me in civvies and that we had never discused what it was that I did during the day. She just assumed that I was a student at one of the other colleges in the area. One evening, I was taking my turn on the Shore Patrol and we responded to an altercation in a college bar between some Squids and Coasties and a bunch of college jocks. (Although outnumbered by something like 3-1, the sailors were making a VERY good accounting for themselves.) So we go into the bar in our uniforms...and there is the girl I had been dating. You should have seen the look on her face as she simultaneously tried to spit on me and stick her nose up in the air, all in one move. I found out later that she was vehemently anti-military; her parents had been extremely vocal anti-war activists back in the 60's. (Needless to say, we stopped dating after that...) |
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One quote comes to mind, and I know it would provde some solace to me in such a situation.
Quote:
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i know a person who served in nam, but i forget thier name. he was scottish, living in the US at that time, and decided to join up. he died years ago, but from what i hear, he served for quite a while, got wounded 4 times (bullet magnet) and was awarded the distinguished service cross. (i think)...
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