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A Liberty Story - Palm Springs, 29 in
99 Reunion. It was Sunday. Almost everyone had left for places unknown. My bride, Mickie and I decided to stay an extra day. As you would have it, she had to get the laundry done before returning home. I decided to give her a hand. If you remember, one of the Hospitality rooms was next to the laundry. To my great surprise, on arrival were a bunch of Able company Marines who felt it was their duty not to let any beer go to waste. So, they all stayed an extra day. Being from Baker, I was a loner. But, as you know, beer incorporates a lot of friends. Well, as you all know, sea stories & war stories were common subjects. Not that day. Able had decided that there must be some other events we were all evolved in together besides combat. Great idea. Everyone had a story. Now I'm going to tell you mine. The time and place September 1950-Kobe Japan. On the Okanogan APA 220. We had just hit port and the word was "Full Transport packs", down the rope nets and "Fall In" for close order drill. Talk about comedy. Me, a corpsman marching? And with, of all people, a bunch of Marines who did nothing but criticize my knowledge of my left foot from my right foot. Somehow, I survived the ordeal and the word was out "Liberty". Now that order I understood. Salute the OD, salute the colors, down the ladder and Kobe here I come. Great night, had a blast liberty was over at midnight. Next day, liberty commenced at noon but I did not have liberty. But, as you would have it, there was a way to get ashore and I knew it. Go up to the officers who had the liberty list and ask him what company list he had. He told you and you thanked him and proceeded to the gangway. Look out Kobe, here I come again. Liberty that day ended at 1800 and believe it or not, a bunch of Marines and myself didn't return. We were partying at a cabaret. About 2200 a Marine officer appeared and asked us what ship we were on. He arrested us, and threw us in a nice "paddy wagon" along with several other Marines who also missed curfew. Now starts the good part, I think. The officer informed us our ship was at the dock and we could get on board with no problem. Remember that last statement? Wrong. As we were going down the dock, what would appear but several young ladies who invited us into their house. Now, as Marines are good American ambassadors, could we refuse? No way. So we continued to to spread good will to the Japanese community. A short time later, then young ladies were yelling "MP!!MP!!". So we decided to jump off the roof, and this is were I made my fatal mistake. There was this pile of straw I jumped into. Wow, it was a honey bucket and I went up to to my waist. My buddies did not want to pull me out. Did I stink or what? Down to the waterways we ran. There was our ship. We jumped into the water and started to swim. All the Marines on board were cheering us on as we approached the ship., climbed the rope net and came on board. Right ? Wrong! When they smelled me, they threw me back. They almost killed me. I'm in the water and a LCVP picks me up and takes me to my ship. Up the gangway and the OD screams at me "go take a shower and throw those those clothes away". Next I go down below to get in my bunk and someone is in it. I throw him out, a fight starts, and here I am again with the OD. He listens to my story and checks the manifest and guess what? I'm on the WRONG SHIP. I have no clothes but somehow they came up with some I could wear. A while later an LCVP with MP's collects a bunch of other Marines who were also on the "wrong ship" and delivers us to where we belonged. Wasn't long before I was told to report to "Office Hours" on the well deck. Being in the Navy, I had no idea what "Office Hours" meant. I soon found out they were the same as "Captains Mast". That's when I had an opportunity to meet our Battalion Commander. Lt. Col. Davis who was not a happy camper. He chewed a lot of butt that night and ordered a few of us to remain after he had dismissed the others. Then the chewing really got bad and he awarded all of us a Deck courts martial. Two hours later and I was the only HA (Hospital Apprentice) corpsman in the marines Corps. A Marine buddy of mine, Charlie Baldwin thought I should be happy as no one else had the same title as me. Anyway, my Able drinking buddies (at 29 in 99) thought this was funny. Then another Able Marine, who had just walked up, asked what we were gossiping about. He was informed that we were telling stories about funny things that had happened to us. He said he had the best story of them all. He related when those drunken Marines climbed up the net in Kobe and one guy smelled so bad, we threw him back. The laughter was incredible. He said a great story but "not that funny". That's when they told him to stand up and shake the hand of the guy "you threw back". - Raymond "Doc" Doktorski
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