MY COAST GUARD ENLISTMENT Part II

Upon completion of Basic Training in the Coast Guard, the last two weeks involve guard duty of some sort. I vivdly remember having been a recruit, bald head and all, watching the senior class Guards. They were in admirable status! They have fought the good fight, passed the grueling exams and put up with all the horse manure that could doled out to them? Besides the Officers and Company Commanders on the Base, they were the elite, cream of the crop, graduating CLASS! Romors spread of their doings, and accomplishments, along with the hoorors of their righteous indignation upon some recruit! They were somehow the cross between G.I.Joe Hero, and the Ghestappo! Well, my turn finally came for Guard Week! I listened closely as my company was assigned different posts. Some were given punch clocks, and would guard certain perimeters during the night hours, punching in at certain stations at assigned times. Others were given more stately Guard positions close to the Headquarters, standing at parade rest in front of the doors around the clock shifts. I waited anxiously as my name was called for Guard Position. Finally I heard my name called! “Bennett, Front and Center” I snapped to attention, made a sharp ninety degree right turn swiveling on my heels, snapped my feet together military fashion, impressing even myself! I walked forward, halted and saluted, as instructed. The return saloot snapped and I lowered my hand, standing rigidly at attention. My boots were spit shined to perfect gloss, dazzling the sunbeams off my black mirror like toes. The Company Commander had left our company due to illness, Chief Moody. He later died of the same disease, unfortunately. The newer C.O. was less accepted by the company in Chief Moody’s absense, due to no reason of his own. Chief Moody was a legend in his own time and had won the trust and confidence and honor of the men from the start. We were Bravo 57, and all the camp had highest expectations of our company, and we proudly lived up to their expectations. We took all the pennants that could be taken, except for one.

As I stood fast at attention in the blistering heat on the black top pavement I thought the C.O. would never get to giving me the assigned post. There seemed to be some momentary delay, and one First Class Petty Officer walked up to him and whispered to him and handed him a piece of paper, pointing to an area and the C.O. seemed to agree by shaking his head, and making a comment. The Petty Officeer returned and to this day I don’t know if it had anything to do with me or my assignment. All I remember is that I wanted to get the assignment and get the hell off that black hardtop and the sizzling heat before I passed out! He finally said, loudly, my name rank and serial number….” and I said, “Yes sir” He proceeded to assign me to the Firing Range Tower Lookout, and gave my time of Guard Duty to be from 0800 hours to 1600 hours Monday through Friday! He added that if there was to be no firing exercises that my Guard Post would be assigned by the Master of Arms at his descretion. My job was to man a watch tower that was fifty feet high and use binoculars to look out over the firing range, and specifically into the ocean/impact area where the rounds often ended up. In that area was strung colored buoys, strung together at close intervals in a semi circle pattern. Any small boats within sight of these buoy could possibly be hit with rounds of ammunition. The semi circle provided a visible perimeter of approximate and probable impact, but care was given to the possibility of endangerment to any vessels coming close. My job was to sight the impact area, observing any small craft nearby and sound the alarm if any came withing the proximity. The alarm was an old World War Two issue hand cranked Siren! My job was a piece of CAKE! I carried ample cigarettes, munchies and soft drinks and water (and bathroom tissue) (just in case!) I didn’t need any reading material because I had those binoculars! 🙂 ! Oh those binoculars tell no lies! Now! I know that young Ensign over Commissary was a married man because I saw his lovely wife in the officers’ mess with him! She was very attractive, and he didn’t need to be meeting that Third Class Petty Officer Yeoman lady outside the rear entrance to the commissary! And I am certain that he WAS NOT giving mouth to moouth resusitation! Or resurrection!
The young Petty Officer had come into that Ensign’s impact area! Oh, should I sound the slarm? Or wait until the bullet hit! I don’t know what was happing in the water but there were fireworks behind the commissary!

As I encountered the Master of Arms for days when there were no firing exercises on the Range, He sort of looked around to see if the coast was clear, and good ol’ Jim let me know that there were more men than posts to fill, so don’t worry about it! Rull was aa country boy from the Mountains of western North Carolina and everybody loved his stores about his father’s moon shine still back there in them thar mountains. So the days that I had no formal duty I retreated to the Tower as usual and kept quiet and discovered the huge rats down by the waterfront and the two guys having it out behind one of the barracks. I saw the base Commandant come and go in his Lincoln and lovely ladies walking around the base with their handsome escort officers in shining white with the black sword sheathes hanging with honor from their side. I saw new companies of recruits being terrorized and doint pushups and squats and young bald headed men with gritted teeth holding their weapons up over their head and running as the sweat ran down their eyes and blinded them with the salty waters. I saw tall company commanders screaming in the faces up close and personal as some young recruit stood frozen solid in fear and intimidation, eyes bugging out of his head. I heard words I never heard in the Bible yelled so loud that the seagulls left their newly acquired portions and fled to the sanctuary of the heavens above! At the end of the day there was coear demarkations imprinted around my eyes so that I looked much that of a raccoon! My face was actually sunburned everywhere but around my eyes! Now imagine going to town to find a local date looking like that! I never got the chance, because only a week and a half into my Guard duty I watched as sailor parked his Government Gray Chevy at the end of the lot and come walking towards the Tower with papers in his hand. As he approached I didn’t know whether to let on that I was in the Tower or not! My heart went into my throat as he began to climb the stairway ladder to the opening of the Tower. As he neared the top and spotted me spotting him he said my last name. I answered “What” and he had my orders to march! He smiled and told me that I got some good orders, and that I was to report to Radioman School next week on Friday, in Groton Connecticut. Now Groton was just a little more than one hour away from my home town in Massachusetts! I was to leave the Recruit Facility the next morning with all the neccessary travel vouchers and food expenses neccessary to get to Groton. The only disapointment was that I was looking foward to the Graduation Exercises that next Friday, I wanted to be with my buddies and go to town with them. I think you understand why. I was seventeen and feeling no pain! Life was good!