Humor in Uniform

Arguably, the least appealing collateral duty for a boot Ensign on an aircraft carrier is that of officer-in-charge of the liberty launch.

It was the early Sixties and my ship, the Intrepid, was anchored out in Naples harbor, a 20-minute boat ride to Fleet Landing. The trips were unremarkable, save one occasion at the expiration of Cinderella liberty when a particularly rowdy bunch awaited me and my three-man crew.

As we loaded the hard partyers, many still in their cups, one injured sailor vehemently objected in blurred terms. I ordered him carried aboard and instructed the coxswain to immobilize the man’s broken arm and sit on him until we could get back to Sick Bay.

Heard at breakfast the next morning, “Did you hear what happened during the midwatch last night? We kidnapped a sailor who not only wasn’t from our ship, he wasn’t in our Navy.”

Richard L. Earl, Captain, USNR-Ret
Moorestown, NJ