The Showers

Unfortunately, I do not remember which island this story occurred on.

Smitty did not write home about his experience with the showers. .. BUT,

He was coming back into camp after having a nice cold shower.  He walked back with a towel wrapped around his middle and held it closed with his left hand.  The jungle appeared quiet except for the buzzing of the insects whizzing around him.  [The New Guinea “salute” is said to actually be the act of swatting the insects!)

He said, “You know how annoying just one mosquito can be when it’s hovering by your ears.  This was like a swarm and I tried like hell to use my right hand to swat them away from my face.  When I began to approach our tents there was not one man to be seen and I couldn’t imagine where they all went.  As I got closer I could hear the G.I.s yelling and they were waving their arms as they crouched in their tents, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.  Besides, I was too preoccupied with swatting the bugs that seemed the size of half-dollars. 

“When I got back to my tent complaining about how aggravating the bugs on the island were, I asked them what all the hooting and hollering was all about.  All they kept doing was checking my skin and asking if I was alright. 

Somebody yelled, ‘Those were no jungle bugs — that’s shrapnel!’  When they discovered that I had been hit, someone happily said that I could put in for a Purple Heart.”

Sea Bees’ showers in the Pacific

After a good laugh between Dad and I, I asked if he ever put in for the medal.  He laughed again and said that he was too embarrassed.  “For one thing I felt stupid for not realizing what was going on and second, I didn’t want to be grouped into being one of those guys that put in for a Purple Heart every time they nicked themselves shaving.  It would be like taking something away from the men who actually did get wounded and deserved the medal.”

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.

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Military Humor – 

Sad Sack Shower

Sad Sack

The funnier side of Army life – Pride in one’s work!

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Farewell Salutes – 

John G. Bock Jr. – Lincoln, NE; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 2nd Class # 3167160, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)

Martin Gelb (101) – Brooklyn, NY; US Army / OSS, WWII, ETO

Final Mission

Carl H. Graham – Hackensack, NJ; US Navy, Korea, USS Boyd & Yarnall

George Grater – Hoboken, NJ; US Army, Korea, 1st Lt.

Charles E. Hiltibran – Cable, OH; US Army, Korea, Cpl., 1/32/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir)

Thomas A. Lipscomb Jr. – New Orleans, LA; US Army, Korea

George J. Palermo – Chestnut Hill, PA; US Air Force, Korea, Cryptographer

George Psihas – Detroit, MI; US Army, West Point Class of ’51, Korea, M1 Abrams Tank trailblazer

Donald Rumsfeld – Winnetka, IL; US Navy, pilot  /  Congressman, NATO, White House Chief of Staff, Sec. of Defense

George R. Russum – Lake Worth, FL; US Navy, USS Forrestal

Calvin Shepherd – Inkster, MI; USMC, WWII, PTO, Montford Point Marines

Francis W. Wiemerslage – Chicago, IL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, Sgt. # 16146369, B-17 ball turret gunner, 549/385/8th Air Force, KIA (Dresden, GER)

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From the US Navy helicopter crash off Mexico

James P. Buriak – Salem, VA; US Navy, Helicopter crewman 2nd Class

Sarah F. Burns – Severna Park, MD; US Navy, Corpsman 2nd Class

Bradley A. Foster – Oakhurst, CA; US Navy, pilot, Lt.

Paul R. Fridley – Annandale, VA; US Navy, pilot, Lt.

Bailey J. Tucker – St. Louis, MO; US Navy, Corpsman 3rd Class

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DON’T KNOW HOW I MISSED THIS DRAWING OF SMITTY’S FOR LAST WEEK’S POST

( I’M CLAIMING A SENIOR MOMENT…)

Latrines, by Smitty, (Everett Smith)

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