When I woke, I dressed and went to the Mess Hall to check in. There was no reveille or anything like that, I hadn't expected any. I found the latrine in the extension between the main building and the Mess Hall. It was standard issue, several booths holding toilets, and a few urinals and sinks on the other wall.
Remembering I was in the Army again, I went back to get my shaving gear. Finished, I walked on to the Mess Hall. There was no way to get there from inside the building. I had to go out of the lobby door in the center of the main hall, a short walk along a covered enclosure brought me to the double doors past the steam tables, and the start of the serving line. Since I was late, I saw a different cook and two KPs sitting at a front table. One of the steam tables had covered pans in it, and a large industrial grill I had somehow missed seeing the day before sat between the steamtables. It was dirty from frying eggs.
"How you want'um?" The cook rose to fix my breakfast. The two KPs sat looking curiously at me. "You the new cook, Sgt Pepys should be in any time now?" He broke a couple of eggs onto the grill.
When I had my plate, the place actually had real plates instead of metal or pressed board trays, I went back to the table with the KPs, along with the cook.
"What's the place like?" I asked, wanting more information than the day before, maybe another view altogether. The KPs consisted of a young man, not paying much attention, and an older woman. He introduced us, calling the woman Minnie' like with the mouse.
"Breakfast, in fact all the meals are pretty informal. Mostly self serve unless we're short on a popular item. We serve about thirty people at dinner, less for breakfast and supper, since a lot of them live off post.
With you here, we'll have three shifts. Damn, one on two off. Do you know how to cook?"
"I'm new, but had a lot of time in the Reserves, including sixteen, almost sixteen months active duty, all cooking." I told him, seeing his relief. I was glad to see we had gas stoves. Most of my prior army cooking had been on coal or wood stoves. The Air Force had all the good stuff in those days.
(He told me, let's call him Bill, that it wasn't a hard job, and in fact wasn't. With two others to help cleaning up, the job was a breeze.
We kept sandwich makings in a refrigerator outside by the back door. The guys could have snacks whenever they wanted. Coffee and leftovers anytime when available. Pretty soft for army living. Anybody could walk in
whenever they wanted. As it turned out, I had plenty of time to read or whatever between meals.
If anything came up when I was gone, the KP s, especially Yukiko(Minnie) could usually handle it. If I remember right, we packed lunches at night for a man in the transmitter building and left it in the reefer behind the Mess Hall, but I'm not sure. I would often spell them in the transmitter building when I was off duty, so they could come in for supper. Being a fellow alcoholic, I could see why the other cook kept plenty of booze around. To help pass the time.)
While we were talking, Yukiko was telling me that the KPs lived in the big house next to the fence, the Mess Sgt came in. He hadn't known about me being there but took me back to the desk and filled me in, pretty much like the others had. I don't remember him saying anything different. He went back to the Orderly Room.
While he was gone two Officers came in and introduced themselves to me. One was the Commanding Officer, Capt Smith, and another a Lieutenant named Jones. (I don't remember any of their names.) I had been surprised in
that you usually have to go to the CO's office on being assigned to a company, and I didn't the day before. Another show of informality.
Sgt Pepys came back to tell me I had to go back, right then, to Headquarters. That the mailman was waiting. He also told me that I was to go to work the next morning, along with Jackie the other cook, to learn the ropes. I hurried back to my room for my cap.
I won't bore you with my trip, It was to get a partial pay. I had it coming as any new man did. Fresh money in my pocket, I felt the urge to check out the local spots. I never got the chance though. A few hour after returning, while lying on my bunk, the cook Jackie came in. I didn't think anything of it, since it was his room as well as mine.
"I have an emergency, I have to go home. You think you can handle it, suppers almost ready and the girls know the ropes?" He asked. I found myself on shift. The Mess Sgt had already left for the day.
(As it turned out, there was no emergency, he just wanted to go home early. He was a character. He had already served in the Navy and the Marines. After his enlistment, he planned to join the Coast Guard. Another distinguishing habit of his was to have his girlfriend carry him from the village to town, on her back. He could often be seen on her back as the went to town. An alcoholic an not very military in nature, his next assignment ended up in the Color Guard detail in Washington, DC. I wonder how he did there with his attitude?)
Feeding less than two dozen, and with the meal almost ready, roast in the oven and potatoes on, salad made up, and all, I didn't have any trouble. A KP told me to sit down after the meal, that it was their job cleaning up.
It did keep me from going to town though, never got around to it.
That night, my second in the Company, I got up in the middle of the night to use the latrine. Hearing a shower going behind me, I paid little attention. That is until I heard women's voices. I couldn't help looking in the shower room. Two naked girls were taking a shower, and they weren't the KPs. Quickly withdrawing my head, I shook it and went back to bed.
I'm a light sleeper. About four or five in the morning I heard talking in Japanese and the pattering of shower shoes. Four girls went past my open door and left. Since I was already up, I got dressed and went to work. I would have been woken before long anyway by the CQ. I found he was also up and dressed.
(Later I figured one of the girls had probably been his. Otherwise he wouldn't have been up that early. Since I soon moved off post myself and rarely slept on base after that, although I know it was a fairly common practice, it probably depended on who was CQ at the time. I did it a few times myself when I stayed on post and don't recall anything about checking with anyone.)
Since I had worked during supper the night before, breakfast was easy for all four of us to feed less than two dozen people. We took it easy until Sgt Pepys got there, just the standard cleaning. He then taught me my part of the paperwork, and Jackie and I fixed dinner. After dinner I was off duty and went back to my room where I took a nap.
After I got back up I went exploring. Nothing much to see, so I wondered down the hill to the old Quonset hut. It seemed fixed up pretty good inside, more like a bar than a dayroom. There was a bookcase and plenty of soft seating at one end, a long bar at the other. The drinks were on the honor system, put your money in a box, with a sign giving prices. I got myself a coke and sat down to read one of the books.
So far it seemed a pretty good company. My work was pretty easy. The people I had met so far were nice and seemed to get along, which was better than some companies I had been in. I had noticed that the men I met were a little guarded. Usually they could be expected to tell little tales about the company Officers, Sgts and the like. You know, "you should have seen Sgt so and so when he blah, blah, blah." talk. All I seemed to get were names and small talk.
While I was sitting with my book a large black man came in and got a beer out of the refrigerator.
"Hi, my name's Jerry. How you like the place so far?" He sat down near me.
"Seems good. What do you do for fun, Jerry? I'm off until tomorrow noon
and would like to see the island."
"If you're a drinker, or like girls, this is the place to be." He told me, grinning. It was exactly what I meant.
"Both. How you get down town from here?"
"First you have to see the First Sgt and get a pass, a little card to take with you. Then sign out in a book in the Orderly Room. We have Class A', and overnight passes. Same card, but slightly different on the sign out
sheet. Most of the time we sign out for overnight, no reason not too and you never know." He told me, "I'm about to go see my girl. Go see him and get signed out, I'll wait here and show you where to go."
It only took me a few minutes in the Orderly Room before getting my pass and returning to the dayroom. Jerry was waiting and we started downtown to Tairagawa. The town was within walking distance.
As we left, I started back up the hill toward the guarded gate.
"No, this way. It's a lot shorter." He led me behind the Quonset hut, to the back fence. A section folded back to reveal a worn path on the other side. "They keep fixing it, and we keep cutting it. There're some tinsnips in the bushes over there if you need them." He grinned, "it's less than half the distance this way than out the front gate."
We walked down a one lane country road, fields on both sides, until we came upon what looked like a small town dump. The road ended at a street with some bars.
"These are GI bars, probably not many people in them at this hour." It was only three or four in the afternoon. One of them was the Blue Moon'. "The town belongs to the Marines at night. We're the only Army unit in the area. We get along with them, no animosity. They reserve that for the Navy from White Beach, down the Road.
"When a large ship comes in and all those horny sailors hit town, they take over from the Marines. Not only that, but prices go way up, even double. There are ways around that though, you'll find out. But don't expect to see a bar with both Marines and Navy in it. When that happens there's always a good fight." He advised me, "If you're sitting in a bar with Marines and a Sailor walks in, get the hell out."
(The Blue Moon was run by a nice woman who rented me an apartment on my next tour on the island. She had two nice looking daughters who wouldn't have much to do with a drunk like me. It drove me nuts living in the same house with them. They would sit watching television in my living room and I couldn't touch them. Nuts.)
(When a Capital ship was came in at White Beach and the Sailors had liberty, prices went way up. For example, Asahi beer was normally fifty cents for a large bottle at the grocery store. The store would put up a big cloth sign advertising Asahi Beer, only $1'. Saki sevens at the bars would rise from fifty cents a drink to a dollar. We regular customers would have to pay the price, but would get their glasses refilled for free when the Sailors weren't looking, so it wouldn't cost us extra. By the end of my tour I had charge accounts at eight bars and a restaurant, so the Sailor's price didn't concern me. Stores normally had two prices for goods, one in English and the other in Japanese Kanji. One of the first things a newcomer would learn was how to read prices in Kanji.)
We spent the afternoon drinking. I don't remember going back, since he pulled the old saki trick on me.
(The local saki was about sixty proof and made of sugar cane, wood alcohol and smooth tasting. We would take a new man downtown and start filling him with it. After a few easy to drink glasses, you could see a certain blank
look in his eyes. You knew that from that point on he wouldn't remember a thing.
Later, I would get so used to the stuff that I had it delivered to my apartment by the case. A wicked drink but it only cost, if I remember right, 17cents a quart. Well worth the money to an Army Private. At one point I got so paranoid drinking it that I called up the Provost Marshall, a Major, at his home and accused him of having me followed. I was an MP Sgt at the time. Luckily I was drunk, he knew me and took it as a joke. I think. At least I never heard anything more about the call. When I switched back to American booze I soon got over it. But that's a lot further along in the story.)
In any case, I woke up the next morning back in my room on base. I didn't Know it at the time, but Jerry had been assigned to check me out, find out if I was a CID spy. He gave me an all clear and people started confiding in me. I guess that blackout served it's purpose.
Later, one of the transmitter people showed me around the transmitter building, the equipment and explanation going over my ignorant head. I also toured the studio van.
(As a non-electronics person the most I got out of the transmitter setup was reading the output of the teletypes, finding out what was going on around the world, that and perusing all the classified manuals. My favorite was the one about the types of lies and best ways to utilize them.
I even acquired a copy of that one they were going to throw away and kept it for many years.
The transmitter was annoying though, in that when it was working you couldn't get anything else on the broadcast bands. I even bought a large Halicrafter's short wave receiver and couldn't get any other program on any of the bands, including AM or FM.
One enterprising Okinawan had a service for the civilians where he hardwired stations from outside the area and would connect them to radios for a monthly fee.)
(I just noticed how long this story is getting and better skip around a little..)
Things settled down and I settled in. As I said before, there were some characters there. Everyone got along together and the Officers and NCOs did maintain control. I don't remember any real animosity during my tour.
We didn't dislike any of the officers. One Lieutenant even asked me to call him by his first name, which I cautioned him about. He was new and not too bright.
I asked around about an apartment off post. My first was with a bargirl. I paid about twenty or thirty dollars for a three room one over a bar. Another thirty for her to live with me. I also bought furniture and she sent my laundry out when it was dirty. A good enough deal by American prices, but lousy for Okinawa. The apartment should have been half that.
I can't blame her, Chiko was her name. I was pretty green.
That mix broke up a few months later. Chiko found out I was spending time with a business rival of hers while she was at work. I woke up late one night to find Chiko on her knees on the bed with a hunting knife of mine in one hand, and a certain vital appendage in the other. After chastising her physically, I moved out the next day.
She kept the nice apartment, the furniture, and the part of my laundry that was out to be cleaned at the time. The kicker is that later Jerry moved in with her, not knowing we were acquainted.
After that I rented my own apartments, and the girls lived with me. That way, in the eventual break up and in-between ladies I had a place to sleep, off base that is.
After that first occasion, I found a large room to rent. The problem with that place was that Sgt Pepy found out where it was and would call me in to work on my days off. We had a cook that was often sick at the time. It got so bad that I moved again, across the hall. He never did find me there. I would hear guys knocking on the door of the old apartment and calling for me, but just sit back with my drink, listen, and smile. I am reminded of an interesting occasion there:
At the time I was living with a hooker from Koza. As it happened, one of the guys from the 16th had rotated. He had been quite a womanizer and taught me a lot about the Okinawan bar girls. He also got free drinks by playing a guitar and singing country and western songs in the bars. I had been a private at the time and would go around with him for the drinks and groupies.
When he rotated, he gave me one of his guitars. It had it's strings missing and I didn't know anything about playing it, so I just put it in a closet at home. The girl found it and asked me if I could play. Why not, I figured? I told her I could, even put out quite a spiel about my career as a guitar player.
A month or so later I came home to find the guitar sitting on the couch, complete with strings. She had been waiting eagerly for my return, two other girls were with her.
I tried to beg off, which didn't work, she knew damn well I didn't have a sore wrist. Finally I picked it up to fake it, how difficult could it be? Very. I had to admit I didn't know how to play. Very embarrassing at the time, also for her.
Later, she found another boy friend, and Sgt Pepy's rotated. One of the KPs found me a room at the big house next door to the base, where they also lived. It was one room at first, but when I found there was another empty one just beyond a sliding door, I also rented that one.
The Okinawan who owned the big house had an arrangement with the base. I have no way to know just when it started, maybe back when the Air Force had the base. He got free electricity and water from the base. In return he gave the KPs free rent.
He was a real wheeler and dealer, selling electricity to the villagers. Rumor was he owned half the village at the time. One thing that helped him was that his Son was a retiree from the US Army. I met the son once, he was as American as me in talk and manner.
I lived there maybe three months. No inside plumbing. I remember a couple of things about that place. First of all, once the First Sgt found out I lived there, all the excess equipment was dumped in my two rooms before every inspection. We had spies at Headquarters and would always know at least a day before inspections. Excess equipment was loaded onto a 3/4 ton truck and stashed at my place. It just about filled the apartment. Then they took it back after the inspection.
Another thing was that one day Papasan, the owner, asked to talk to me. He took me to a back corner of the large sprawling house. By the way, the house was comprised of a large fenced in enclosure. The main house, Papasan's sat in the center. There were buildings along the inside of three walls, with an open courtyard between the buildings and his house.
Back to the story. He took me to a building in the left rear of the place. It enclosed a large room full of military equipment. Corridors of old electronics were piled up, all rusty and covered by old spider webs. It had obviously been there for years. He told me the base had stored it there years before. He wanted it out so he could use the room for something else.
I went back and got the new First Sgt. He and the Company Commander went back with me to check it out. Neither one had known about the storage room. Whoever had stored it had rotated or was reassigned and never told them about it. I never knew what happened about the stuff, I think it was still there when I moved again.
A better place to live became available right there in the village, a couple of houses down, so I moved in there. I stayed in that last place until I rotated. It was half a house, the woman who owned it spoke good English. She would work in GI bars when the Navy was in town. She did like some of the other village women. They would work as bar girls, promising the world to the Sailors, then go home to their husband and kids when the bar closed.
There were many other experiences. We were a pretty tight knit group, seeming to stand together in a united effort to keep our oddball standing and small unmilitary privileges. I can remember twice during my stay when those privileges were jeopardized. Both times by new men that I think were sent there because they were troublemakers. I don't think they had transmitter specific MOSs.
The first was a young black man. He started in with a black power attitude. My friend Jerry was the only other black man there, and there wasn't any prejudice before this guy arrived. He was unpopular from the start. He seemed to figure he stood alone against all of us, never trying to mix in. We all thought he would eventually adjust.
As I remember he did, but only after Jerry put him down in front of a bunch of us and took him aside for a talk. I guess Jerry was tired of the crap. When the guy called him brother' one time too many, Jerry lit into him, telling him he wasn't any brother of his and to back the hell off.
Another was a guy that started telling tales down at the 14th. He wasalso taken aside and convinced to stop his story telling. All I know about him was that he wasn't there very long.
Another incident involved two lower ranking men from our company that were caught in a hotel room having sex with each other. One was a cook. The first I heard of it was when I was called in to work his shift. At the next meal I noticed the guy sitting at a table eating. He was exempt from duty. After a week or two of working his shifts with no explanation coming, I went to the First Sgt about it.
He told me the story and asked me,
"Would you like a man that did that handle your food?" I was shocked, and started cussing.
"I do the same to women. If it's that unsanitary you damn better take me off duty too," in a more explicit manner of course, but the order stood.
One of them was a Canadian citizen and was just kicked out of the Army, the other was prosecuted and left.
There was another old timer I remember. He was from Hungary and escaped during their revolution in the fifties.
Another was a small stocky guy who was one hell of a talker, conning all the best looking girls.
There was a guy named, I think, Vader. He was a hippy type, always irreverent and very unmilitary in attitude. I don't remember what any of their jobs were.
I was on duty cooking breakfast when Kennedy was assassinated. Vader came in and told me about it. We got our gate guard back and were put on twenty-four hour duty for a while. I think we were also issued weapons.
Sorry if you want a lot of information about the 14th or company operations during my tour, but I didn't spend much time at the 14th and wasn't, I don't think many of us lower ranking EM were, interested in the doings down at Headquarters Co. As for company operations, a few men went to other countries on TDY but I was never involved and don't remember much about it. I know they went to Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan for periods of time.
They, the Psy War lifers, were a tight knit community, from what I heard they rotated between Okinawa, a post in the US, and one in Germany. They also spent short times on other assignments. Although a regular in the 16th and not made to feel like an intruder in any way, I wasn't really one of the group. The lifers had worked together at all three bases for many years.
I can only tell of my own experiences. In general, for me, it was pretty much like a civilian job. I would go to work, go home when I got off, and sometimes spend days without entering the main or transmitter buildings.
Hell, I didn't even know I had a security clearance until years after I left and was looking over my 201 file. I thought I was in the restricted areas illegally, a better image in line with the company itself.
As a final aside, if anyone who was there, especially during my tour, reads this, I would like to hear from you. My email addresses are:
hvysmker@woh.rr.com and hvysmker@japan.com
Source: Charlie Thun