Sunday, November 28, 2010

My First Cruise

By C. R. Layton
2004

It was in November 1953, I had came to Parks AFB, CA., to be processed and to disembark on a voyage to Alaska. I was being re-assigned to the 58th Strategic Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Eielson AFB in Fairbanks, Alaska. I had been assigned to the 55th S.W.R.S. for the last year along with several buddies that had come from Sheppard AFB, TX. where we attended A&E School after Basic Training at Lackland AFB, TX. Some of these buddies were Carl Lord, Darril Hinton, Ray Lowe, Joe Komornic, Ken Waldron and Jim Buffalo. After being processed we were taken to San Francisco Bay to board our cruise ship. It was the USS Thomas Jefferson, and already aboard was a Division of U.S. Army bound for Korea along with their heavy artillery, a few tanks and war supplies.
Once aboard we were assigned tasks for the time we would be on the ship. Seven days we were told, turned out to be Nine. I drew a really tough assignment. "Guard Duty", this was standing guard over the Female Nurses quarters. I had two shifts daily doing Four hour at a time. The Navy Officer (2 bars like an Air Force Captain) that issued my piece and ammunition ask me if I could shoot anyone not authorized coming down my hall way to the nurses quarters. I ask him whom would I be shooting? He informed me that there were probably more that a hundred soldiers on board that would do anything to keep from going to Korea. He said "they would take my weapon away from me and use it on me, and it happens on all most every trip". I said I don’t think so. This isn’t my first time to pull guard duty. I’m not about to let anyone do that. He said, "OK you will do". Would you believe two shifts twice a day for at least Eight days and I never saw a female nurse, or a female of any kind? I never had to shoot anyone either. (PTL)
Food: These Navy guys were a little off on their clocks. What I mean is they didn’t know night from day. They served us beans for breakfast and oatmeal for dinner. I guess it didn’t really matter much, for most of the guys didn’t keep it down for very long. One thing I learned real quickly, after a meal, you don’t go directly to the John or go on deck. One guy told me all he ate on the trip was soda crackers.
About the second day I was coming in from guard duty to our bunkroom when a Navy Chief came in and ask if anyone wanted to play pinochle. This guy had strips everywhere, like an Air Force Master Sergeant with over 20 years. With him was a sailor with one or two strips, I’m not sure. My buddy Carl Lord was lying there on his bunk (in his shorts) reading a Luke Short Western. I said, "well if I can find me a partner I will play some. I said to Carl, "hey buddy do play pinochle"? He said, " yeah I’ll play with you if the stakes aren’t too high". Carl got up and put his fatigues on, we spread out a blanket and the Chief got out his cards and started shuffling them. He said, "how about $.50 cents a game and nickel a point"? I looked at Carl and he said "that's OK by me". Carl stuck out his hand and said, "my name is Carl, what’s yours"? I said, "most everyone calls me Conrad". This Navy Chief and his partner played a pretty good game of Pinochle. What they did not know was that Carl and I was the "Base Pinochle Champions" of McClellan AFB where we had just left. We pretty well skinned the chief and his crony. After we had removed $190.00 from them, the Chief said, "just for the record, you two guys aren’t really strangers are you"? "You guys have the best signals I have ever encountered. I know you do, we just never could figure them out". We never told them anything, just left them wondering.
It was a beautiful trip up to Seward, Alaska. Once there we boarded a very old Train. It was a narrow gauge railroad like out of a John Wayne Western. After all this was still the Last Frontier and almost five years from statehood. It was a very scenic trip while it was still daylight. The train had to stop once to get a Moose off the track. I can’t remember exactly how long this trip took, but I remember eating the same meal 3 or 4 times, (stew I think) and sleeping a little. The first thing I heard when we boarded was that gambling was legal now. It was dark when we reached Fairbanks and Eielson AFB. I remember it was about 30 below zero and all we had was our originial issue. No winter clothing . we got that issues the next day.  I think my buddy Ray Lowe has some photos that were taken on this trip.
So OK, maybe I have forgotten some of this stuff. If any of you readers have a better memory, SO HELP ME MAKE SOME CORRECTIONS!!!!!
 

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