The Things We (Yorktown sailors) Do for Love

Pat Dingle OI RD3 64-68

Cebu Philippines

 
Driving like a bat out of hell all around Cebu City in a open air jeepney is something I highly recommend everyone do at least once in your life, if not more. I'm riding shotgun with a kindred spirit driver about my own age, talking all kinds of trash in broken English as we pick up and drop off passengers through out the city. I can't remember his name so I'll call him Charlie.

Charlie couldn't make any money if he stopped so we grabbed something to eat from a street vender and kept on moving. I don't know what it was but it was on a stick and went down with a coke, and very cheap. Soon I was greeting all his customers like I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my life. When I'm into something, I'm all in.

My new plan was to ride with Charlie until about 1700 hrs when I had to be at the dock to get the last liberty boat back to the ship. Well the afternoon passed very quickly and it was nearing the time to call an end to all this fun when Charlie asked me if I wanted to meet his old girlfriend. I thought why not, a short greet and grin then back to the Yorktown. What could go wrong with that?

We drove way out of the city and up in the hill country until we came to a little shack on the side of the road. Charlie honked, went to the front door and spoke to someone I couldn't see. A few minutes later this dynamite girl walks outside and up to the jeepney.

Our eyes met and that's all she wrote. I instantly went from a case harden salty sailor to Pepe LePew. We made big eyes at each other and little hearts filled the air. She jumped in the middle between us and off we went, speeding down the mountain. I left my plan back at her place.

The three of us teenagers cruised the city streets and it's dark now, with all the colorful lights and sounds of a Filpino city in the mid 60s. She didn't speak any English but I understood every word she said. Charlie wanted to call it a day and go home to his wife and dinner but he had to do something with us. He stopped in the middle of a busy street and talked to a traffic cop directing cars. Charlie said that was his friend who has a cousin who works in a number one hotel. I got the drift but I'm worried cause I've only got about ten bucks to my name. He grinned and said "no worry". I'm on a runaway train anyway so why not.

We pulled into an ally along side a new hotel and parked. Charlie went to a back door and spoke to the guy who answered his knock. Charlie waved to us to follow him inside. We were led up stairs about four floors and shown a very nice room. The guy said that's twenty bucks. I said I can't do that so he showed us another room for ten bucks. It looked the same to me and I took it. Charlie said he'll be back in the morning about 0600. In the interest of brevity and good taste I'll fast forward to 0600 hrs.

A knock on the door woke me up but when I opened it no one was there. We waited a while then I thought it was time to leave. We walked down the hallway to this huge winding staircase, hand in hand, went downstairs. Oh Christ, we're in the Ritz. The lobby was as big as the hanger bay aboard ship only this floor was marble. As we're descending down the wide staircase, everyone downstairs is looking up at us, the sailor and hill girl. Everyone stopped at stared. Everyone was wearing suites and ties. Everyone had their mouth open. No one had a clue we had spent the night up there (except the porter who I'm sure got fired). I did the Yorktown proud and kept my head high but my friend felt uncomfortable. As we walked stately through the loby, I didn't feel the need to check out and just headed towards the revolving front doors. All eyes were on us and their mouths were still open but nobody said a word.

Outside, the doorman, in top hat and red tails rushed up to me and asked if I wanted a taxi. I felt I could talk to this guy so I told him I was broke and needed to get to the docks. Doormen are the same around the world. He saw a guy on a motorcycle on the corner by that ally and hurried over to him.I don't know what he said but it worked. He waived me to come and said "he take you". I threw my leg over the bike, waved to my friend, and took off in a cloud of smoke. I felt badly about leaving my new friend standing on the sidewalk like that but I didn't know what else to do. Besides, Charlie will come for her soon and take her home. She waved back like she understood. What a trooper.

Now it's just me and the military justice I'm about to meet. The guy on the motorcycle dropped me off down by the docks with out a word and went on his way. I'm thinking it's several hours before the first liberty and I'm standing out like a sore thumb in the middle of the street. Easy prey for shore patrol if there is any. I got to lay low until there's sailors about to blend in with. One step at a time. I have one or two pesos I think are worth about fifty cents, if that. What do you do when you're hungry and need a hide out? You look for a coke sign on a store front. trust me when I say that works anywhere in the world)

I spotted just such a place down the street and headed for it. I'm in a area of town that I would have felt better if I had been packing a gun or two, a real seedy, rundown ghetto but you play the hand you're dealt. I pushed open the door to this rat trap and walked in. The place was a bar and cafe filled with dock workers getting ready to start their day. They looked at me like my day was about to end. I went over to the bar and said coke. I took it to an empty small table near the door and sat down with my back to the door. There were booths to my right, bar on my left and pool tables in the back.

One booth really worried me. There were two men in it but the one facing me had a thin face, rat like eyes and lots of scars. He kept his dead eyes on me and I just knew he could slowly cut my throat while drinking my coke. The big guy sitting with him kept looking over his shoulder at me. After a bit, the big man got up and came over. The rat man stayed put.

The big man asked if he could sit down with me. I think my voice was in the normal range when I said "sure" And did this guy unload. He turned out to be a wonderful, gregarious character with story after story to tell. He said he had been a general in WW2. His army was located in the jungle in the middle of Cebu and the Japs feared him cause he killed many of them every time they would leave the coastal areas and come inland. After a while the Japs just left central Cebu alone and stayed on the coast.

He told me about two American Navy fliers who were shot down and his army found them. The Americans lived with him for several years until the end of the war. He said the two airmen returned several years after the war with their wives to visit him and stayed a month. He was very proud of that.

He said after the war, his retirement pay was 35 dollars a month so he "how you say, by hook or crook" I turned to smuggling. He said it with a wide grin and pulled out a wad of bills that would choke a horse. He also bought me food so I didn't care what he made or how but the guy rang true with me. I stayed in there for several hours hearing his stories. At one point he pointed to rat man who was still in the booth looking at me and said that's his enforcer. I really did believe that. He said he has many boats and runs cigarettes, booze, and other things from Vietnam to the Philippines and all the southern islands. I asked about the Navy or coast guard and he gestured that he pays then off. He even offered me a job on his boats and gave me his card with the address of this cafe, his headquarters. I kept that card for many years, not knowing if I'll ever be back and in need of his help. You never know. It was about time for me to venture outside (or join his navy) and see what's happening.

My timing was great. By the time I found the landing dock, I saw the first liberty from the Yorktown approaching. It docked, unloaded and I jumped in. Other then the boat crew, I was the only one aboard. Hard to blend in when you're alone. I'm beginning to doubt my ability to make really good plans.

The boat pulls up to the ladder and up I go. Half way up, I look and what should I see? MY CHIEF, is the JOOD. All I can do now is brave it out. I step aboard and give him a snappy salute, request permission to come aboard SIR. He paused what seemed a very long time then returned my salute and said permission granted. He just stared at me and I guess he was asking himself, did I see Dingle go ashore a little while ago? If I did, why's he back? How did he go over looking like that? Well shipmates, I assure you I didn't wait around for him to come to any conclusions. I was in my rack before the Chief gave me the chance to say are you going to believe me or your lying eyes. Course, that never worked with him before.

That was the story of my fall from grace, however, because I was able to prove entrapment and circumstances beyond my control, I consider myself innocent and a still a sailor in good standing. This is no shit.

Friend uses Jedi Mind Trick on Leading Petty officer
True Confessions-Dan Bernath went AWOL twice and gotawaywithit
Both times were over women;
In Portsmouth England I met a girl and knew that I'd probably get lucky that night. We had Cinderella Liberty and getting back to the Yorktown by midnight would certainly cut the romance short.

I told my fellow PH2 what I was up to and asked him to just fill out the morning report to say that I showed up for 7am (or was it 8am) muster.

The second time I went AWOL was in Boston. The ship was being decommissioned and I had Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. But the First Class hated my guts (because I told him he was too bossy and that he should treat me more like an equal, "After all" I told the steaming First Class, "you only have one more stripe than me." I was a Second Class Petty Officer. He was a First Class after 15 years in the Navy and I was a Second Class Petty Officer after two years. He was out to GET me after that remark.

So anyway, he ordered that I show up in dress blues on EVERY Saturday morning to him and then I could continue my 3 day weekend. (during decommissioning we goofed off A LOT as there wasn't much work to do-more sailors than work-the other Petty Officer team got Monday through Thursday off) So every Saturday, I'd have to get on the train from Boston, and as a bridge was out, walk about a mile to the Yorktown, find the First Class-say "Hello, I'm here" and then turn around and go home again till Monday morning!

So, one Saturday morning, I found myself in bed with a young lady in Boston and decided that is where I wanted to stay. So, I just went AWOL.

The First Class was rubbing his hands together as he was talking to a Third Class Petty Officer, "I've got Bernath now. He's AWOL. He didn't report this morning."

I didn't show up and figured he could put me on report and as I was so short they probably would just ignore it.

The Third Class, a buddy of mine, decided to save my ass, he said, "You are nuts. I saw you talking with Bernath over by the scuttlebutt not ten minutes ago. He showed up as usual wearing his dress blues."

The First Class said, "oh. Well, alright then."

So the Jedi Mind Trick works on First Class Petty Officers too!




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