Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You? 2

More Readers Spill Their Guts

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As you know, summer jobs were hard to come by (not that any of us really wanted them anyway), but the one coveted job was that of a lifeguard at any of the base pools.  Most of my friends and I had one, though at different pools (Officers’, NCO or Airmen’s).  A major “perk” was that, after a few weeks, we had keys to the pools and .. more importantly .. to the bath houses .. these were perfect places to take your girl friends, several cans of Asashi or Kirin Beer and an air mattress.

It was the prefect place to “make out” .. dark and deserted with your own private showers.  Usually, we kept this quiet and snuck in and out on a “couple by couple” basis.  Towards the end of one summer, though .. with lots of people rotating back to the States ..  we decided it was time to have a big party.  We told everyone to be quiet coming and going and even hung towels over the windows to block out the lights.  Of course we picked the Officers pool .. it was bigger and more "elegant" .. but, naturally, didn't consider the fact it was also patrolled by the AP's frequently.  It also never crossed our minds that the parking lot was full of our cars and motor-cycles (all known by our friendly AP's).

Everything was going okay .. complete with empty beer can pyramids .. until someone decided to knock down the pyramid .. causing one hell of a fight .. timing was bad, since the fight spilled onto the lawn as the AP's drove by and all of us .. about 30 in total (girls and guys) ended up in the AP Station.  Everyone's parents had to come to the station and personally take them home .. except mine .. he told them to keep me and he'd try to get by sometime the next day .. thanks, Dad.

Needless to say the Teen Club was pretty deserted for the next few weeks.

Skip Abel
Yamato/Tachikawa from '59 to '62

Preachers' kids .. equal to the Military Intelligence kids for pure devilment!

From Sue Sloan, sister of Bob Sloan, Class of 1972:

There was a demonstration at the Grant Heights gate on a school day and we were all told that we had no school because the bus wasn't coming to Momote Village. When our bus arrived at school the next day, Mr. Kessell (Vice Principal) said that my brother and I and all the students had unexcused absences. Mr. Kessell stated that Bob and I could have come to work with our dad, who was a chaplain at Grant Heights. Bob then called Dad, who marched right over to see what was up. You could hear our dad yelling from down the hall, asking Mr. K.  what kind of a "Mickey Mouse operation" was he running. Dad wrote excuses for all the students on the bus (which had to be done individually), and we were allowed to go to class. Mr. Marshall wouldn't even come out of his office!

One time, Bob stole a flare off the bus on the way to school. He kept it in his locker until after school, then went out the side door by the band room and set it off. Right after it started to burn, a cop car drove by. The cops didn't see the flare, but Bob and his cohorts (he thinks Steve Branch and Ricky Littleton) freaked, and ran into the building throwing the flare into the boy's room urinal. Bob thought the flare would go out, so ran out the back of the school, and was seen by Ron Harris and a friend. They then went to the snack bar to get some fries and gravy and a cherry Coke (our favorite food) and hang out before karate class. The only place to sit was in the booth next to Mr. Marshall and his wife! He figures that Harris and friend went into the bathroom, saw the flare and called his dad, who was a cop at Grant Heights. While Bob, Steve and Ricky were sitting in the snack bar, a cop car pulled up in front and two cops came in and went right to their booth and told the boys to go with them.

Attached is a picture of a dance at our teen club at Momote Village.  Jimmy Bryant has the USC teeshirt on.
[Ed. note .. Jim Bryant checks in, feeling he has to explain how wasted he looks .. click on the pic for a larger version.]
I understand that Sue Sloan emailed you a photo of me  in the Momote Village Teen Club. I'm the one on the right in the USC Trojan T-shirt.

I looked pretty spaced-out! I was a member of the Narimasu High School Wrestling team from '67 to '70 and and, after football season, had to drop from 155 lbs. to wrestle at 122 lbs. .. isn't that insane?

Our coach said we'd be stronger and quicker at that weight. I survived on popcicles for lunch, toast and hot tea for breakfast and cole slaw and ice tea for supper all during wrestling season. If I didn't pin the guy in the first period .. it was a long match. But we did come in first in the All Far East for six years in a row.  What's it they say.. no pain .. no gain?

[Ed. note .. back to Sue again ..]
Here is a picture I found of Green Park. The picture was taken approximately February 1968 The little kid on the sled is my little brother, Peter, who is now 35!
[Ed. note .. click on photo to see large version .. of that familiar, tacky, run-down GP entry & 2 flagpoles.  Our first few weeks in Japan were in this hell-hole .. kids yelling & running through the halls .. but as soon as I saw what living in the paddies was like .. I was ready for Green Park again!]
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Anyway, one more story about Bob. He must have been really bored on the school bus because it seems as though everything started there! One day, Bob brought a tennis ball on the bus. On the way home that day, he stood up in the back of the bus and threw the ball which flew through the bus and hit the front window. Our bus driver slammed on the brakes, came off his little cushion and started screaming at all of us. We all looked at him innocently, but he drove the bus back to Grant Heights to the school bus lot, stopped the bus and wouldn't take us home. We all had to call our parents to come get us.

Bob and all his buddies used to wear the big fatigue coats with lots of pockets. I learned right away not to go shopping with Bob off base because he never paid for anything! He would just put whatever he wanted in the pockets of his coat and take off. I knew that when he came running by me yelling, "RUN!!!!" that he had stolen something again. I have attached a picture of Bob for your "Bad Boys!" section. I think his mug shot belongs in that area.  [Ed. note .. if not on the "10 Most Wanted" posters in the U.S. Post Office.]