Lost in Transfer
Richard Barber at eyeMrich1@msn.com

I'd completed my training at the Bainbridge Maryland, Yeoman School with high honors, and now I was to be transferred to a ship of my choice.

The ship was still out on maneuvers in the Gulf of Mexico, so I was to be transferred by Navy Transport to the ship's homeport at Norfolk, Virginia, to wait for the ship there.

I had discovered early in my Navy service that the government often did things in strange ways, but since I'd little to say in the matter, I always went along with the orders. I was not surprised, therefore, that at the last minute, they decided to fly me to Key West, Florida instead, so I could board the my ship when it arrived there and take the ship back to Norfolk. I was to board a Navy air transport and go to Miami hoping to catch the ship before it left port. When I arrived at the airbase, they said the Navy transport was full and I would have to take the Marine transport instead. So here I am, the only sailor on a Marine aircraft. To make things even more bizarre, I was the only enlisted man aboard a flight of Marine officers. I know this is very confusing, but that is the military for you.

As the only sailor and the only enlisted man aboard, I felt as if I stood out like a sore thumb. The other men were slow to talk to me at first, but they must have thought I was on special assignment, and an officer too, because I was soon treated as an equal.

The transport was not like a passenger airplane, and we were carrying other military freight as well. We had to make an unscheduled landing in Georgia somewhere because of mechanical problems. Most of us were transported to another airplane that had to make a stop-off in Pensacola, Florida where we were to stay the night in the Marine Bachelor Officer's Quarters.

It was nighttime when we arrived, and a bus picked us up and took us directly to the BOQ for the night. We were directed to the quarters and assigned 2 men to each room. I was alone by this time and had a double room to myself. I pitched my duffel bag on one of the beds, stripped down to my boxers, grabbed my towel and toiletries and headed down the hall to shower with the Marine Officers. When we are naked, no one knows who is an officer or not. Some of the men looked at me a bit strangely since I was the youngest among them. I caught a couple hunks checking out my ass but I couldn’t imagine any way to connect with any of them. Besides, I was tired and needed the rest. It had been a long confusing day being shuffled around like this. When I finished cleaning up I couldn't find my white Navy skivvies and only one pair of khaki marine boxers remained. I grabbed them and headed back to my room, where I collapsed on my bed and quickly fell asleep.

I was just dozing off when I heard someone enter the room. He quickly stripped off his Marine uniform and put it on the footlocker at the foot of the other bunk. I could tell that the Marine officer had been drinking because I could smell the liquor.