I spent most of my duty on the S.O.Q ward. That was the Senior Officers Quarters. It was where I saw my first person die. He was a retired Marine Colonel. His wife was standing there, also. A sobering experience for a young man.
There were some good memories there in the 2 years I spent on that duty. One is about a very wiry, crusty old retired Chief Warrant Officer. He was 91 years old. He probably only weighed about 90 lbs. but as tough as nails. I had to give an injection in the arm every day and it was like trying to stick a piece if leather. Sometimes it took a couple of tries but he never complained. He had tattoo’s of all his battles that he served up and down his arms. This was back when tattoo’s were not that much in fashion and adorned mostly by sailors and marines. Most were faded. He could tell some good stories although he got tired pretty easy.
Some good liberties in Washington DC, Fredericksburg, MD and Baltimore, MD. Even the small town of Quantico was okay and really close. Right off the base. My favorite liberty town was Fredericksburg. It was a nice sized town then. I met a girl there named Trudy. Actually met her in a park. We could set for a long time and just talk. Went to the movies a couple times but not much more. She warned me one day to not get serious as she was Jewish and her parents would not like her getting serious with a non Jew. That sort of threw me a little. She eventually took me home to have dinner with her parents but I soon realized it was just that. Dinner. We really got along good and we enjoyed the evening. I saw her a few times after that but eventually we drifted away and later I left Quantico anyway. She was just a nice girl that I liked very much and it is so long ago now that I don’t really even remember what she looked like.
In 1952 some orders come in for a few of us. There was a choice of 2 duties. One was for Korea (during the Korean War) and the other was for Naples, Italy. For the duty in Naples it required extending my enlistment for a year. If I had to go to Korea I would have, without hesitation, but I’m no fool. I made the choice to go to Naples. It was good news for a guy who loves new adventures and Italy would be a better adventure than Korea, I was sure. There were four of us that hung together that made that choice. Larry, Mitch, Kirby and me. Picture shown to the right.
The trip there was an experience all by itself. We went by a Navy cargo plane. It was small, loud, cold and only bucket seats that lined each side. I think it was only had 2 engines but I’m not sure. Sleeping was sporadic to none whatsoever. I have been in jeeps in the mountains that were a smoother ride than that flight. We fortunately made 4 stops on the way over the big Atlantic. The first was in Gander, Newfoundland that was raining hard the whole time we were there which was overnight. I talked to someone stationed there about the rain. He said it rained most of the time in Gander except when it was foggy. Some duty! We ate and slept and the next morning took off for the Azore Islands where we stopped for fuel and whatever else they always need. It was short and non eventful but it was where all the fog in the world started from. The next stop was Port Lyautey, Morocco in North Africa. We did have a day there and found a couple sand covered bars that sold warm beer and had a fan that did practically nothing except burn electricity. Still, I was in Morocco! Wow! I don’t remember eating anything there but that was a long time ago. (actually 57 years ago). If I did I must have got over it.
The next stop was finally in Naples, Italy. This was where my second stage of life began. Instant love. I couldn’t wait to get out there and walk amongst the people and the stores and the food and the music. And the girls.
We were put on a berthing ship named the U.S.S. Mercer APB 39 docked in the Bay of Naples Port. It was an almost stationery ship used for just the purpose of berthing the Navy personnel temporarily before going to their permanent duties.
We lived on it for about a month. It had only hammocks for beds, upper and lower and a locker each. I had a top berth. It was pretty good as we were hardly ever in them except to sleep. We got liberty most every night. When you hear the term ‘living close’, this was what they meant. Taking daily showers was practically an accepted (unspoken) requirement by all.
Playing cards was almost mandatory. I learned to play Pinochle, poker and hearts aboard the Mercer. I learned quick as it was expensive. Pinochle was usually a penny a point and 50 cents a game. I received my Navy base pay of 75.00 every 2 weeks and between the pinochle and poker and the liberties with beer, Pizza and the girls, I learned fast how to play pinochle. I had a partner who I played with most of the time. After a while you get to know how you each play and do pretty good without having to cheat. Some partners used subtle signals to cheat but eventually got caught and chastised. We made some good money to help with our liberty times.
After a month they moved us to a hotel. It was the hotel Grilli right in the center of Naples. It was about 6 stories and I was on the top floor in a large room with 3 others. Like a dorm.`At last I had a real bed. Actually it was pretty plush living. We had maids who cleaned up and made beds every morning and a bar and lounge downstairs in the lobby.
According to our standards, everything in Naples and Italy were really cheap. A beer then was like 16 cents. For a 1,000 lire you could spend a big night on the town. A big meal with all the trimmings would only run about 6 or 7 hundred lire. Barely over a dollar. That 1,000 lira was 1.60 in our money. I smoked at that time and we bought cigarettes for 90 cents a carton at the ship stores but we could sell them for 3,000 lira (4.80 American) or more on the black market. We were allowed 2 cartons a payday. Usually we kept one and sold one. We all knew someone that didn’t smoke, however, but liked money. There were other ways to make money but that was as illegal as I wanted to get. For the first and last time in my life I was rich. Only because the economy in Italy was so bad.
The Infirmary was located in Afragola, Italy. About 20 miles outside of Naples. A really small town and we were located right in a piazza that had 4 dirt roads leading out of it. When the infirmary was built and ready to be moved into we were taken out there each day and brought back to the hotel in the evening. We were moving in the beds and setting up the equipment and just generally getting it ready for use. If you’ve ever seen an Italian movie circa about 1950 set in a little Italian village then you would have seen where we were. Just perfect. It took about 3 weeks to set things up for business, so to speak. There were 2 Dormitories in the back. One for us and one for the Nurses. ‘Neither the twain shall meet’. Eventually we moved out of the hotel and into the dorms and the world was right.
Afragola was a really small town. I hesitate calling it a village as that sounds like it was in Africa or something but it would fit. There was a Pharmacia, a barber shop, Several wine shops, a couple alimentary (grocery stores) and a couple places to eat. By no definition was it a swinging city. I know there were other places of business but I can’t remember them at the moment. After I had been there a while I tried the barber shop out one day. The barbers name was Alberto and I could get a real haircut (scissors only) a shampoo, a shoe shine by a ragazzo named Vito, a shave and a couple beers all for 500 lira. Under a dollar. I even got a little language lesson as I went on. It was right across from the Hospital. It was down the street a couple blocks that I found the original pizza shop. I had never found a pizza quite like that outside of Afragola or possibly Naples.
You could fold it and eat like a sandwich being careful not to let it drip or you could tear it apart and eat it piece by piece. And you had to have a glass or so of red table wine with it to complete it all.
At night the people would stroll through the streets to enjoy the cool night air. There would be gelato shops open and always someone roasting chestnuts along the street. Sounds like I am making it up but I know it was true because I was there and I was part of it.
I learned how to play Scopa with some of the locals.
It is a card game much like canasta but with different cards. Much different.! We played for wine generally and I supported a few of their habits until I learned how to win. Life was certainly slower there compared to Naples. That was a good thing, however.
Eventually I found an apartment about 2 blocks from the hospital. I had met a really beautiful girl named Angelina from Caserta and we decided to share the apartment. Living off the compound was not illegal as far as the Navy was concerned but was discouraged. I would just climb the fence on the nights I had the duty and go back before daybreak and no one ever new the difference except a couple buddies. There were a couple others who were doing it also but it was done discreetly by all of us. Week-ends were all mine except one a month where I had the duty. Quite often, a few of us would climb the fence at night and keep a wine shop open most of the night. The owners never complained as they were making some good money off of the rich americanos. We really never caused any problems was the other reason they tolerated this. The girls we lived with were sort of shunned by the locals as the girls were deemed to be ladies of the night (Puttana) but it wasn’t exactly true however they were not from Afragola, for sure.
The apartment we had was on the 2nd floor and had a small balcony in the front and a long walkway balcony in the back that accommodated other apartments on that floor. It overlooked a courtyard that also served as a garden. It also had an outhouse that served everyone. Yes, we had no toilet upstairs but I lived with that okay. There was a ‘thunder mug’ we used during the night occasionally. The neighbor people were really friendly to us both and really helped me with my learning Italian. I was getting pretty good because no one spoke English except Angelina and she was limited so I was determined to learn out of necessity.
One day when I arrived at the apartment the old women were in the garden thrashing (my term) the bean plants to loosen the beans from the pods. There was a 3 foot long round stick like a broom handle that was attached on one end to another 3 foot stick by a piece of leather. The bean plants were spread on the ground over an area. They would then swing one end of the stick and beat the plants with the other end in a continuous motion and did this for hours. They would then remove all the plants and sweep up the beans. There were about 6 or 7 women doing this. After talking to them they asked if I could do this. I said sure and after about 3 minutes I stopped as I was pooped. They all laughed and continued on like it was nothing. These were all farming women that grew up working hard. The men were actually out in the farms. Either their own or working for someone else. They would leave before day break in a horse drawn cart and not come back till before dark. Usually they have almost a loaf of bread filled with cheeses and salami type meats along with a jug of wine and they take a couple hour ‘siesta’ from about 2 till 4 during the day. Probably ‘under a tree’ to make the scene complete?
THE PLOT THICKENS…
My buddy Edwards decided to take an apartment in the same building as I was in. Of course, he found a girl to share it with. Her name was Lorena. Just a couple doors down. When I moved in there were certain things we had to obtain. Like sheets, blankets, dishes, pots and well, you get the idea. Some things we bought but working at a hospital gave us access, albeit illegal, to some things like sheets, blankets, dishes, pots and well, you get the idea. That is how it started. A couple sheets here and a few dishes there and pretty soon we were sitting comfortable.
When Edwards moved in it become a different animal. He was giving some items to the neighbors above what he needed himself. He had a big heart but needed guidance when it came to common sense. There was a large storage area for the food supplies for the kitchen and also a store room for extra beds and equipment for the hospital. Eventually we were going in there at night and taking a little ‘stuff’ for our homes away from home. Nothing too serious or expensive but I could see the writing on the wall. Edwards was thinking big. When he started talking about taking a bed out, piece by piece, I lowered the boom. No Way was I going to be part of that or even let him get involved. I think it was more of the challenge than the end result of actually wanting a bed. Kind of like the soldier during WWII that shipped an entire Jeep home before getting caught. Anyway, it never went any further. Except for a 5 lb cheese or a gallon of milk once in a while, we tapered off with the pilferage.
We had a Personnel Officer at the Hospital. His name was Lt. Harwood. Not a pleasant man but a stickler on the rules and regs. There was also a Chief Petty Officer who was in charge of all of us. His last name was Shirley. Unknown to Lt. Harwood, Chief Shirley had an apartment in Afragola also with a live in girl friend. Not too far from us, actually. It eventually came to Harwood’s attention that some items were beginning to be missing from the Hospital stores area. They did have some local Italians working in the Hospital. Mostly as janitorial and kitchen help. At first glance that would be where the guilt would be but after it became no secret that Edwards and I each had our own apartments in town, among others, the suspicions were expanded somewhat. When we were approached about this we of course denied everything. When one of the wheelchairs came up missing it kind of helped Lt. Harwood go over the edge. The missing wheelchair was not our doing. We knew something would have to be done to stop all this thievery and we were right. They put locks on the doors to the storage areas which should have been done sometime ago.
But it wasn’t over as we found out shortly after the locks were installed. A few days later Chief Shirley came to me and said “I told you guys not to get carried away with taking things from the hospital”. He told me that Lt. Harwood has found out where Edwards and I were living and was planning to have a surprise inspection in hopes of finding some of the missing items. When I asked when he said “this afternoon about 1:00. You two are in trouble”. It was 11:00 A.M. already and I had no way to leave or warn Angelina and Lorena to get rid of everything. I had a thought about the roof overlooking the street where the Barbershop was. I told the Chief not to worry. “We would do something”. I went up and looked over the edge and saw Alfredo the barber dozing in the chair. Vito, the shoe shine boy was sitting outside the shop. I ‘yelled at him quietly’ (try doing that) to get his attention. I finally had to resort to throwing small pebbles at him. He finally looked up and quietly as possible I said to him “Vai a casa mia and ditta Angelina che la Dottore gonna have inspezione at casa mia and Eduardo too” Fortunately, between my Italian and vito’s English, I think he got the message and took off. I could only hope he understood. I went downstairs and found Edwards and told him everything. He should have been shook but Edwards never got shook often. He said that Angelina and his girl would take care of it.
It was 12:30 when we were summoned by Chief Shirley to our ‘surprise’ to go down to the foyer and accompany him and Lt. Harwood to our apartments. No words were exchanged on the short ride but Lt. Harwood looked pretty smug sitting in the front seat. I was sweating it a little and Edwards was just there. When we arrived the local women were trying their best to look nonchalant and busy. I could tell they all knew about the inspection. We went up the stairs and walked down the balcony to my room and I opened the door just as Angelina was coming out. I couldn’t believe the transformation in the room. They had replaced the navy sheets with the Italian muslin sheets and replaced the pillow cases and blanket and everything else in the room that I could see. Old pots and pans and dishes, etc. were all gone. There was not even an American smell in the room. Nothing was there with the hint of being navy property. Not even the roll of toilet paper on the dresser. I sighed a long sigh, silently. Edwards room was the same way. We were in the clear. The lt. was Pissed and the Chief was visibly relieved. All was well. Within an hour everything was back to normal but that ended the thievery.
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