Standing watch
Every so often it would be necessary to stand watch in the guard house at the radio dispatcher and monitor's station. Here each man assigned the duty would spend four hours on radio watch, which kept the base in touch with the Jeep patrols that were on constant duty. The patrols would check in regularly, reporting any incident that occurred, sometimes requesting information or instruction from the watch commander. When off duty they were not allowed to leave the building, and the room for sleeping was dark, hot, unventilated. Not a favorite duty.
On one occasion there was a rebellion among a battalion of black dock workers (military personnel). There was some violence and a backup of force was necessary. Two platoons of Marines were sent to the area to quell any further outbreaks, but nothing more happened. They sat around a barracks where they were posted for some time, everyone talking about what they'd do if the situation came to having to fire on our own troops. Of course, they were all for blood, yet it is doubtful that any had the guts for it.
Liberty was always good at Pearl! Buses were available at the main gate to ride into the city, where you had the run of the town. Most of the men would head for Waikiki Beach, which had all the things any GI could want — plenty of girls, plenty of booze, plenty of good food! The USO had set up a place on the beach for GIs that afforded them a place to unwind, providing free soft drinks and snacks. Cigarettes were free as were games to play, or you could sit and write a letter home. There was a large dance floor and bands from the States would come over and play. It was a very nice place and many men took advantage of its luxuries.
Then there were the large hotels that were part of Waikiki's main strip of Kamehameha Boulevard. It ran from downtown to the beach and was lined with fine homes, hotels and restaurants. A restaurant called P.Y. Chung's was very popular as you could get a fairly good steak, potato, salad and a cold beer.
That was the Kid's main stop when he went into town. He'd often go to the famous Moana Loa Hotel, which was on the Waikiki strip. This was the home of a giant banyan tree and the hotel's Banyan Court. From here, before the war, was broadcast a radio program called, Hawaii Calls, which was heard back in the States. The tree itself was indeed a giant as its bottom limbs stood out from the trunk to about 25 feet. The lower limbs were about three feet in diameter and the trunk itself had to be at least eight feet through. Under the tree were tables covered with snowy white cloths and candles, with silverware that gleamed. It was real civilization, and was nice to sit there having a drink as you gazed over the blue Pacific.
The Kid was somewhat of a loner and seldom went on liberty with anyone. If he met a buddy in town they might have a drink together and then go their separate ways. He was not the type that had a rousing good time as getting drunk and raising hell were not his thing. He liked to wander around, have a good meal, lean on the bar and listen to music. He was, in effect, too shy to chase women. Picking up girls was not what he was comfortable with, if you can believe that about a wartime Marine.
Writing bug
The Kid began writing about his war experiences by sending his thoughts and recollections to his hometown newspaper. He sent them to his father, who in turn gave them to the paper. He'd submitted about three issues before he got caught. He couldn't figure how it had happened; it must've been the company censor who tumbled to the bit.
He was called in and told that he could not submit any such copy without permission of the Corps, ending his career as a correspondent. Not to be outdone, he visited the field correspondent's sector, which happened to be located in the barracks area. He told them his story and asked if he could sit in on their work. They were very understanding and let him do so when he was not on duty. He was not given anything worthwhile to do story-wise, but they'd allow him to type death notices, fill out forms, and other drudge jobs. That was definitely not what he had in mind; he grew tired of this routine and just quit.
Plea to change
From his interest in aviation the Kid had learned a bit about weather and thought that would be a good field to get into. It was at least more interesting than guard duty, from an intellectual point of view.
There was a Navy weather section based at Pearl, to which he'd go during off hours and bug the weathermen to show him how the data was accumulated and charted. He learned about instruments and forecasting. They were obliging, as few men ever inquired about their jobs, and were flattered that he cared. He had learned about cloud types and formations when he was a younger aviation enthusiast.
He put in for a transfer to that unit, but the guard commander would not release anyone for any reason. He tried to get a transfer to aerial gunnery school and eventually to Marine Air, but to no avail. The Old Man would not hear of it.
