Back in sixty eight, John Ashman and McGrath went ashore as soon as we anchored out in Kowshung (sp), Tiawan, so did FTM3 Brown. Brown was the first black FTM I ever met, OK guy too. I had duty and had to stay onboard. Well, I had the POOW watch and saw them all off.
Since Ashman and I were running mates, I kind of wished I could go. The first boat carried them off, I made sure that they were on it since there was a line. We had just come out of Hong Kong two weeks earlier and I figured everyone was out of money, but no dice. Kowshung (did I mention spelling?) was really cheap, I mean really cheap. Brown told me he only had ninety two cents in his pocket when he left the ship, but just wanted to see the sights.
About an hour after they left, Brown comes back. I asked him how he did and why he was back so early. He says, sez he, "Well ninety two cents only carries you so far. I got laid once and blown once and it took all my money!!!" Jeez, this place is really cheap, thinks I.
So I get off watch, it was around eight and here comes the SPs on their own boat with McGrath and Ashman. Oh boy, now what. I had lots of adventures with those two like when we took a cab from the driver in Yokuska and drove it with the meter on to Yokohoma for a weekend. They got laid, I got rolled. Great fun though.
The SPs want the OOD, so here he comes. I just hang around to hear what is going on. Seems these two had taken a water taxi to come back to the ship and took over the boat from the driver and were racing it around the harbor.
The next night, McGrath gets restricted but Ashman and I volunteer to go with the missionaries into the moutains. After the trip, he does not return with the shore party and we go get some girls. On the way back later, well loosened up, we get to the dock and there is some little guy selling huge bags of peanuts in their shells for one NT a bag (about twenty five cents). Both Ashman and I get about for bags each, and start eating.
Back on the ship, it is late and we go to our bunks. I don't remember too much after that, but in the morning we are both in our racks (we both have top racks at the time) covered by these bags of peanuts. We have opened them and covered ourselves in our stupor. It was quite a site. Since I slept right above Cahill, the Fox Div LPO, he is covered with them too. Boy was he pissed, he started to yell at us but both Ashman and I are laughing too hard to care.
I tell you something else, everyone in Fox Div had nicknames, mine is on the signature page. But we had guys that were wierd, really wierd. Ashman had a silver tooth as one of his front teeth. He was a small guy but a real character. John gets up every morning and from his sub bag produces a wad of kamshawed Never Dull and polishes that tooth, every morning. I don't know why it did not kill him.
Anyway, Cahill screams at us for the peanut mess and Ashman just starts polishing that tooth in the mirror. I am laughing so hard I can't stand any more and collapse on Cahills rack. Cahill just throws his arms up and walks away, muttering to himself.
I got more of these, lots more.
Wierd Frank, aka Shaggy Wierdo, Fox Div, 66-68
