White Hats and Blue Water
by
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I remember how disappointed I was arriving in San Diego. The weather was cloudy and the wind was blowing from the sea, chilly but not as cold as it was in Chicago or St. Louis. I didn't see any girls in small bikinis, just a lot of young men like myself who were being grouped together and moved about like small herds of cattle. I had no idea of who was in charge. The bus driver told us to remain seated and keep our mouths shut until someone arrived. Bull shit!! There were about fifty of us on that damn bus and we all started talking as soon as he departed and we never saw him again. It wasn't long before a young black man with a gold tooth arrived and told us to disembark the bus and to fall out shoulder to shoulder on the parade ground in a double row. We were soon standing as directed with our bags, suitcases, or, in my case, a paper box at our feet, ready for our first inspection! By this time a very tired looking older man arrived and after a few words with "gold-tooth" he looked us over as if we were trash. "Attention! Listen up! My name is Roskee, spelled R-O-S-K-E-E. I'm a Chief Boatswain Mate and your company commander. My assistant is First Class Electrician's Mate Charles Johnson. He will be your physical instructor and the two of us will make sailors of you during the next twelve weeks. We will be your mommy and daddy, you will do as we say, when we say, and there will be no sass. You belong to the United States Navy! We are going to make men of you that the Navy will be proud of. Our goal is to take you spoiled, pampered, candy-ass civilians and in twelve short weeks teach you to work together and live together as a team. "You will now march over to the issue building where you will receive your uniforms, shoes, and other items. You will immediately change clothes and stow your stinking civilian clothes in your personal bag, suitcase, or whatever you brought and they will be mailed to your last known address. Now move your ass on the double!" My life as I knew it was forever changed and the great adventure had begun! I was in "boot camp," San Diego, California, December 1959. It was eleven days past my seventeenth birthday. I was a young, shy farm boy, a long way from home, but I was soon to learn a lot about life.
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About the Book
White Hats and Blue Water
Richard Edward O'Brien is "Reo," who wants to be a man. As he travels the world looking for the excitement he has read about in stories, he must overcome the everyday problems of growing up.
During the four years he is in uniform, he discovers love and heartache, strength and weakness, glory and shame, and most important, the guilt and loneliness of being a boy in a man's uniform.
About the Author
Kerry Lewis is a lot like the main character, Reo. Born in St. Louis and raised on a farm in the Ozarks by elderly relatives, he joined the Navy at age 17 in search of adventure and to see the world. He struggled with rules and regulations, peer pressure, and a desire to succeed in a totally strange environment. He soon discovered that wearing a uniform doesn't make you a man, but meeting the challenges of military life and learning your own strengths and weaknesses were building blocks for character. Kerry and his wife, Lynn, reside in the Ozarks where he continues to write and share time with family and friends. He is the co-author of Polyphony and author of Straight from the Heart, both books of poetry, as well as several short stories.