A day to celebrate! My two-year enlistment in The US Navy
expired on a Spring Day in San Francisco. I was turned loose
in a world a-whirl with options galore. Having spent two years
in The South Pacific, the 1700 miles from San Francisco to my
home in The Ozark Mountains of Arkansas seemed like a cake
walk! I tossed my Sea Bag over my shoulder, found my way
across The Bay Bridge, stuck out my thumb and hoped for the
best! Within minutes I was given a ride, with 26 more to follow
before I entered the door to my parents’ ranch house. The war
had just ended and the world was awhirl with good will towards
the returning veterans. I made the trip home through stormy
weather and lonely nights with the destination of home kindling
my spirits. My best ride was with an elderly couple who treated
me to dinner and overnight in a motel. I had hated the war. The
thought of killing someone was anathema to me. The trip home
was an enjoyable buffer from one world to the next. One memory
of Kwajalein Island forever with me where I had come upon a
collection of skull and bones with a split toe shoe the definitive clue
as to the Japanese who he had once been there playing his noble role
in the organized killing that seemed to have lasted eons.
Thanks for sharing your memories and for your Service, Glen!