Day LXXVlII

AAA Beef


     The station was a long way from headquarters, and it didn’t seem to me to be that far away from the volcano. It was a pretty sight at night though, with the moon hanging over it, and during the day it was like a picture postcard. But all the same it made me nervous, and I smoked more than Pinatubo.

     We did have one scary moment, but thank goodness it wasn’t Pinatubo. Sgt. Thomas was an airman, who had been in all four services. At seventeen he joined the Marines, afterwards he went into the Navy, and followed that with a stint in the Army, finally he joined the Air Force. He used to say we had the best grub.

     “Yea man, our chow is thee absolute bestest”

     Also, our lifestyle was more relaxed than the other services. He liked to party in town with the
guys, and get himself a little bit of flesh too. I never understood why he brought his gorgeous wife over
there. At heart the man was still a marine, and he wore his hair like one.

     Kenny was one slick, fast talking, jive cat. He didn’t go into town much, because as he put it,

     “I like American AAA grade beef, man…ain’t nathan like it.”

     There wasn’t that much American Beef to hit on, AAA or otherwise at the base. We had the nurses at the hospital, but they were officers, and protocol prevented that. But, there were air force wives.

     One day Ken ran into Mrs. Thomas, the sergeant’s wife at the bowling alley, and got over. He got
lucky! For a long time sarge was suspicious she was cheating on him. He just couldn’t prove it. It took him a while to figure it out. One day the sarge sneaked out, left work early, and went home to find Ken doing his old lady.