Brad’s Gambling Life – Part 9 – But Wait!…There’s More!

When Brad and his AF buddies marched off the ship in Yokohama, they soon found out that the ship was immediately going further down the Japanese coastline to deliver Navy personnel assigned to other ships and then on to Korea to drop off hundreds of combat-ready Army soldiers.  The Air Force guys were being transferred to various AF bases in Japan for their new assignments.

Brad was sent to the Kamaki base, a small AF installation out in the country near the city of Nagoya.  Well, he wasn’t in Korea but he was in what was called the Korean Theater, only 90 miles from the 38^th Parallel.   So that front-page story that had run in the Connersville, IN newspaper, about his being the first local boy volunteering to go to Korea, wasn’t too far off.

At the Kamaki base, Brad’s duties were in a supply tent on the flight line, handing out bedding to airmen, two sheets and one pillowcase each.  And his sergeant gave him strict orders, “Under no circumstances give out any bedding supplies to those Marines who will come around.  They just want to sell them to the locals.”

Now Brad had already found out that the Marine Corps, who shared base facilities with the Air Force, was way underfunded, so the Marines were always trying to scrounge, by hook or by crook, supplies from the better funded Air Force.  However, Marines had always been heroes to Brad, and the Marine Corps had been his first choice back when he first enlisted.  So when a tall movie-star handsome Marine pilot came into the supply tent and asked for a set of bedding, Brad quickly responded with a “Yes, SIR!” and handed him a set of two sheets and one pillowcase.

“What was I supposed to do?  I was a lowly airman and he was a major, risking his life flying missions over Korea.  I couldn’t tell him he couldn’t have two sheets and a pillowcase.”

Then the pilot pulled a dollar bill out of his pocket and gave it to Brad, “Thanks, my friend.”

Well, you might guess what happened next.  The next night the major’s buddy, another Marine pilot who wanted to be Brad’s friend, came in with the same request – and Brad just didn’t know how to say no, so out went 2 sheets and a pillowcase and into his pocket went a dollar tip.    But Brad was really getting scared.  Was there going to be a parade of Marine pilots to his supply tent? There would be inventory checks – and he knew he would be in big trouble.

And in just a few days, he knew the *** had hit the fan.  He got a call from his supply officer, “Lock up your tent and report to me immediately.”  Needless to say, Brad was not smiling as he slowly trudged up the hill to the main Supply office.  This lieutenant was a really mean one – he had once chewed Brad out royally for giving an AF sergeant ten rolls of toilet paper instead of the limit of five.

When he arrived at Supply, it was eerily quiet.  The usual bustle was missing.  All the men were just standing around motionless– as if waiting for a bomb to explode.

The lieutenant greeted Brad with a funny smile on his face,  “Well, Scott, you know what?  Headquarters just called down and said they need one man from this unit to go to Korea.”

Dead silence from everyone in the room, including Brad, who was in shock that he wasn’t talking about sheets and pillowcases.

The lieutenant continued, “And you know what, Scott?  The men here have unanimously voted that you should be the one to go.”

Brad was still in too much shock to respond.

“Well, Scott, what do you say about this idea?”

Brad’s shock finally turned to a flood of relief.  No more problems with Marines and pillowcases.  And if an inventory problem turned up in a few days, he would be at least 90 miles away.  He even forgot about the lure of free beer.  He found his voice, “Well, sir, I think this is a very good idea – I’ve been trying for months to get to Korea.”

Now it was the lieutenant’s turn to be speechless.  Finally he stammered out, “Well… get your butt to Headquarters right away.”

And off Brad hiked, his steps now light and quick.  Adventure was a-waiting!

Yes, an adventure did lie ahead, but he had nary a clue how different and surprising it would turn out to be.