1961

A new Commander-in-Chief

  1961, for the most part, was another quiet year - almost.  The two most significant things that happened were my first re-enlistment in September and my twenty-first birthday in December.  I had both days off, the difference between the two is that on my birthday I was picked up as "drunk in public" for the first, not the last, time.  I celebrated to right to drink legally by drinking Old Crow and water too much.  As I was outside waiting for the bus, I fell flat on my face, the Shore Patrol wasn't far behind.  Taken to the Military Police Headquarters at the Oakland Army Base, I was processed.  They will tell you to have a seat on the green bench (that bench and I became 'friends' over the next two years), taken back to the base and turned over to the command.  I did have a Captains Mast (Non-judicial punishment) and got a suspended reduction in rank for 90 days (keep that in mind), about 94 days later I was picked up again.
  The re-enlistment for the most part was just another walk in the park, it takes about two minutes.  Of course I wore a dress uniform and was in the Base Commander's office.  I swore to defend the Constitution of the United States and it was over, oh I had to sign a few things.  I joined the Navy at age 17 so it was a minority enlistment, it would expire on my twenty-first birthday.  I was allowed to re-enlist 90 days early and still get credit for that time as time served; so for serving 3 years and 1 month I got credit for four years, that repeated (the 90 day early part) each time; as a result I was 35 and a half when I retired from active duty.

Alan Shepherd got higher than I did

Racial tensions got hotter and hotter

A test cartoon for a training film,  I had a "good self" and an "evil self" too. - click