Evening star., 1942-05-15
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
Star Staff Correspondent.

CURTIS BAY, Mo, May 10
Charley Breakfield and Sayre Shafer
are buddies. Charley Joined the
Coast Guard because he was IA in
the draft "and because I like small
boats" Sayre enlisted because he,
too, was la land because l thought
I'd have a better chance to ad-
vance" They represent a cross
section of the smallest but fastest
growing of Uncle Sans armed
branches.
Four months ago Curtis Bay was
a Coast Guard shipyard and repair
station. Then, suddenly, an army
of carpenters appeared and in so
days a big pine recuit training sta
ton was tossed together. Car
penters still were driving nails when,
on March /, the first recruits ap-
peared for a one-month training
period. shortest In the history of the
Coast Guard.
Charley and Sayre have a week
to CO. They signed up in Washing
ton. rode to Baltimore together and
boarded the bus for Curtis Bay.
Because of the steppedup wartime
tempo they find themselves, after
three weeks, grizzled veterans among
the recruits. Their rank, apprentice
seamen, corresponds to private in
the Army.
Further Polishing Outside,
A few years ago recruits had three
months in a training center. Two
years ago it was cut to six weeks.
Now Charley and Sayre train one
full month before being fed into
crews or land stations, where prac-
tical experience will be the buffer
wheel for the final polishing. After
three months they will be seamen,
second class, and will receive $36
per month. Now they earn s2I.
In the month of a recruit at a
training center, officers strive most
of all to indoctrinate him. The
rookie is exposed to discipline, sema-
phore, fundamental drilling, duty of
a lookout. gas mask practice and the
manual of arms with a rifle. He
learns how to tie knots and box a
compass. Some of the more eager,
like Charley, learn nearly the entire
wireless code before the four weeks
are up.
Charley Breakfield is %, originally
hailed from Iowa, and came to
Washington a few years ago. He
worked as clerk in the War De-
partment for IA months, married
last July Is. BEST thing that ever
happened to me-" he said. Settled
me down." He laughed. This
place" waving an arm to encompass
Curtis Bay, settled me down just
little more"
Left Furniture Store.
Sayre Shafer is a native Wash
ingtonian, "a years old. He ran his
own furniture store in Bethesda,
Md, until Uncle Sam pointed that
finger at him. Sayre still has his
store, but his sister-in-law runs it,
Charley wants to be a "stryker" for
yeoman. "It's in our manual" he
explained. "A 'stryker' is one who
is bidding for something. Since I
was a stenographer at the War De-
partment being yeoman-typist,
clerk, storekeeper and that stuff
ought to be right down my alley"
Shafer, who stands 6 feet AZ inches,
but who was permitted to join de-
spite the limit of feet 334 inches,
isn't so certain what he wants.
They don't need furniture statesmen
on the ocean," he grinned.
Neither Breakfeld nor Shafer
considers himself a typical Coast
Guard recruit. Some fellows don't
work as hard at it as we do" ex-
planned Charley. We've been bear
ing down all the time" Both hope
to be platoon leaders, if not shifted
from Curtis Bay with the rest of
the graduating recruits in their
company.
First part Of indoctrination for
Charley and Sayre was short hair.
cut, 11k inches from the scalp. II
used to have such curly hair, too" ="
was Breakf1eld's mock moan of
anguish. "I don't look like the
same guy I was" Next they were
assigned to a company, both draw
ing III" There are 80 recruits to a
platoon, two platoons, roughly, to a