The Wrangell sentinel., 1943-04-09
This Ones On
 The Navy, Or
 So It's Reported
ByJaok sdnnstt
AP Feature

AP Feature
 WAsHINGTON-Don't make me tako an oath that this story is true, but I know a couple Of men in a sea-going branch Of our armed forces here who will
 His name isn't John Henry. but we'll call him that. He's a New York millionaire in his forties. He has a big estate on Long Island and almost at his front door is Long Island Sound His hobby was speed boats seagoing speedboats- and he had four of them
 Immediately after Pearl Harbor, this salt water sportsman went to the Navy. offered them the use of his boats and his own services. He explained that he knew every wave and ripple of Long Island Sound, had been sailing 1t since he was old enough to hold a tiller.
 The Navy was delighted They told him so. They took over his boats and his harbor and made him Com mander Henry. in charge of patrol ling certain waters of the Sound. In that capacity he acquitted him. self to the complete satisfaction of his superiors and so 1t went for months.
 Orders Are Orders"
 Then one night. ln the midst of party at his seaside chateau, the commander was called to the tele- phone and told to report at 90 Church Street, New york City, the following morning. The commander did, and met his superior. The su- perior said:
 These, Commander Henry, are your sealed orders. You will pro- eeed to Brooklyn where you will take command of the destroyer U. S. S. (censored). You will sail at 2:30 this afternoon, l think might be permitted to tell you that you will rendezvous with a con voy."
 The commander almost tainted. He protested with what strength he had left: But, sir, I never set foot on a destroyer in my life. don't know how to command one. 1 -----'
 His superior eyed him coldly, shrugged his shoulders.
 q didn't issue the orders, but they are orders." he said. Good luck. Commander"
 When the commander took over command a few hours later, he cal led his staff around him and made a clean breast of his shortcomings. That group of junior officers must have been the best sports that ever sailed the seas.
 The commander took over the ship and they took over the com mander. They weren't even dis heartened when those sealed or ders were opened and it was found that their destination was Mur- mansk, Russia.
 All a Mistake
 The nightmare that that trip must have been to the former play boy of Long Island Sound isn't re- corded, but it is reported that by studying and working 20 hours a day, fighting through several en- agreements with enemy planes in the Norwegian sea and the Arctic, the commander came back a very creditable skipper Of a destroyer.
 He reported to go Church Street. His superiors screamed. "Get out of here and don't ever come back. Get back to your oyster beds. Those or ders you accepted were for Com mander John Henry, U. s. N, an Annapolis man, we'll have you sn- derstand, and a man with a record as long as your arm"
 The commander, it's reported, is back patrolling the oyster beds, but every time he sees a destroyer head for the open sea, he casts wistful eye and wishes the Navy was a lit tie better at taking a joke on itself.
 
 The juvenile" age limit for of- lenders varies among states from