The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1945-02-01
OTIS CARNEY

the squadron's skipper, sits at the
head of the table. Lieutenant
Commander Kenwood sits here,
Lieutenant Commander Wright,
in charge of ground school, sits
here. Lieutenant Commander
Apelgate, in charge of cadets,
sits here, and Ensign Higs sits
here"
"What happened to Higs?" I
asked.
Hes a psychiatrist," she said
'reverently.
whats he doing here?"
s'He knows more about you
than you know about yourself.
Freud and all that" Her ges-
lures encompassed the arcane.
"You don't know how much OF
that is bound up in our everyday
Navy life. You better go out in
the hall and wait. They'll be here
any minute"
There was one case before
mine. One cadet kept getting air
sick every time he flew. Nobody
wanted him around, and he him
self was anxious to take up some
thing else.
1T think Til get a commission"
he confided excitedly before 60
ing in to hear the Boards deci-
sion. When he came out he was
deathly pale.
"They're going to make tests on
me-" he said family.
heard from him later. He was
sent to an experimental field,
where his unfortunate talents
were given full play. He was
used as guinea pig by a doctor
who was doing research for the
Navy in nausea. One simple SEN
tence spoke only too eloquently:
give been up every day this
week."
My name was called. walk
) ed in straight and stiff as if I had
spent four years at Culver.
| "Aviation Cadet Lester Dowd,
Glass 10-D," I announced proper
ly.
ooh, yes" said the skipper,
thumbing through papers.
While he studied the briefs, the
rest of the panel stared silently
at me. At first I employed a
sweeping gaze that flashed around
the table like a beacon. After a
few sweeps I realized this gave
them the advantage of concen-
trated fire, and I shifted to a
steady eye. I could turn back
everybody except the psychiatrist
He sat closest to me. He was a
thin, wasted man with glasses
There was an empty expression
of intense kindness on his face.
I tried for two minutes steadily
to break him down, but it was no
use. I went back to shooting
down the others individually.
''Sit down, Dowd," said Mr.
Wells.
''Thank you, sir"
"What's this about the brakes?''
he asked petulantly.
''I didn't know how to unlock
them, SIR" I confessed.
eyes, you did," he insisted i'm
patiently. He swung sideways
on his chair, raised his feet off
the floor, and waggled them in
even unlocking motions. '"That's
all you do. You know how to do
that"
81 didn't then"
"You did too'' he Numbered.
"Anybody can do that any time.
Kenwood can do it, Wright can do
it, Apelgate can do it," he roared,
pointing around the table. ''Higs
can do it," he added as an after
thought, motioning to the psy-
chiatrist.
Nobody has to tell you thing
tried to explain.
Nobody has to tell you a thing
like thatY' beloved Mr.. Wells.
'You do it naturally" (
There was a lull. Everybody
seemed to feel the skipper was es-
rsentially right, but that somehow
the truth had not been completely
revealed. Ensign Higs leaned for
ward.
''Was there something on your
mind?" he asked softly.
The question was aimed point
blank at the unconscious. If I said
mo-" it would convey the i'm
preston of an old, vacant lot, and
everyone would lose interest. The
trial was going against me.
"Come, now, what was on your
mind?" he said again, feeling that