Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-07

he landed it, that he,were right satisfied with
somebody that just knew hew' to get the
thing on the ground They kept passing the
bottle around and then they noticed me and
Ben there and offered us some but Ben didn't
drink and I didn't care for none either: so
we stood around until they started to squab-
bling some more again, and then me and
Ben left and went in town to picture show
Ben was right disguised with them all again
because he said that warnt no way for officers
to act, and said, "How's that, Benz" and
he said, Drinking and arguing and taking
on like that. Officers don't do that. Besides
if they do have to act like that they ought
not to do it around us because we are en-
listed men. I don't know what makes that
bunch do that way. They don't act like
officers at ALL"
Anyhow. after the show we went back
by their room again to find out what time
they were taking of the next day, only we
didn't find out much because they was still
at 1t. They was arguing pretty hot this time
and had finished up couple of bottles that
lay on the table and had opened up another
one, and don't reckon they even knowed me
and Ben was there. Lieutenant Bridges was
talking to Lieutenant Kendall about the en-
CINE going out and wanting to know why.
He said. You're the engineer, amt you?
You're supposed to know those things"
Was flying the plane? Did do any,
thing to make it go out?"
That don't matter, Ken. You're sup
posed to FIX It,"
Il never wanted to be a fight engineer
nohow." Lieutenant Kendall said. What
wanted to do was run an Oficer's Club"
Drink to Them All
So then Lieutenant Cover wanted to
drink to all the men that run the Oficer's
Club but Lieutenant Gardella wouldn't be-
cause he said they all wore mustaches and
that he knowed one that had mustache two
inches long; but then Lieutenant Cover said
he knowed one that didn't have a mustache
and so Lieutenant Gardella said he would
drink to that one all right. did you ever see
the one at Baker Field?" Lieutenant Cover
said. THAT man had the biggest ears of any
man ever seen. You remember him? He
couldn't get them under the earphones He
would have to tuck them in. He was a Major"
Let's drink to him too."
Il remember one time" Lieutenant Cover
said. "he had these real small earphones, and
he couldn't get all of his ear under them, and
he worked and worked. -
well, let's drink to him too" Lieutenant
Gardella said You all the time talking.
Don't you ever want to drink to anybody?
Why don't we stop all this talking about people
and do some drinking to them?"
So they all began arguing some more so
me and Ben never found out a thing, and
finally just left there and went back to our
place and f1ggered we would get out there
early in the morning and meet them there
Well, we got there about seven o'clock and
set around about two hours before any OF
them showed up and once looked at them
kind OF wished they hadn't showed up at all
Lieutenant Bridges hair was sticking straight
up on his head and what you could see of his
eyes was all red, and he had his parachute
on backwards so that it hung down in front
of his stomach and mighty near tripped him
every step he took. He came Waddling along
that way giggling silly about something that
Lieutenant Cover had said. and we went up
to speak to them and none of them even
knowed us at first. Then the others come
along and they looked just about the same as
Lieutenant Bridges; they had been up all
night long and they acted the silliest of any
bunch of grown men ever saw in my life.
Ben wouldn't even look at them he was 80
disguised. There was truck there waiting
for us, and when we got up. Lieutenant
Bridges stood up on the back of 1t and held
his nose like kid ready to jump in SWIM
ming and hollered, Here's the way I'm going
to bail Quit" and went jumping way up in
the air and falling on his back hard enough
to break it, it seemed like; and then Lieuten-
ant Cover stood up and he had his suit on
they way I'm going to bail out!' and then he
went sailing through the air too and hit fiat
on his back on the cement too; and they laid
there with their backs nearly broke. kicking
their feet around in the air and laughing
their silly heads off.
Not Very Hopeful
It looked like we never would get started,
and from the looks of them didn't much care
If we didn't. I looked at Ben and his face was
all white and his eyes popping out, so guess
he felt the same as me. The driver of the
truck had his head poked out the window look
ing at them because he couldn't start with
them laying all over the runway, and there
didn't seem to be no way to get them all on at
the same time. I mean Ben didn't like it too
much neither. They warnt the best crew on
earth sober, and drunk, I don't guess they's
ever been another one like them. ! looked at
Lieutenant Gardella, though, and thought it
might work all right because he was the only
one that had his parachute on right; he was
sitting there pretty quiet holding lunch pail
in his lap, and was just watching the others
and not saying word about it one way or the
other When they come climbing back UP in
the truck, grunting and putting, he just stared
at them and held his lips tight together and
shook his head sideways, disguised. And when
they climbed up on the side and held their
noses and went sailing out in the air again,
Lieutenant Gardella didn't say word: he just
reached back and patted his chute on his back
like he was making sure it was on in the right
place He warnt taking on and giggling like
them at all, so turned to Ben and said, well,
maybe Lieutenant Gardella can do it all right.
He lets them wheels up real good, I know"
and Ben kind of nodded his head, though he
was still right pale; but about that time Lieu
tenant Gardella stood up and looked around
at us and said right quiet and serious "I
thought they had better sense than that. Now
here's the way you really ought to bail out"
and dived of head first the way you are
supposed to. He hit on his face and it knocked
. him out for while and we finally had to get
down and haul him back on the truck.
Lieutenant Cover was the only one that
hadn't jumped off and was the only one quiet,
but he. had his chute on backward too, and
couldn't fly the plane nohow. And mean by
that time I was getting right worried with
them.