Text 4047, 86 rader
Skriven 2006-08-03 17:52:50 av hap newsom (1:275/311)
     Kommentar till en text av JIM WELLER
Ärende: RE: Local yahoos
========================
Hey Jim!
-> 
->  HN> Believe me I saw the signs...and it was Sailors and dogs stay off the
->  HN> grass.  Back in those days you did NOT go around alone in uniform in
->  HN> Norfolk at ALL  and you tried to go places in groups for self
->  HN> preservation. Once a group of  soldiers from Ft Story up at the north
->  HN> end of VB got together with a bunch of  Marines from Norfolk and 
had a
->  HN> big BBQ which got busted up by a huge troupe  of the local Yahoo's 
the
->  HN> ensuing melee left about 20 people in the  hospital....most of em
->  HN> locals which didn't endear the military locally even  though they were
->  HN> only defending themselves.
-> 
-> Sadly, that can happen anywhere. I used to live in the illustriously
-> named Grand Centre in Alberta right between the village of Cold Lake
-> and CFB Cold Lake. Relations between the town and the air base were
-> generally good, but oil exploration brought in a bunch of red necks who
-> disliked such people as Quebec French and Blacks (there's lots of both
-> in the Forces). They also thought they were tougher than the Air force
-> and just had to find out they weren't the hard way.
-> 
-> Now we have a huge air exercise every year where hundreds of Americans
-> join us for war games. (The terrain and climate in northern Alberta
-> resembles that of Siberia which was of significance during the cold War
-> era. (There is also a huge exercise that Canadians go to in Nevada each
-> summer where the weather and terrain is not unlike the Middle East's.))
-> 
-> During one such Maple Flag exercise a large group of American airmen
-> were in the same bar as the Grand Centre Chamber of Commerce and the
-> above mentioned roughnecks. A young Black private was flirting rather
-> successfully with a cute young waitress when his crew took off to
-> another bar leaving him alone. The rednecks, about 16 of them, closed in
-> on him, insulted him and eventually starting beating up on him. There
-> were no other servicemen, either Canadian or American, in the bar by
-> that time.
-> 
-> The bartender called the cops and the Chamber pitched in to rescue the
-> young airman. Being out of shape white collar guys, also about 16 of us,
-> we were taking the worst of it and were real happy when the cops showed
-> up promptly. 4 each RCMP, Canadian MPs and American MPs arrived
-> together. (During these international exercises they patrol together and
-> you have the courtesy of being arrested by somebody from your own
-> country). Now the local cops knew all the Chamber members on a first
-> name basis and they had had prior dealing with the oilmen so they calmly
-> separated us into two groups with a view of sending us all home if the
-> oilmen paid for the damages.
-> 
-> But the American MPs were pretty rough on the private (shoving him
-> around, handcuffs etc.) and we all spoke up to protest. Imagine the look
-> on the MP's face when he said sarcastically, "Who are you and what
-> business is it of yours?" only to be told, "Jim Weller, Manager of the
-> Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Bob M, Manager of the Bank of Nova
-> Scotia and VP of the CoC, Joe G, owner of the large Chev-Cadillac
-> dealership and president of the CoC, Harold L. newspaper owner/editor
-> etc. etc." They took the cuffs off the guy and told him to get lost,
-> stay out of bars and keep out of trouble. We complained again that he
-> was an assault victim not a bar rowdy and should be treated better.
-> "Perhaps we should call Charlie in on this." "Who's Charlie?" "Brigadier
-> General Charles S., Base Commander. He was with us all for supper at
-> the restaurant but went home half an hour ago and didn't come over to
-> the lounge for a drink. But we all have his home number." THEN there was
-> an attitude adjustment!
-> 
-> The capper of the night was when the waitress said to the airman, "If
-> you have to stay out of bars all night, why don't you come over to my
-> place instead." Happy ending!
-> 
Now that's a good (and uncommon) ending to the story! Back when I lived in 
Hawaii, there was a once a year joint naval exercise which involved the US 
Navy, the Canadian Navy, and the Australian Navy...what a hoot they were 
when ashore! We got invited aboard an Ozzie frigate and had rum with them 
and then we all went out and had what the Ozzies called "A ruggers" which 
evidently was meant to be a rowdy game of rugby...but really was an all out 
melee with a ball in the middle....I mean how do you have three teams on the 
field at the same time ? (grin) The Canadian contingent was a few personell 
short so one American Sailor and two OZ sailors were "converted" and what 
ensued was about an hour and a half of chaos. There were no rules and no 
score but it was tooth and nail right up to the end! (G) I ended up with both 
eyes blackened and cracked ribs...and I was practically unhurt!
After it was all over off we'd all go to town to get roaring drunk...imagine 
about 200 sailors from three navies turned loose on Honolulu! 
chat with you soon
hap 
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