While I was working in the shipyards, I was afraid of being drafted. I wanted to get into the Seabees or one of the other work outfits.

At the time I was working at Moore’s shipyard, and I told my boss that I wanted to get into the Seabees. I told him I was worried about getting drafted. My boss told me: “don’t worry Frankie, we need you.”

The war was coming to an end, but two weeks later I got drafted! Then, I had the fun of running into my former boss. I was on delay enroute, they called it.

During that delay, I was playing golf in Alameda, and I ran into my boss. I said just not enough so that he could hear it: “don’t worry Frank we won’t let them draft you. We need you!” the guy never talked to me again.


During WWII, I serve in Korea

I went to the army engineering corps. I served in Korea Toward the end of the war. A lot of people didn’t even know we were in Korea. The Japs had been there, and they stripped the place clean all the way up to the 38th parallel. From there on up, it was a Russian.

We were at Inchon. I ran a welding shop there. I had a young kid as my helper who was as useless as tits on a boar. He was a nice kid, but only did was sit there and read.


How I Got the Best of Lieutenant Eckhardt, a “One-Day Wonder”

I had one great experience during this time. There was a second lieutenant who was a real horse’s ass. His name was Eckhardt.

One time, I was building a big 500 gallon gasoline tank, and I had it all done, but I didn’t have vent in it yet. I was up on top of the tank, and I was going to cut a hole, and put a dent in the tank.

Eckardt came and yelled at me: “you better get down, Sergeant we’re going to take the tank away now.”

I told him: “you’d better not take it away; it’s not finished yet. I’ve got to put the vent in it.”

Eckhardt said: “we don’t have time.”

I said: “you better make time because we can’t put the vent in later. I can’t burn a hole when the thing is filled with gasoline.”

So I finally won the argument.


The Story of the Stinky Laundry

I had to Koreans who were working for me. We had our own laundry; it was the troop’s laundry. When the clothes game back, they would stink. They were very foul.

One of these Koreans told me he wanted to take a close home and let his mother wash them, so he did. She did a good job; she probably took them down to the river.

They came back all folded, with no odor. So of course, the military police picked up this fellow with all my clothes. It was the same lieutenant, that guy Eckhardt. He was working me over.

I told occurred to go back to his bunk and smell his clothing, and tell me that it didn’t stink.

At this point, the captain, who was in the other room over heard me and said: “for Christ sake, leave the guy alone. If he wants to send his clothes out, what the hell do you care?”

When we were going home, Eckhardt was on the bridge, and yelled down to us that we’re going to have a lottery.

He said: “the guy who wins gets to throw lieutenant Eckhardt overboard.”

Eckhardt was what they called a 90 day wonder.