Bell Bottoms

Bud and I got together on several occasions during the 16-week basic training course. I would hitch hike from Scofield down the coast to Pearl Harbor where Bud was stationed. He had access to a jeep so we would go on in to Honolulu for the weekend.

We normally would stay over at Ft. DeRussy or the YMCA, where we could get a bunk for 50 cents a night. We usually went to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel to see a top notch floor show. We would have a flowered aloha shirt and a pair of civilian slacks in our overnight bags and that was accepted dress even in the most posh Honolulu hotels. Civilian dress for trainees was strictly prohibited by military rules but the MPs, SPs and HASP(Hawaiian Armed Services Police) kind of looked the other way. We would buy a mixed drink for 50 or 75 cents and watch a free floor show. Tourists renting rooms provided money for such freebies and we took advantage of it.

Our weekends were quite sedate. The only excitement I remember was Chinese New Year. Many of the Orientals in Honolulu celebrated just as we do except with firecrackers. I didn’t see any particularly raucous behavior from military personnel but the brass apparently decided to avoid any problems. About midnight the various security forces were sent out with paddy wagons and we were all picked up and sent back to our bases. At least it was a free ride. Those in uniform were easy to spot and I guess the rest of us were pretty obvious too. We were not disciplined for being out of uniform either.

I flirted with trouble another weekend when Bud told me to meet him inside the gate at Pearl Harbor so I could go to chow with him before we went into town.

In order not to go through the process of getting his commanding officer’s okay for a guest in the mess hall (we weren’t even sure that was possible) Bud gave me one of his uniforms to wear so I would be just another swabbie eating.

We were about the same size so wearing the bell bottoms was no problem but I was concerned about recognizing naval rank and knowing when to salute. Bud suggested I keep the hat in my hand as if I was just putting it on and when anyone approached it would be acceptable not to salute as long as my hands were occupied.

We made it to the mess hall without incident but as I look back I shudder to think what would have happened if someone in authority had caught me impersonating a navy man, a federal offense, no doubt. We got outside the gate and I changed into civilian clothes and felt much better.