One Piece at a Time

In 1976 Johnny Cash recorded a song
About an auto worker and his compatriot working on the assembly line
Who built a car from stolen parts over 24 years
One piece at a time

The song was a big hit, but a similar incident occurred in WW2
To an acquaintance of mine, whom I worked with after the war, named Dan
Who was a propeller mechanic serving in New Guinea, and a mechanical genius
Who scavaged parts from wrecked vehicles, including some of Japanese origin, and built a vehicle that actually ran

Dan was a sergeant, and many officers in his company
Were upset that an enlisted man was riding around in his own private vehicle, a unique event by far
Eventually Dan was court martialed for stealing a jeep, but was acquitted
Because there was no record that demonstrated it was a government car

After his acquittal, there continued to be some resentment about Dan and his private jeep
But it fairly quickly dissipated when Dan used his vehicle and mechanical skill
To construct and locate the materials needed
To operate a whiskey producing still

Thus Dan became well respected, not a villain
As he handed out booze to officers and enlisted men, without extracting any fee
And his superior officers ceased to question his anti- authoritarian style
And decided to just let this maverick be

Thus Dan used his exceptional mechanical skills
To keep damaged propellers in good repair
While simultaneously having a private vehicle
And providing free booze to the soldiers who were there

After the war was over Dan, like me, worked at a white collar job
But I’m sure he must have frequently had a pleasant memory
About his days in New Guinea when he successfully battled
Both the U.S. Army and our war-time enemy

The Tenth Mountain Division

What became the 10^th Mountain Division
In July 1943, came into being
They trained in part at Camp Hale in Colorado
Ultimately shipped in 1945 to fight in Italy, experts in both climbing and skiing

The Tenth Mountain initially fought in February 1945
And significantly contributed to several German defeats
The last battle for the Tenth Mountain occurred in late April 1945
And on May 2^nd, 1945 German resistance in Italy ceased

May 8^th marked V-E Day, the end of the war in Europe,
The 10^th Mountain was scheduled to be sent to the Pacific, but that was not their fate
Following two atomic bombings, the Japanese surrendered in August, 1945
And the 10^th Mountain returned to the United States

In 114 days of combat in the fighting in Europe
The 10^th Mountain suffered nearly 1000 deaths and wounds were inflicted on over 4000 members
It’s hard to say in view of such losses, that the 10^th was lucky
But their losses would have greatly increased, but for the timely Japanese surrender

After the war, ex-soldiers from the 10^th
Constituted the modern ski-industry core
They founded Vail, Aspen, Sugar Bush, White face Mountain
And many more

Not only did they found numerous resorts
But frequently employed ex Tenth Division veterans as principal aides
Thus brothers in arms became brothers in business
And this is how their road to prosperity was paved

For using their mountain skills to hasten the end of the European war
The 10^th Mountain vets merit much loud applause
And many showed excellent financial sense
To become millionaires by founding a post war ski resort

The Missing Roots

In 1954, while serving in the Army as an ambulance driver
The Army sought volunteers to become a dental assistant
It required taking and passing a 3 month course at Fort Sam Houston
Which seemed to me better than my then current position

Ambulance driving was okay, but not great
It involved spending considerable time imitating a MarineLong hikes, sleeping on the ground, meals cooked in a make-shift kitchen
Generally in the absence of an indoor latrine

So the prospect of what I thought of as an office job had much appeal
So I volunteered and was accepted
And then drove to the training site at Ft. Sam Houston
Located in southern Texas

The training was difficult, but not overwhelming
And things went smoothly along the wayUntil we reached the day of instructionIn how to take and develop a dental x-ray

After a full day of trainingWe were then directed to take a full-mouth x-ray
Of one of our fellow studentsWhich in my case was a young woman, perhaps about eighteen on that day

So I took and developed the x-ray film
And was dismayed to see no roots were shown
Which was an essential missing element to any dentist
Who couldn’t do his job properly unless the condition of the roots was known

Feeling very embarrassed, I approached the instructor
And showed him the images of the teeth without roots
He promptly burst into laughter
Which intensified my idea that I had badly goofed

After regaining his composure he told me the reason
No roots were shown
Was the woman I x-rayed had a complete set of false teeth
A fact which to me was completely unknown

I never suspected the woman I was x-raying
Had lost all her natural teeth in her youth
And was undoubtedly too embarrassed
To reveal to me this dental truth

So the moral of this story is that when you’re looking at someone’s mouth
Or otherwise involved in activities with other people, take a little care
What you think you see may not in fact
Accurately reflect what is there

Stanislaw and his Four Armies

 

Note: A No. 10 can is a metal container which holds about 1 gallon of food. 

I was drafted into the Army

And served from 1953 to 1955

Where I ran into Stanislaw

Who was serving in a different army for the fourth time

Stanislaw, a Pole, feared the prospect of fighting the Germans

But did so in 1939, when Germany invaded Poland and occupied the Polish west

Pursuant to the Nazi-Soviet pact entered into before the war began

The Russians occupied the rest

But as the war progressed, and Hitler invaded Russia

The Germans sought out Poles who were physically fit

And conscripted them into the German Army

To help defeat the Soviet communists

So by now Stanislaw had served in the Polish and German armies, but his WW2 military service was not yet complete

The Germans ran into deep trouble in Russia, primarily because of terrible winter weather that caused them great harm

During and after Stalingrad, the Russians captured thousands of German soldiers

And poor Stanislaw was forced to join the Russian military, his third different army

That was the end of Stanislaw’s military career in Europe in WW2

But post war conditions were harsh and Stanislaw found a way to improve his fate

By some legal loophole, I never did understand

He could become a U.S. Citizen by joining the Army of the United States

So there is where I met Stanislaw, and his actions clearly reflected

What he had learned from serving in the armies of several different nations

Which he told me were basically the same, they want you to fight if in combat

If not so engaged, look busy whatever was your station

Which brings up one particular incident

Where we were both assigned as kitchen police, a job distinctly lacking in fun

Stanislaw grabbed a rag and a No. 10 can

And rubbed the rag against the can until our shift was done

He later explained his logic to me

There were numerous very unpleasant tasks done by the kitchen police to help with the mess hall feed

Cleaning out kitchen grease pits, scrubbing sidewalks and gigantic pots

All of which Stanislaw avoided by endlessly shining his No.10 can, a totally useless deed

It was a bold move on his part

But he wasn’t the least bit tense

He knew from his past history, as long as you’re looking busy

They rarely question whether what you’re doing makes any sense

Stanislaw was also very wise in the matter of languages

He privately confided to me one day that he spoke six tongues fluently, including English- whether formal, slang and even cursing

But if what he was told to do was unpleasant, he pretended not to understand

And started jabbering in some language foreign to the other person

Stanislaw and I spent only a few months together

But I’m sure he continued his usual plan

I’m confident his remaining army time went smoothly, by failing to understand any unpleasant orders

And always staying close to a rag and a No. 10 can

The Magic Plastic Cows

 

In 1955, during my last year in the Army
My pay was a mere $100 a Month
So I explored ways to find off-duty employment
To increase my income, at least somewhat 

My Army job was as an aide in the base dental clinic

Helping to provide soldiers and dependents with decent care

But my clinic duties were not very tiring

So I was left with my evenings free and energy to spare 

So when I heard the Officers’ Club at Fort Monroe

Were recruiting enlisted personnel for positions as waiters, a job of which I had knowledge

I applied and was accepted,

Undoubtedly aided by my past experience in college 

The above is a long, but necessary introduction to the good part, which I will now tell

It centers around small plastic cows, red, black and blue,

Which were used to designate how the meat was allegedly cooked

All meat was in fact cooked medium, but the tags showed differences by their hue 

In any event this was not the only deceptive practice

If any dish was returned by a customer to the kitchen, seeking a tastier plate

It went through a process of rehabilitation

The food was rearranged, parsley, potatoes or other items added, and then returned to the customer basically in its previous state 

So while the culinary antics described above

Do not constitute a substantial threat to our country’s fate

I wonder how many of the officers who couldn’t tell what they were eating
Were the ones who ordered $300 hammers and $900 toilet seats at a later date