While on Liberty

      More Letters From Paradise
         While on Liberty
The elevator came to an abrupt halt several floors from our designated room. The elevator operator , a short stocky man with a fringe of white hair, asked "Are you guys thirsty?" That was a silly question, we were on liberty and looking for some booze. He then unbuttoned his gray double-breasted uniform jacket. He was a walking liquor store. There, inside in neat rows were half-pints of popular brands. "Five bucks each," he said. We had only to send down for some ice and mix.

This was she scene in the Hotel Black, in Oklahoma City in the year 1956. The state was a  dry state, and the only way to get a drink was to belong to a club, or know a bootlegger. Three-two beer, sometimes called "near beer" was found a Sweet Leona's Bar and Grill. And we consumed a fair amount.

The Naval Air Station located in Norman, Oklahoma was our home when we were unable to escape. Locker clubs were located in Norman where sailors should shed their uniforms, in favor of civilian dress. This service was for a price of course. Even in civilian clothes we were all betrayed by our block uniform shoes.

The sights of Oklahoma City had been explored throughly, and the oil wells on the lawn of the capitol were found interesting. But soon it was time to return to the hotel. Only two sailors checked in,and four others sneaked in later. A party got underway, and it became necessary for me to go to the bathroom. I was holding one of those short glasses with thick bottoms over the toilet bowl. It slipped from my grasp and plunged straight down to the toilet bowl. A loud crash was heard, and a softball size hole was in the bowl. You could look through the hole and see the tile floor below. None of us had ever heard of something like this happening before. This toilet was made of white china. I made a call down to the desk and explained the situation. We were visited by the proper authority. We were relieved when we learned that we would not have to pay for the damage. It was a good thing too, as we didn't have that kind of money.