On our way to Australia to take part in the celebration of the "Battle of the Coral Sea" we had our regular stopoff in Pearl.  We had all our shots, seen the dentist, etc. and had our pay records with us for the regular six month WestPac trip.  Prior to our arrival in Pearl, I had the brilliant idea to post a notice in the crew's mess on the bulkhead (with the approval of Shaky Jake or Prok, forget which) but nonetheless the notice said this: Prior to our arrival in Pearl, due to a shortage of disbursing clerks we were to "help them out" by figuring our own pay - enough to get us through
the Australian run and up to Subic.All well and good, BUT you had to figure your pay, less the deductions, taxes, FICA, allotments AND be within $20 of the exact figure or you wouldn't receive ANY pay!  I don't know why they didn't figure out who was going to check their sheets because you remember there was a "shortage of disbursing people".

Well the notice was posted and I retreated to the Yeoman shack and waited about 10 microseconds before, and if memory serves, my good friend Resse the SK asked me what the hell was going on.  I told him that we'd received a message and so forth.  He wanted one of those little pay booklets that the YN always had available and so I provided it to him and off he went.

I slipped back to the Crew's Mess and heard the damndest amount of bitching and yelling about "...how the hell am I supposed to remember what I had taken out...." and "....fuck it - I'll just have to go without pay!"...you know the drill.  I didn't say anything and left again. 

Right before Noon or Evening meal the next day, I guess I went for some coffee or whatever and there was a line into the sleeping quarters - lined up and "Fat Will" Williams EMCM(SS) was figuring everyone's pay.  I couldn't believe it!  I tried to get Will's attention but he kept putting me off.....finally I told him I HAD to speak with him in the Radio Shack.  I knew I'd better get him
in there and tell him what was going on before he killed me after doing all that figuring. I told him and he commenced to eat my ass out and then had a good laugh.  I immediately removed the notice before anything further happened!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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