Memories of Pleasure Island, SC

My friend Dallas and his wife Marian were our visitors yesterday. Dallas and I go back to Parris Island, SC January 1956.

Dallas and I knew each other in Boot Camp, but you don’t make many friends when most of the time you cannot talk. I knew Dallas because he was the ‘Key Man’. Anytime we were close to the Barracks on our return marches, the understood command was yelled, “KEY MAN, TAKE YOUR POST” Private Dallas would break ranks and with his rifle at port arms would race ahead of the platoon to unlock our squad bay. He knew me because I was the Platoon High Shooter. Of course he says he could have beaten me if they would have let him shoot left handed. Ha!

I never thought until later the advantages he had. If we had messed up during the day there were always the extra 100 pushups (that Dallas missed).

Anyway it wasn’t until after boot camp that we became fast friends. We were both 17. We both had the most beautiful girl in the world. Our endless arguments were our girls. We both planned to marry those girls as soon as possible. Dallas hitchhiked to Pennsylvania to see his Marian, most weekends; I was fortunate and had a car so I drove home to see my Sherry.

(We met one time a few years after our release from the Corps)

In the evenings we would sit on our racks and talk of our plans. Neither of us were real drinkers, so we weren’t at the club, having something more important to do with our money. We did get married that year, 1956. We were stationed in the same outfit and our trailers happened to be within 200 feet of each other. Of course Marian and Sherry became friends.

(This our pictures in the trailer park in 1957)

Now over 54 years later they are still together and so are we. The visit was great. My hearing is a disadvantage, but they over looked that. Dal never did quit smoking, I finally did. He is down to about a ¼ pack a day which is very good. He takes a pill for cholesterol, a baby aspirin and a multi vitamin. Exactly as I do. BUT the Sucker weighs the same as when he was in the USMC and I am 15 lbs heavier.

He and I have held about the same amount of different jobs, his last and most profitable job was raising Turkeys and mine was building. We both were our own boss most of the time. The big difference is they had 5 kids we had two, so I am at least a little smarter than Dallas. Hahahaha!

Good friends are very hard to find. Dal & Marian are keepers, that is for sure, we went for many years without seeing them, in the last few years we see each other every couple years.. I hope you have some very good friends.

Nite Shipslog

PS: (Dallas & I)

We both stood at attention in the dark with someone yelling at us when we reached Parris Island. Later we stood at attention while holding an M-1 Rifle and heard the yelled message. ‘That weapon may seem heavy, but it is your lover and your protector, it is heavy now, but before I am through with you it will be light, VERY light.’