The End of California

May 1973

When Storekeeper school was nearing the end a list of places needing personel was put up on the board. People with the best grades got the best choice of stations. I was 6th in a class of 26, so I should have had a great choice, but I was on loan from the SW district. In other words, I had no choice in the matter, I was to go to wherever my district decided, and they decided that a ship in Charleston SC needed a Storekeeper. That ship was the US PawPaw which I told you about in an older blog.

The PawPaw was the worst ship known to humanity with all time low morale when I learned about it in 1971. However, I didn't know that the Coast Guard was trying to straighten it out and make it better. It was still a far cry from anywhere I wanted to be.

I had a month before I had to report on duty so I drove to Jacksonville, FL and stayed with Ray who was not working at the time and living at home with his mother who at 50 years old was already going senile.

During this month I met my 2nd fiance Dru.