Albert Story Narrative Chapter 11

Coming Home

We followed the same route back that we used on the way over except that we stopped at Ascension Island. This island in the middle of the Atlantic now had an airfield that did not exist when we flew over. The airfield was built on the Island as a base for bombers doing submarine patrol over the South Atlantic but was very handy as a way stop for everyone going across. My memory about the return trip is somewhat fuzzy, but I do recall several incidents. At the airfield in Brazil as nightfall approached. Someone mentioned that a movie was to be shown in one of the hangars. It was dark as I approached the hangar and the movie had already begun. I have no memory of what the movie was but as I entered the hangar, Peggy Lee was singing the song that began,” You had plenty money back in Twenty-Two. You let other women make a fool of you….”

My next stop was British Guiana. My memory of that place is one of a runway cut right out of the jungle. Trees closely lined both sides. I was assigned a tent, one in a line of dozens all among the trees. I recall waking up late in the morning. Getting out of the tent and walking from on end of the campsite to the other and not a single soul could be found. I was very thirsty and could find nothing to drink so I returned to my tent and sat down. Finally a native came around. He was carrying a shoeshine box and asked me, presumably in Portuguese, if I would like my shoes shined. Having nothing else to do I said okay. While he was working on my shoes he took out a bottle of something, shook it and started applying it to my shoes. I had picked up a little French while in Turkey, so figuring that French may not be too different from his language, I asked qu’ est que ce? He replied, “agua”. Somehow I let him know that I would like some and he disappeared and shortly came back with a G.I. water flask full of water. Out of gratitude, I gave him a dollar for the water. He thanked me and was gone.

Finally, I landed in Miami where the customs officer took an orange that I had brought from Africa in my barracks bag. I had forgotten it was there. I then checked into the barracks and sent a short and cryptic note home. It said something like,” In America, coming home soon”. I guess it was short because the cost was based on the number of words in the telegram. My next step was to take the bus into Miami where I marched into a drugstore, sat at the counter and ordered a chocolate milk shake. The clerk replied,” We don’t have milk shakes. We can’t get milk or sugar. They are rationed”. That was when I first heard about rationing. Well, finally I made it to Augusta for two weeks leave and finally on to Salt Lake City for reassignment.