Thursday, April 23, 2020

Memories

Setting around the house with time on my hand brings back memories....

Back in the day, or in this case the fall of 1956, wannbe Aviation Technician Strikers went to Airman Prep school in Norman, OK before going on to “A” school at NATTC, Millington. (Memphis, TN.)

Outside of basic electricity, hand tools, safety and surviving the Navy’s attempt at drowning us while learning how to get out of a parachute harness when landing in the water;  we also learned how to play snooker and that  sailors had zero chance with the girls at the University of Oklahoma who were mostly looking for young men who drove convertibles and whose daddies owned oil wells.

So, we looked towards Oklahoma City.

There was a bus to ride to downtown and there were taxis. But we needed a car.  Lo and behold we found a 1936 Chevrolet that had been hand painted, with a brush, a beautiful British racing green. The body was in remarkably good shape, it started and ran well, but the brakes were so bad that stopping at a designated spot required a strong leg, depth perception and good planning. It didn’t have a muffler, but did have a straight pipe.  The owner wanted $50. He was graduating and doubted that it could make it to Millington, so a buddy and I formed a partnership and made an investment.

Liberty became an adventure. We had friends who would find a dollar or so towards gas and oil and discovered that part of the stopping sequence required down shifting was part of the braking process. Doing so also let the car, with the straight pipe muffler, emit a very satisfying loud rumble when downshifting or accelerating. It was so satisfying we developed a need to do this frequently, even when not needed to help us stop or start,  In fact, we would drive around the city enjoying ourselves.

Oklahoma City, unknown to us, had a noise ordinance.  Two weeks or so before graduation disaster struck. A local policeman pulled us over, determined that the registration had expired,  and the noise it made was unacceptable.

I don’t remember all the details but we were not arrested per se, but summoned immediately to court. The judge looked us over, mentioned that he was a veteran and didn’t want to fine us and that if we would promise to register the car and fix the muffler we could go in peace.

Yes sir, yes sir, yes sir. Just let us out of here.

We had good intentions. But we couldn’t get off base during the hours when state offices were open and the price to fix the muffler was beyond our modest financial resources.

Now an older and wiser pair would have left the car parked outside the base and stayed on base the weekend before following graduation day. We weren’t all that much older and we were not wiser. Dumb and dumber? Yes.

You can guess what happened. We were pulled over again, took back to the same court and in front of the same judge. And the judge was unhappy. He mentioned a large fine, which we couldn't pay, or we could spend some time in the local lock up. I was scared spitless. I could see my Navy career evaporating as I was prosecuted for missing movement and other assorted charges. Both of us explained to the judge about our forthcoming graduation and pledged to leave the state if he would just let us go.

So, he did.  He had us take the car to the city impound lot where we left it. And took the first bus back to Norman where we didn’t leave the base until we had our orders in our hands and a bus ticket to Memphis.

And I have never been back in 63 years and counting.






"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper “