02 - California Living

There is one movie that is very realistic about basic training. It is called "Biloxi Blues". Set in Mississippi and is very true to life. We never had any sadistic NCO’s but they did keep the pressure on. One thing I was too big for most people to pick on and I always got even if anyone tried. There are ways if you just bide your time.

When we slept in the field we had to be careful not to get in to the poison Ivy or Oak. In California there were lots of it and quite a few guys got on the ship to go overseas with a rash.

On an Army Post you had at that time everything you needed without going to town and it was a good thing as money was short. We had a day room with pool tables chairs and books to read. The Post Exchange had all the basics toothpaste, soap, and all other things you needed. Movies were 15 cents and you could get a pitcher of beer for 50 cents. Most of the time you were so tired bed would sound good.

We always had weekends off from Saturday at noon to 600 o'clock Monday morning. There was churches and dancing on the post. But if you wanted to see a lot of girls town was where you went.

When we were in basic in California on the Army Posts all enlisted men could buy beer and drink it even 18 year olds, with the exception of an Indian. They could not go into any bar in California and buy a beer. So the one Indian that was in our training Company would sit on a park bench in Pasa Robles and different fellows would bring him a beer to drink, as long as no one caught him drinking it.

The U.S.O. always put on shows most every week and we got to see Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Joe E. Brown to mention just a few also we had USO dances. Girls from town would be escorted out to the post. We would dance till midnight then they would put them on the bus and send them home. All good clean fun no hanky panky. The USO people in San Francisco, L.A. and San Diego were always’ helpful to us. We could get tickets, free transportation to about anything in town. A free bus ride and an admission pass to the San Diego Zoo. One of the Best and on Sunday’s lots of time they would put on theater shows in the outdoor theater. I got to go see Leo Carillo’s Rodeo in the L.A. Coliseum. He played the Cisco Kid’s partner Poncho. Had a beautiful Palomino stallion, silver saddle, the whole nine yards. My friend at the Plaza lived next door to a stable and riding academy and when Leo and his friend tried to break a horse with mustang marking he got the colt. He said it was the ugliest horse but he just loved it. It looked like it had been painted by a committee of blind painters. When in L.A. the YMCA had beds for us 50 cents a night and gave us a towel so we could shower in the morning. The Hollywood High School Senior girls would cook breakfast for us. We could have pancakes, egg, hash browns and toast. It didn’t cost us anything so you can see that everyone tried to keep us from getting home sick and lonely. The big joke was that USO stood for Uncle Sam’s Orphans not United Service Organization.

What to do on our off duty hours? In training they would post a schedule of what we were to do and the hour to do it and uniform required. On off duty times after Reveille and Retreat we could pretty much do anything we wanted. There were P.X. (Post Exchange’s) barbershop’s, movies, smoker’s where the G.I.’s would box for fun etc. They had us out of our bunks at 6 A.M. to S___, Shave, and Shine at 630 Breakfast was on, and had to eat the rations. After retreat at night that when everyone fall’s in and stand at attention. Saluting as the flag is lowered for the evening. After supper most everyone went to the PX for a beer if you had the money. Some movies cost 10 cents. We had good prices and first run movies.

Beer was 50 cents a pitcher. Five or six guys could get almost a gallon so two pitchers was usually enough and you were careful not to overdo as it was hell to pay the next day if you had a hangover. Saturday at noon after inspection you were free to do what ever if not on KP or guard duty.

It cost you $50.00 to get a ride to L.A. or San Francisco. Guys that had cars filled them up at $50.00 a head. Most of them had their cars converted to burn Pro Gas as gasoline and tires were rationed. Most of the time we hung out at Paso Robles a town about the size of Cashmere about 5000 people. About a third of them were girls and half of them were married. On Saturday there were probably at least 5000 G.I.’s the chance for a date were slim and none. The local USO would bus girls from the towns around to help put on dances so there was a chance to get a dance and at least see a girl once in a while. That’s one thing you miss in the Army was female companionship. Like just to talk to someone who wasn’t a man or another GI.

In those days you could hitch hike everyplace. I was able to hitch hike from San Diego to Seattle in 2 days. It took three days on a train. The rides were not far but they were usually fast. It wasn’t a dangerous to hitch hike like it is now.

We always had favorite places to hang out in San Diego it was Bradley’s Five and Dime. The drinks were 50 cents each for a high ball. When the bars closed to an all night movie where we would try to sleep till it was time for the ferry to Coronado as there was no bridge across then like there is now. Our base was at the very tip end and was about 25 miles by car and hardly any one went that way. Often we went to Mexico. Stuff was cheap and was always an experience. You have to go there to see how different things are by a line marking the border. On our side there must have been 50 fortune tellers brick …..shape things like that. Also on Sundays you could go to a bullfight. I never much cared for them so it held no appeal for me.

I liked the country around San Luis Obispo and Pasa Robles wasn’t bad after the war when there wasn’t many GI’s in town. Salinas and Monterey wasn’t bad but I liked Ft Lawton best as I was able to get home every other week.

At Fort Ord where most of the G.I.’s shipped out for the Pacific and others were transferred to other posts for the ETO. We had a soldier’s club. When General Stillwell was in command there, he said it was a shame that the E.M. didn’t have a nice place for dances and socializing. So he thought up the idea of an E Men’s club as the Officers and NCO’s had their Clubs. His Idea was for each EM to give $1.00 each payday to a fund to build an EM’s Club. Well when it got finished it had cost one million dollars paid for by the EM’s. It had two ballrooms pool tables a big bar for beer in a big hall overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was the envy of the whole army. It was better than anything the officers had but they could have booze in theirs and we couldn’t. We had dances every Saturday night and the USO bussed girls in from the towns around there Salines, Los Gato, San Toe where ever they wanted to come from. No mater how many came there were always more GI’s than girls. Your mom came to some of the dances held there when I was there but we never met till a year later in Wenatchee.

When we were on orders to ship out they took our Class A uniform coats away from us so we couldn’t go to town. But that didn’t stop us . We would get somebody else’s coat and go anyway. The worst they could do to you was ship us overseas and we were headed that way anyway. They more or less looked the other way as long as we didn’t get into trouble such as fighting or something like that. If you got into trouble into the guardhouse you would go. But when the ship left you was on it so what the heck. We weren’t supposed to have whiskey on the post but we had it anyhow. All our clothes were hung out in the open and we would hide the bottle in the right hand pocket of our overcoat. They never found it so it shows you that the EM’s were a lot smarter than they give us credit for. On shipping out day, pack the old duffel bag carry it out to the Parade ground sit around and wait for the General to come by then pick up the bag and walk to the train. Once on the train we found a seat then a short trip to San Francisco and up the gang plank for our dream cruise. To confuse the enemy we were issued wool clothes. Wool underwear the whole but then we got sent to the South Pacific. Then they issued us tropical clothes before we got shipped to our outfits. Our stop was New Caledonia and for the first time we got rid of our gas masks. Boy what a pile they made.

Ken's World War II Experiences 01-Into The Army <Previous 02-California Living Next> 03-Food, Drink & Rations 04-On Patrol 05-Never Volunteer! 06-Jungle Patrols 07-Foxhole Lore 08-God In the Foxhole 09-Life As It Was 10-Humor 11-Entertainment 12-The End of the War 13-After The War 14-Coming Home 15-On Veterans