Juneau (LPD 10) - Naval Cruise Book

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BETWEEN TWO CLOSED HATCHES BY DAVID F. TINO 99 1 MAR 1 5 BETWEEN TWO CLOSED HATCHES HE WAS PLAYING A GUITAR AND WAS SINGING. WE SMILED, AS I PAUSED TO LEAN ON THE BULKHEAD UNTIL HE FINISHED THE SONG. THE SONG SEEMED TO BOTHER HIM AS HE WAS SINGING IT, I GREW INTERESTED TO HEAR MORE. WHEN I HAD ASKED HIM ABOUT IT, HE DIDN ' T ANSWER. WITH NO REPLY HE WE WERE TWO SHIPMATES ON THE USS JUNEAU, AN AMPHIBIOUS WARSHIP SENT TO THE DESERT STORM WAR. I HAD SENSED HIS RELUCTANCE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE SONGS HE WAS SINGING. THEY HAD REPRESENTED A SLICE OF HIS PERSONAL LIFE BEFORE JOINING THE NAVY. AS OUR FELLOW SHIPMATES STEPPED OVER US IN THE PASSAGEWAY. THEY FOUND IT QUITE AMUSING. ALMOST HUMOROUS TO FIND TW(j MEN SITING IN THE MOST ODD SPACE OF THE SHIP SINGING SONGS. LISTENING CONTENT TO THE SONG. IT RECITED ITSELF AS BEING ABOUT A FRIEND WHO WAS KILLED BY A SPEEDING VEHICLE. THE PERSON KILLED WAS DOING A FAVOR FOR A STRANGER BY HELPING HIM CHANGE A TIRE. HE SUNG ANOTHER SONG ABOUT HIS MOM. A MOTHER ' S DAY TRIBUTE. HIS VOICE SOUNDED VERY MELANCHOLY, AND HIS EYES DANCED IN AND OUT OF REALITY AS THE LYRICS TOOK HIM FROM ONE MEMORY TO ANOTHER. HE OFFERED MORE SONGS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS WITH GIRLS. AND EACH ONE ENDED IN A SAD TRAIL. I KEPT LISTENING FOR SONGS THAT ' WERE MORE CHEERFUL BUT THERE ' aaS NONE . TIME HAD PASSED US AND WE STARTED SINGING SONGS THAT BOTH OF US KNEW. AS I SUNG ALONG WITH HIM I BEGAN TO COMB THROUGH SOME OF MY OWN MEMORIES AND I FELT WARMED BY THEM. WE HAD LOST TRACK OF TIME AND THE COUNT OF SHIPMATES STOPPING TO LISTEN TO US SING. THEN HE STOPPED HIS SINGING AND LOOKED AT .ME. PUTTING DOWN HIS GUITAR, FOLDING HIS KNEES INTO HIS CHEST. HE LOOKED AT THE OVERHEAD AND EXPLAINED THE STORY BEHIND HIS BALLAD. THIS IS A STORY HE HAD TROUBLE TELLING STRANGERS. AS HE SPOKE I FELT SPECIAL BY THE FACT HE WAS TELLING ME. PRIOR TO JOINING THE NAVY, IT WAS A CONFUSING AND BAD TIME. HE REMEMBERED BEING ANGRY AT THE WORLD AND THOUGH HIS ANGER HE GREW APART FROM REALITY. TRYING TO DESTROY T HE ANGER AND FRUSTRATION, HE SWALLOWED A BOTTLE OF PILLS THEN HE WAITED FOR THE DARK SILENCE. BUT HIS SISTER STUMBLED UPON HIM AND WITHOUT PAUSE. SHE BEGAN TO REVIVE HIM. SHE POURED TWO GALLONS OF MILK DOWN HIS THROAT. AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD. IT MADE HIM COUGH UP THE PILLS AND CONVULSE. HE HAD REGRETTED THIS ACT OF DESPERATION. WHEN HE REALIZED THAT SOMEONE ELSE IN THIS WCiRLD CARED ABOUT HIM. WELL, AFTER A WHILE WE LINGERED AND TOOK TURNS JABBING AT EACH OTHERS LIFE. WE FOUND OURSELVES WEARY FROM THE DAY AND TURNED IN. I GUESS THE DESERT STORM WAR HAD AN EFFECT ON BOTH OF US. HE HAD BEGUN TO SING SONGS OF ONE OF THE MOST DESPERATE TIMES OF HIS LIFE AND I FELT IT WAS IMP ' ORTANT LISTEN.

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MANY FISHING BOATS WERE TIED UP TO THE PIERS DUE TO THE OIL THAT WAS PIPED INTO THE COASTAL WATERS OF DUBAI. ARABIC ROAD SIGNS ADDED A FOREIGN BACKDROP TO THE CITY. A MODERN DUBAI SKYLINE SPOKE WELL FOR THE ECONOMY OF THE U.A.E. 178