Endicott (DMS 35) - Naval Cruise Book

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HW- A To Be Entered in The Library of Congress Pulitzer Entry By the Greatest Living Journalist Since Ernie Pyle :Jaw 0uerAeacl- Wanifa v While the Endicott was in Manila, a little episode took place that most of us would rather forget. However, it must be made public, if for no other reason than to inform the people that a sailor is not the most business- minded guy in the world. I doubt if most housewives, after' reading this article, will trust their husbands down at the corner grocery, for fear the butcher or baker will con him. As is customary an most ships of the fleet visiting a foreign port, they allow a certain number of the more prosperous merchants aboard to sell their wares to the ship's company. Such was our case in Manila. A group of tailors approached the executive officer with a very sincere and, l might add, profitable offer. He, upon granting permission to these honest, merchants, would receive a new suit free of charge, and all he had fo do was give the word to come aboard. As soon as these merchants came aboard, they laid out their wares for the crew to see, and l must admit we were shocked to find the most expen- sive fabrics available, even in the U.S., laid out on the main deck. Almost immediately, the crew asked about prices, delivery and tailoring, and, boy, did these guys lay it on. We could have a new gabardine for forty dollars, and that included the cost of tailoring, etc- A lot of the boys thought the English tweed was a steal at forty-five and placed orders for them. Now, we've seen con men who were con men working at their trade, and, believe me, these guys must have been trained in Chicago or New York. They received a small down payment, as is customary, to show the customers' good faith, and left with their order books full and their pockets bulging with our dough. ...A Now here is the secret of operating a tailor shop at absolutely no over- head. First, you don'tihave to deliver any material, second, there are no lighting or appliance bills to pay, as you are conducting your business on DMS's and Uncle Sam usually takes care of that, third, you don't have to pay any tailor, because he doesn't have to do any work. Needless to say, dear reader,- we never saw those tailors again, or our money either. A day of general wailing and moaning was set aside by the executive officer, and the main deck, was alive' with cries of we've been taken, I want my suit, or just general promises to never again go to a tailor shop, or better yet, never let another one step aboard the Sanju Go aru. - A few of the boys did make out, however, as a matter of fact, the Chief Master-at-Arms had a bathing suit made per gratis, but l think this is. the only appearance of any tailoring done in Manila. A parting bit of advice we might add is this: if you do go to Manila, take your own tailor with you. .

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i ' 1 that San Miguel is brewed and bottled in Manila. When we heard that we were going to Manila for rest and recreation, it was almost as if we were going to see an old family friend. A few of the men visited the brewery while in Manila, and they were told that the brewery was having to work overtime, while the Endicott was in port, to meet the demand-. This may sound a little far-fetched, but anyone who went to Manila with us, will verify it. The opinions of San Miguel are many and varied, but they are all good. We also lmy good friend and kindred spirit, Gaylord Goetz, and myselfl felt that we couldn't leave Manila without a visit to General MacArthur's former headquarters, the Manila Hotel. This is an impressive pile of brick surrounded .by palm trees, Cadillacs and bellhops. We had a very good, unobstructed view of the entrance from the bar where we could watch the comings and goings of various Philippine and American government officials. We soon decided that this activity left us with much to be desired, so, with a final Martini, we bade a fond farewell to the former headquarters of Mr. MacArthur. i l haven't covered all of the activities pursued by the officers and men of the Endicott because l have neither the time nor space. But sometime, when you have nothing better to do, make your husband, father, son, or whatever the case may be, sit down and tell you all about our trip to Manila -l'm sure they will. l donft think any of us are apt to forget Manila any time soon. I know l won't. s Jos STEED, HM3

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