US Naval Reserve Midshipmens School - Capstan Yearbook (Notre Dame, IN)

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ilzei . host of beautiful hostesses and entertainment and music galore was the hub from which all parties radiated. Another prominent spot was Sweeney's Shamrock, and the Indiana Club and the Brandy- wine Club cannot be forgotten. Tea dances were held at the U.S.O. Saturday and Sunday afternoons, often featuring the Mid- shipmen Dance Band. Saturday evenings other or- chestras were on hand to handle the entertainment. On the mezzanine was the canteen-free choco- late milk at all times and supper served Saturday night, there also was the Juke Boxf' The music room on the first floor featured light classics for those who liked to sit and listen and relax. Ensign Duda, recreation officer, generally man- aged to fix up some sort of party for each weekend fa trip to Elkhart for Saturday and Sunday, a scavenger hunt, or a special dance at the Bronze- wood. Yes, the meandering of the middies during those one and a half days were many-but, whatever the doing of the day, they all came back at 0059 and 1759, on Saturday and Sunday respectively, with hazy looks in their eyes, sweet nothings in their ears, and memories of fingers in .their hair.

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iberiy an Liberty-that magic word which sent shivers of anticipation through weary bodies on Saturday afternoon and spatters of memory through weary minds on Sunday night, liberty, the day and a half of frolic each week which compensated for the other five and a half of toil. At 1230 each Saturday the usual bell gave an unusual tinkle- Liberty has been declared-uni- form: dress blues, white shirts, raincoats--Bow- ditch not required. Those not on the watch squad, extra duty, restricted or otherwise caught in the tentacles of Navy Regulations, pitched every- thing pitchable in the center of the room and dashed for the nearest bus, tugging at a leather strap they jostled into town, and scurried in every direction. That was the state of affairs on Saturday after- noon. During the course of the day the crowd changed a little-after two hours the extra-duty men secured to town, four hours later the on-com- ing watch squad and these treed for the week re- turned to the station, and the off-going watch squad quickly left the station. The avocations of the middies over the weekend were many-dancing, eating, drinking, bowling, golfing, and dancing again. The U.S.O. with a

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o 0357-Remember almost nothing but knowwl - Q f This is an autobiography-not en- . tirely auto as I was threatened with extra duty if it weren't written-but still a biography of the best known man on the station Cno, not W.E.N.D joseph Stanilaus Gish. A if-.:.:: , - -Q I have no real reason for the dribble to follow as my mother already knows .5 What I'm to write, my girl apparently cares little, and Ogden Nash refuses to buy my production, but here goes: I :Fig ..- .. .'f-9138 ...S ,, ff,.1,Jf:pa 1Qwp51-L-.5 41 Q? I Ji ,X I I r' 1 4... Q3 rf . lit, 1 Toward the end of my junior year in College, I, S. Gish, known as Joey by some and Stan by others, felt the tentacles of Selective Service slowly entwining themselves around me. To evade same I signed on ddtted line and thus was found on the campus of one Notre Dame University, on the territory of one USNRMS. That is the preamble. This is the tale. KI. S. Gish, I assure you through no fault of his own be- came very well known. In fact there's scuttlebutt to the effect that the re- '. 1l 1 :fy ,V 7: 5.2535 ff' Q S .Xi 1 if .- :Gig xt 4, nowned Mr. Ageton has even heard of him. During V-7 he had been unlucky enough to receive serial number 000-00-00 and when he became an officer in a qualified, very qualihed, sense he was given file number 000000, but the top prize of all was when he came up with Laundry number 0000! I, J. S. Gish, spent ,113 days at USNRMS between the fateful day September 30, 1943, and the most remarkable day january 20, 1944, as did 1,400 other midshipmen. After long and deliberate consultation with my Egyptian soothsayer I picked out one day's journey for your perusal. I name a particular day, it might have been any day, they were- all alike. Listen . . . The day? Thanksgiving. The weather? Typi- cal. The time?i' 3' Mm WATCH 0000-0400 .' -.gg . 1 0130-Rolled over like all normal ie- 3295 sleepers but this time I seemed to F5535 be signing my name, middle initial :Vrj too. Queer. 0157-Staggered along the 3rd Deck muttering threats and con- templating dire schemes about sleeping midship- men and 0.0.D.'s. 0159-Slap happy and with devilment in my eye I relieved an atrophied roving watch and began the inimitable game of follow the leader. Noted it was none too warm and was darn glad I was from Boston. g . ' . 0213-Resolved-ftoilffiii 3. 152: pt write my Sand , T mth' Q thank hir1gQifor5.ur hofne's 1 geographggxlocation. My , ' sgufthern had by ffgthis time becgme quite i f-7 r-' U y,,,.5',1,9 numb, and .ligpt ,mum- 'in ,QQ bling something about 5' 2 sunis declination. 0320-Gently,sriowing-white and Christmas like. .Related tags of ice skating to petrified fellow protectorate, Wltigagg-wasfgmildly bored and practi- cally dead. njgf' ' . r couldn't raise my hand in salute. Some qigack threatened-'jfiot to relieve us and kept muttering about watch being improperly relieved. Q X rx w, MORNING WATCH 0400-0800 X X X N. X if - .M 0400.001-Hnsackii. er, Q. .. 0550-'tru 1-l' I ' Anne. Right now, '1.i 1' Z ' Q, at 'A ,ff 1 wo .lu g j'fi'u 't' QL A. of you tomorrow 2 wi N 6-X have an uncontrollableglki Q urge for calisthenicsf-43 0552.5fNever could touch my toes-but now V canlt even see them. Hope the fog at sea - - - X - - - zzzz. 0555-Flat on my back. Let me sleep, Ma, I'll get a jobifetomorrowff e 0612- The-,Beaver shaving brushj logged out to Room 3'0fSE,f?willt'iire'turn--at 0619-Drummf' 0642-Sausageitsausage, eggs and potatoes. Haa- a-a-a buns, I love9?em to death. 'No, oh no, not again? CVoice of stomachb. I ' 0709-Gently ,liftu last speck of dust off wash basin. 07?if0f tNt-.gp hear this, cleaningidetggfilt fallP out im- mediately. N'l' .. V Fel 4 5- , L 0727-Gently 'liiiftwlast if 0730- Now hear this, first period formation. .. KNO warningj Crammed .f 4 4 Hex N .. - 4 M r1'iS'Y5?' Q' 5- 'S , .M L2-481 gear under left arm, speck of dust off Lt.'s desk? e 1 , ' I S Qi Q he i .1112--'mi-A