Hello Boyz,

I am trying to recall the name of a red headed guy from HMM-164 who was either a Crew Chief or a Gunner. He was freckle faced and had dark red hair. What makes him so memorable is a dark secret that I'll now let out. Ohhhhhhhh!

In 1968 we were aboard the Valley Forge supporting 3/1. They had great chow on that Navy boat and a bakery to boot. Fresh bread everyday was the ticket and not a pesky rat in sight.

I was assigned a week in the mess hall and basically assigned to the potato peeler. The thing looked like a huge coffee grinder with a funnel on top. You'd dump unpeeled spuds into the top and the grinder would spin like a garbage disposal and peeled taters would fly out of the contraption landing in a stainless steel trough filled with water as big as a bath tub.

There were large walk in refers filled with perishable veggies and milk. Well this Marine and I were tasked together to spend some time there doing what ever the Navy Squid E-5 wanted us to do. The Navy guy was a rather short, skinny mustachioed dark haired fellow that seemed to have a bad attitude about everything so we basically ignored him.

One day I prepared a zillion pounds of spuds and filled the tub after cutting them in another contraption that make french fries out of the peeled spuds. They were in the huge tubs which were stored in the cooler until the cooks came and fried them in huge vats of hot oil. That night we had hamburgers and french fries, a real treat and just about as much as you could ever want with seconds or even thirds.

Well, the following day it seems that the Navy squid didn't show up for his duties and I inquired as to where the little piss ant was. The red headed Marine told me that the Squid had boasted that he'd pee'd in the french fries the night before just before our heroic Marine landed a few haymakers on him, then turning him over to the duty whatchamacallit MP's in the Navy.

Well that made me really mad but my anger was tempered by the fact that the miscreant squid was tucked away in the brig. Everyone on that ship ate those darned french fries the night before. Everyone in the Battalion, our squadron and the ships company all the way up to the Captain of the boat.

Later, two brig chasers would escort the Squid to and from where ever he was supposed to be outside his holding cell. He was clearly tagged with a red band around his Dixie Cup hat. He'd be marched, sandwiched in-between two Marine Brig chasers and at times they had to travel right in front of the Ships store [PX] which was adjacent to the troop lounge area. The two Brig Chasers would call a "Hippity Hop, Mob Stop" and Mr. Squiddly would stand at attention as the two Chasers began to window shop at the goods on display in the ships store.

Now the word as the word does quickly spread about the french fry incident and as the Brig Chasers examined the 'gedunk', Marines would taunt, push, shove and klobber with grace the recalcitrant Navy Squid who for his personal safety eventually had to be flown to Subic Bay for Court Marshall.

I wonder if anyone will remember the Great French Fry Caper and the name of the Red Head who flew in HMM 164 beginning in October '67 through out. I first met him when we went to HMM 163 to get some hours in October of '67.

Also, I do believe he was the same guy who sent another Navy squid flying off the hanger deck during the drama of the Randy Little and Jim Littler's water ditching of YT-8 off the port side of the Happy Valley. As Littler et. al. tried to unsuccessfully get the bird to lift off by lightening her internal load of passengers and mail sacks which exited via the rear ramp, as well as the gun tubs the ammo and the guns which were dumped out the hatches, the whole ship watched, packing the rails on the hanger and flight deck. One navy boy shouted as he watched the mail bags float out of the rear hatch of YT-8, "F--k the Marines, Save the mail!" Obviously this paint chipping sailor needed a quick swimming lesson and our red headed Marine obliged by socking him so hard he went flying out the hanger bay into the briny deep. A call of "man overboard' went out and boats were being lowered from the side by naval personnel to rescue not only the PAX from YT-8 and her crew but the hapless loud mouth now splish splashing in Davy Jones personal bath tub.

Then right out of a movie a davit let go and one of the launches dumped more guys into the ocean. T'was a scene like the movie when James Garner sinks a Japanese aircraft carrier in Truk lagoon in one of those old WWII movies .

In the end no one was injured and all were recovered by helicopter or motor launch. I got a lot of it on film as it happened. I simply cannot remember the Marines name who acted with such valor and honor as to pummel two really dipstick Navy Squids who forgot where they were and with whom they were dealing.

Anyone