Category: in port

MM2 DROUGHTON, B.L. USS SAN FRANCISCO (SSN-711) FPO AP 96678-2391 Dear BRENDAN Hello, How are you doing? How are you getting along these days? I’m pretty good. But I’m feeling lonely because you are absent from Hawaii. By the way, I found the new apartment at last! Actually, I was finding a place to live,… Continue reading 14. Anchors Aweigh

“Hey Droughton, we saw you on your motorcycle Saturday heading out of Waikiki.” I was passing through the mess deck on my way to the engine room when some coners sitting at a table there stopped me. “Yeah, I was in Waikiki Saturday afternoon on the bike… could have been me.” “With that fucking flaming… Continue reading 12. Sunny Day, Dark Knight

I’m a loner. I ride alone. I drink alone. I sleep alone. (Maybe that last one wasn’t all that great.) But the point is, as a loner, I had limitless possibilities. Like I’ve been saying, it felt like the world was my oyster. Yet I’m not sure if I was a perfect loner. I seemed… Continue reading 10. Wai Momi (part two)

The world is my oyster! So many possibilities! Life is good! That’s what I thought when pulling back into port. My world with all these possibilities was pretty small, but that was fine with me. Once free, I really only thought about whatever the possibilities were for the three most important aspects of life: Where… Continue reading 9. Wai Momi (part one)

I suppose you do eventually get used to waking up with another man in your room. So used to it in fact, that when your eyes open up before your alarm goes off, once alert, you immediately stand poised to hit that fucker hard and fast so he doesn’t wake up. (The clock. You hit… Continue reading 6. Kalikimaka Morning, Napunani Nights

“Riding a motorcycle is the most fun you can have with your clothes on!” I’ve long since forgotten who had first imparted such wisdom to me, but I was about to put this statement to the test. You see, I was impatiently waiting at the last traffic light on the Kalanianaole Highway before biker bliss.… Continue reading 5. Two Fists in the Wind

“Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men; the other nine hundred and ninety-nine follow women.” Groucho Marx was right. Queen La Chiefa was one in a thousand and a natural leader of men. However, I only followed Chief Queen because I had to. Once he cut us loose for the day,… Continue reading 3. Treasure Island

I had gone to the USS San Francisco. “Request permission to come aboard.” I was speaking to the topside watch on the pier. Upon returning from an early dinner at the galley that evening, I found a note taped to my door at the Paquet Hall enlisted bachelors’ quarters. The San Fran had returned to… Continue reading 2. Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair

“Ladies and gentlemen, as we begin our descent into Honolulu, please make sure that your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position, that your seat belt is securely fastened, and that all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead compartment.” So far, looking out the window above the… Continue reading 1. Aloha