“Join the Navy and see the world.”
You know, three-fourths of the earth is covered with water. And when you've seen one sea, you've seen them all.
But hey, it was a chance to see lots of places overseas, Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, etc.
You pull into port and they put you out in the worst part of town. When isn't the port area of a city NOT the worst part of town? And they tell you not to go there.
You know that in the Mediterranean countries beer is pronounced “beer,” except in Spain where it's cervesa, but they understand the word beer.
Sailors get off the ship in a foreign port......and head straight for McDonald's.
Because of my sea time, I've been able to get drunk in Boston, Portland ME, Ft. Lauderdale (Ft. Liquordale), St. Thomas, Jacksonville FL,
Rota, Benadorm, Malaga, and Palma Spain
Naples, Livorno, Trieste, and Naples Italy (been to Naples a lot)
Toulon, Marsielle, and Cannes France
Rhodes Greece and Antalya Turkey
Haifa Israel and Alexandra Egypt
And Dubai in the UAE.
I once had a hula-hoop with a nail in it.
My mom called it the navel destroyer.
A Petty Officer Second Class, First Class and a Chief are off the ship together for lunch. While crossing a park they come upon an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out in a puff of smoke. The Genie says, “I usually only grant three wishes, so I’ll give each of you just one.”
“Me first!” says the Petty Officer Second Class. “I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, a beautiful woman at my side and not a care in the world.” Poof! He’s gone.
“Me next!” says the First Class. “I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of pina coladas and a beautiful woman.” Poof! He’s gone.
“You’re next,” the Genie says to the Chief.
The Chief says, “I want those two back on the ship right after lunch.”
A Mustang retired after 35 years and realized a lifelong dream of buying a bird-hunting estate in Alaska. He invited an old Admiral friend to visit for a week of pheasant shooting. The friend was in awe of the Mustang’s new bird dog, “Chief”. The dog could point, flush and retrieve with the very best.
The Admiral offered to buy the dog at any price. The Mustang declined, saying that Chief was the very best bird dog he had ever owned and that he couldn’t part with him.
Six months later the same Admiral returned for another week of hunting and was surprised to find the Mustang breaking in a new dog.
“What happened to Chief?” he asked. “Had to shoot him,” the Mustang replied. “Another old shipmate came to hunt with me and couldn’t remember the dog’s name. He kept calling him ‘Master Chief.’ After that, all the dog would do was sit on his butt and bark.”
Spend a week at the end of a 600 year old slime covered wharf where they parked confiscated ships in Naples. Accidentally got off the train in the middle of "The Gut." The water was so black and full fo refuse our divers had to get a half dozen extra injections from the medic.