Don the Naval Officer

 

When in the Navy Reserves I spent  most of two years active duty HUI-4 Helicopter Squadron at NAS Lakehurst, NJ. 

And there I spent most of my time  in the I & E Office (Information & Education).  They were only a few of us assigned to that office, like the Petty Officer, the chief or first class, who was more o less the office manager and reenlistment salesman, the division officer, and two typists, which were Don and I.

My co-worker Don like to pretend he was an officer..  When the squadron’s commanding Officer stepped in he usually put his officer’s golden braid hat on the shelf level of the coat rack and went into the division officer’s office, shut the door and visited.

When he door shut is when Don sprang into action.  He grabbed the CO’s hat and put it on and prance around wearing it, always within arm’s distance of the hat rack.  Don wore that countless times and always lucky enough to not get caught red handed, or in this case red headed. 

Don was also a reservist.   When his time was up he went back to to Chicago to resume his job with the Chicago Tribune.  He went back to College, going at night and became a college professor, in Journalism, I believe. 

He also went back into the Naval Reserve, and then, holding a degree, went in as a Naval Officer.

Karma would only be doing its job, if while wearing his Naval Officer’s uniform an enlisted man grab Don’s officer’s hat behind his back and wear it.