September 12, 1973, Wednesday

Its morning as we are mingling around, we wait for the master-at-arms to call us to muster. It’s an order that we all have to repeat and yell. “Fall in for muster!” We all repeat it so every sailor in the barracks can hear it. Lately more than half of the guys here are saying. “Fall in for ketchup!” the master-at-arms asked me why I do that. I said because I can.

I was assigned to a new guy. He was a first class petty officer. He was sent over from supply. He needed muscle. I needed one of two write ups. I told him that I was not going to the work detail with him, he was enraged. How dare I defy his on duty order? He damn well as hell is going to write me up. Even if I pleaded with him not too, I went too far by telling him no. Before the master-at-arms could get to him, I had signed the chit and was changing into my civvies. Later.

I came back to the barracks after the work day was finished, the guys are standing around the fire doors. The idiots chained the closed doors together. It’s more important for them to catch us than for us to save ourselves in a fire. We’re going to chow. Later.

We stewed about how they were treating us. Sure we were breaking the law. But what if there was a fire. This place would light up in seconds, we should have a way to escape. Because we’re smoking pot is no reason for us to die needlessly. What about the sailors that aren’t smoking pot. I said Fuck them I’m worth more than they think I am. I walked over to the chained doors. I gave it as strong as front kick as I could.

We were all stunned. The building was so old it didn’t take but one kick, the whole door frame fell out doors and all, one piece. It started to slide down the long flight of stairs. The metal door handle sliding past the steel stairs caused sparks in the night, it stopped, it got hung up.

I was watching this when Shaffer came up behind me. He and Colin were dragging a mattress. Ricky was lighting it on fire. I ran down and freed the doors, I held them.

When they had the mattress raging, they let it fall on the doors. I let it loose. It is a sight. The blazing mattress is sliding down the stairs. The top was on fire. The doors are sending sparks everywhere bellow it. It slid another fifty feet after it hit the asphalt. We headed to the roof to watch the show.

What a show it is. The fire department, the SP’s, guys in uniforms I never saw before, and dogs everywhere. They were more concerned in finding who did this than the fire. They let the fire burn itself out.

They ran in the barracks and out the barracks. They ran up and down the stairs. They ran past each other. We laughed so hard, we had to hold it in. I can’t believe we don’t get busted or roll off the roof. They pursued us for hours, and then they all gave up at once and left. We waited until lights out, we snuck back in and quietly got into our bunks. Later.