A Soldier and a Sailor

By William Post

Two men are on a troopship headed for England. One is a soldier, and the other a sailor. The soldier is thinking of suicide because he is hated by members of his company. The other is a sailor who finds out the soldiers circumstance and talks him into changing places with him rather than take his own life. They get their sergeant and chief to agree to the swap and exchange identities. They are both better suited for their new roles.

The soldiers new name is Alvin Adams, and he is shipped to North Africa for Americas first battle of World War II. He meets a sergeant, and they become lifelong friends. They go through every major engagement in the war. After the war, they become part of the newly formed CIA and are engaged in the clandestineness of the Cold War.

The sailor, now Casey Crane, has just as thrilling of a life as he survives his ships being sunk twice. Once he is picked up by his own ship, but another time by a German U-boat. He escapes and is returned home. Casey and his chief become close friends as they go through harrowing events together. Casey marries his chiefs daughter, which adds spice with a love story. Both have eventful careers and keep up with one another.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496949141

William Post

William Post is the author of 19 novels with a variety of genres. the flagship of his novels is a trilogy starting with The Mystery of Table Mountain. Post’s descriptions of the scenery and weather makes the reader feel he is experiencing what the characters are enduring. The characters come alive as their emotions are displayed in a manner that makes the reader become part of the story. Post was reared in West Texas. He was educated at Texas A. & M. and served in the U. S. Navy. After his service, he became a surveyor for the Southern Pacific RR which took him to the wilds of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, where he immersed himself in the lore of those areas. This becomes apparent as he describes some of his experiences in his novels. Post is a professional engineer and land surveyor. Taking an early retirement as chief engineer of the Long Beach Water Dept., he moved to Northern California and started his writing career. Post is an Evangelic Christian and the thread of his beliefs can be seen throughout his novels. Post now lives in Las Vegas, NV with his extended family.

Book preview

OTHER BOOKS BY

WILLIAM POST

The Mystery of Table Mountain

The Miracle

A Call to Duty

Gold Fever

The Blue Ridge

A Doctor by War

Inner Circles

The Tides of War

The First Crossing of America

The Evolution of Nora

Darlene

The Gray Fox

Captain My Captain

Alaskan Paranormal

Some Boys from Texas

The Law and Alan Taylor

A New Eden

The Riflemen

A SOLDIER

AND

A SAILOR

WILLIAM POST

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© 2014 William Post. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/4/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-4915-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-4914-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1    The Exchange

Chapter 2    War In North Africa

Chapter 3    The Invasion Of Sicily

Chapter 4    Another Mission

Chapter 5    The Cover Up

Chapter 6    The Breaks Of War

Chapter 7    Reunion And Shipwrecked

Chapter 8    Back To The Farm

Chapter 9    A Mission For Patton’s Army

Chapter 10    Back To The Sea

Chapter 11    Captivity Shortlived

Chapter 12    Reunions

Chapter 13    A New Life

Chapter 14    A New Job

Chapter 15    Forming A New Group

PREFACE

This story is about two men who meet aboard a troop carrier headed for England during the first part of World War II. One is a soldier, and the other a sailor. Their names are Casey Crane and Alvin Adams. With the permission of their sergeant and chief, they swap places and identities during the voyage. They keep up with one another through the mail as each is interested in how the other makes out. Both are better suited in their new places within the service.

One is a writer and chronicles the horrors of battle as a foot soldier. He meets a sergeant and they become close friends. It takes both of these men through the first battle of Americans in World War II in North Africa. Then onto the invasion of Sicily and onto the invasion of France. They are in the battle for Europe until the war ends then are employed by the newly formed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Their story then goes to the cold war and they are placed as spies in the Soviets take over of Eastern Europe.

The sailor meets a chief and they becomes life-long friends to point that the sailor marries the chief’s daughter. The sailor has as many harrowing trials as the soldier. He is on two ships that sink during his service and ends up being captured by a German submarine. He makes a daring escape and comes home.

I think the reader will enjoy the history of the war as the characters take them through most of World War II.

Again I would like to acknowledge Dalia Fradsham as she is always the first to read my manuscripts. She does more than find errors, by giving guidance in moral issues.

CHAPTER 1

THE EXCHANGE

It was nearly midnight and Casey Crane was going to relieve the bow watch aboard a troop carrier. They were bound for England with two thousand soldiers. It was a rough sea and he held to the railing as he made his way through the darkness. It was so dark he could barely see when he stumbled into a soldier sitting with his legs dangling over the scuttle at the edge of the ship. Instinctively, Casey knew the soldier was thinking about jumping. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew.

Casey said, You’re planning to jump, aren’t you? The boy nodded. Casey could see tears streaming down his face as Casey’s face was now within four inches of the boy’s face."

Casey said, I’m relieving the bow watch. You can jump anytime, but would you keep me company at the bow for awhile? I hate to be alone at night. Would you just help out a fellow American for a couple of hours?

The soldier nodded and Casey pulled him up and they made their way to the bow. When they arrived the sailor Casey was relieving just nodded at them and left. Casey pointed to a roll of rope and said, Sit there, it’s out of the salt spray. The soldier sat down and Casey offered him a cigarette. The soldier took it and Casey used his lighter to light it for him. Casey sat in silence beside him and they both smoked.

They had sat there for a minute or two with no one saying anything, then the soldier said, I’m Alvin Adams from Gainesville, Texas.

Casey said, I’m Casey Crane from Dallas. I’m glad to meet a fellow Texan, it makes me feel closer to home.

You wouldn’t be so glad to meet me if you knew what a disgrace I am to this uniform.

Tell me about it. I’m a writer and am trying to tell every detail about the war. It does terrible things to the minds of some men. I have written about some of them and I would like to write your story. I will promise your real name will never be mentioned, but people need to know the hell that men go through in war.

"It started in boot camp, Casey. I just barely made every drill I went through. My sergeant encouraged me to drop out. He said I would probably get one of my buddies killed. However, there was another boy named, Phil Wilson, who was considerably overweight. They teased him unmercifully like they did me. They called me, Mother Adams and Phil, Fatso. They always referred to me as a girl using feminine pronouns. Phil said they wanted us to quit, but he had promised himself that he would make it through just to spite them. He hated everyone in our outfit, but me. He said he understood me, as I was a misfit just like him. Nearly every outfit has them he said.

"This morning Phil didn’t show up for roll call. They made a search of the ship and he was no where to be found. The sergeant said he probably jumped overboard. He then said, ‘He did himself and the outfit a favor.’

"I thought about it all day. If I go into combat, I may get someone killed. I may freeze up when there is trouble. If I asked to get out, they would give me a bad conduct or dishonorable discharge. That would kill my dad. He did his best to raise me tough, but it just wasn’t in me. Just look at me, I’m as small as the girl they say I am. My voice is even high like a girl. I guess God made a mistake when He made me.

My dad wanted me to play football. He said it might toughen me up. However, after one practice the coach kicked me off the team. My dad told me it was alright, but a tear ran down his cheek and it gave him away. He loves me so much I nearly cry when I think about it. I just couldn’t stand it if I dishonored him, so I thought if I just jumped overboard like Phil, they would say I died in the war and he would be proud of me.

Well, that is one way to do it, Alvin, but I have a better way.

Alvin said, How is that?

We could change places. You could be a seaman and I could take your place as a dogface. Chief Lister is a good egg and I think he would go along with it, if I explained it to him. He can tell the others in my outfit that I have been transferred and that you are taking my place.

Won’t the others question that, as I will also have your name?

The chief will just say it is a coincidence. Now I know your sergeant will go along with it, if he hates you as much as you said he did.

What if they don’t go along with it, Casey?

Then you can jump tomorrow. It really doesn’t matter when you jump does it?

No, but I don’t think I can take one more day with that bunch. I’ll tell you what, after my watch is over we will both get a little shuteye and after roll call in the morning we can go to my chief. If he okays it, we are nearly home free, what do you say?

Alvin thought a minute and said, I’ve got nothing to lose at this point. By the way, why would you do this for me? You barely know me.

You’re a fellow Texan and a Texan never let’s down his buddies. You were about to lay down your life for your buddies, so who’s really the hero here?

Alvin smiled and said, You should be a salesman when this war is over. You could sell iceboxes to Eskimos.

After the watch they both went to their bunks. When Casey got to his bunk he paused and went and woke Chief Lister. The chief reluctantly got dressed and said, This had better be good, Casey, or you will have the duty for a solid week.

They went to the wardroom with Casey leading the way. They poured some coffee and Casey told the story to Chief Lister. The chief stroked his chin and then said, Why would you do this for a total stranger, Casey?

Because I couldn’t let him take his life. Who knows, maybe I will be more chicken than him when I reach the frontlines.

The chief said, Write down your folks’ address, Casey, I want to see how this plays out after the war. You’re the best person I have ever met and if you survive, I want you to be my friend the rest of my life. If you don’t, I want to tell your folks what a good man you were.

The next morning before roll call, the chief went with Casey and talked to Alvin’s sergeant. The sergeant said, Why would you take that no good Adams for a perfectly good sailor, Chief?

Because I plan to make Alvin Adams into the best sailor in the U. S. Navy, Sergeant. Where you failed, I won’t.

Well, I’m the winner here, our officers are new and won’t know the difference. I’ll just tell the men that your sailor is a transfer and that the names were just a coincidence. They can each draw new uniforms from the quartermaster. They will have to pay for them as I can’t think of anyway to do that without the brass finding out. Get them to the quartermaster.

It was all set now. The Chief had made up his mind that he would make Alvin the best sailor he could. He spent extra time with him and Alvin was a good student. He wanted dearly to be a good sailor. Not for himself so much, but for Casey.

That night Casey, now Alvin, laid in his bunk and thought, "I may be as chicken as Alvin thinks he is. I don’t think anyone knows how they will react to battle until they are in it. I guess I’ll find out. It will give me a chance to write about the war in the very middle of battle. What an opportunity!"

By the time Casey reached England, he was used to being called Private Adams. He made no friends and no one tried to be his friend. He spent most of his spare time writing the story of the war. Alvin’s story was a good one and he took his time writing it. He smiled to himself as he thought, "No one knows how this will end."

He only saw Alvin one more time. At that time he said, Write your dad, Alvin, and say you were transferred to go on a secret mission. Say that you have to go by a new name, Casey Crane. Tell him it is top-secret and he is to tell no one.

Alvin grinned and said, I wish I could keep you with me the rest of my life, Casey. After the war, if we both survive, I want to know how you did, and I’m sure you will want to know how I did.

They exchanged addresses and shook hands. When he thought of Alvin at night he would pray for him. It always gave him a warm feeling to think of Alvin’s smile when they last parted.

In England Casey, now Alvin, was put through hours of physical training as they went through countless maneuvers. The new Alvin performed extra well as he had been a quarterback on his high school football team and had been offered an athletic scholarship to Texas A. & M. However, the war was on and everyone was going into the service. His uncle was signing up for the navy and asked Casey to go in with him, so he went. After their induction he never saw his uncle again, because his uncle flunked the physical.

In just a few weeks Alvin was promoted to corporal. The first sergeant could see Alvin had natural leadership abilities and was the best athlete in the company. One day the sergeant started to say something derogatory about the other Alvin and the new Alvin cut him off saying, He’s my friend so don’t talk ill of him in front of me.

The sergeant could see the ire in Alvin’s eye and bit it off. He never said anything derogatory about the old Alvin again.

His sergeant liked Alvin and asked him to go on liberty with him. They went into London and saw the sights. They met another sergeant who drank quite a lot. He told them that they were probably going to North Africa. He said, I heard that the British need us as the Germans are kicking their butts.

The two sergeants began getting loaded, so Alvin told them he needed to get back and left. He had to catch a bus back to the base. The trip took over two hours to get back. The first bus he boarded only had one seat available. He sat down by a girl about his age. Alvin saw she had been crying and said, I see you have been crying. Can I help you?

No one can help me. I just received word that my sweetheart was killed in North Africa. We were going to be married, now he’s gone. I don’t want to go through life without him. He was my life.

Before you think of taking your own life, will you listen to what happened to me?

The girl said, Yes, do you have a sad story, also?

Alvin then told her the story about the other Alvin. He then said, Who is to know, I might let my buddies down, too. No one knows how they will do in the face of death. I just pray that if I get killed I will give a good account of myself so that Alvin’s dad will be proud.

The girl said, You are a wonderful person. Do you want me to write you? I want to know how you do, too. I think I might make it if we wrote to one another. I think Tim would want me to write you.

That would be swell. I had a few girlfriends back home, but none offered to write me.

I’m sure they were all much better looking than me. My Tim once said that I was a plain Jane and that is exactly how he wanted me to look. He said he wanted all our children to look just like me. Not too good looking, just an average wholesome look.

Alvin looked at her and said, You do have a wholesome look. Your Tim was right, I wouldn’t want you to look any other way. It is a face a guy would want to come home to.

Will you write me too, Mr…what is your name?

My name is now Alvin Adams and that is the name you must use. Alvin then wrote his APO down for her.

She then said, My name is Jane Murphy, just plain Jane. You can get my address when I write you. She then said, This is my stop, so Alvin got up to let her out. When she was in the aisle he turned and hugged her. They held the embrace awhile, then she was gone.

Alvin could still smell the perfume she was wearing and liked it. He thought about her story a few minutes then said, She won’t write, why should she? However, he was anxious to write about her in his journal. He had purchased several bound books to use for his journals. He had nearly filled the one he was now using. He knew that after the war he would edit them and make them more vivid. He wanted to remember Jane’s smell and the feeling he had when he talked to her. He wanted his readers to feel how he and the people he wrote about felt exactly. He wondered if he could write well enough for them to feel what he did. He wanted everyone to smell the odors, feel the fear and see the gore of battle.

Just as the other sergeant had said, they were deployed to North Africa. The sea voyage there was in rough water. Their bunks were stacked five high and the smell of vomit was so strong it was making him sick, so he took his blanket and pillow and went to the bow of the ship. The bow watch was there and asked him why he had come to the bow. Alvin explained his circumstances and the sailor said, I can help you into a lifeboat they are covered and there are plenty of blankets in them. Don’t tell anyone I told you.

Inside the lifeboat Alvin made himself a bed and slept wonderfully. He made the lifeboat his new home. He would enter the boat from the outer railing where no one could see him. No one ever knew the difference. He was able to obtain a flashlight so that he could write at night.

Alvin learned that no one had any battlefield experience and all wondered how they would do. Alvin prayed each night for his grandmother who had raised him. His mother had killed herself about a week after he was born. She would never disclose who