Haul up Romeo...

By Charles L. Williams

February 27, 1986. I was looking out the window of my airplane that I caught to Chicago from Atlanta, Georgiamy first plane ride. I see nothing but snow and ice being from the south. I may have only seen snow maybe twice my whole life. Over the plane intercom, ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats, we are preparing to land. Im saying to myself she cant be talking to me Im already seated. So as we land, the stewardess says again, Welcome to Chicago OHare airport.

I left the plane and three other guys that I met at the Meps station in Atlanta and begin our journey by looking for the USO as we were told to do. I knew Atlanta has a big airport, but for some reasons, OHare seems bigger. Remember now Im from the country, so everything I see from this point on is all good to me. We finally see the USO. We pass by this janitor glaring at us saying great mistakes, huh, uh, uh-uh. (That is what they called Great Lakes Naval Training Center back then.) We just looked at him and kept walking. Once we reach the USO, there is a guy in there telling old sea stories about his time in the navy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493178445

Book preview

Haul Up

Romeo…

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BM2 (SW) Charles L. Williams

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Copyright © 2014 by BM2 (SW) Charles L. Williams.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014903663

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4931-7845-2

                 Softcover      978-1-4931-7846-9

                 eBook             978-1-4931-7844-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 02/20/2014

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Contents

The Commissioning of My Journey

Come Alongside for My Journey

THE COMMISSIONING OF MY JOURNEY

I was born on September 21, 1967, in Cochran, Georgia, on a peach farm. My mom was fifteen, just turned fifteen, so I wasn’t planned. I was told I was born at a bad time. It was cold, and my great-grandfather was showing his butt. I was raised in a house where everybody had to work—be it picking peaches, pulling weeds out of cotton, picking peas, or just plain old helping out around the house, which is what I did. We had a chicken coop, a garden, a hog pin, and an outhouse. We lived five miles from the city limits. Going into town on a Saturday was a big thing for us because we were going somewhere. We would all pile on the back of a pickup truck. My great-grandfather was allowed to drive anywhere. Dairy queen was like heaven to us; just to see it made me happy.

Living on a farm makes you grow up quick because you had responsibilities from emptying the pee pot in the middle of the night to going out to get fire wood no matter if it was raining or cold. I and my uncle Puncho real name (Anthony) was always together playing by ourselves and fighting at the same time. I was raised with all my aunts and uncles because my mom had to raise them like her own when both of my grandparents passed away within months of each other.

I still have scars from coming up from when Puncho tried to cut off my fingers to when I was playing base ball and slid and cut my leg so bad that I didn’t even know it until I looked at it on a piece of glass. I always did enough in school to get by. I just didn’t see any sense in going crazy about things that I couldn’t control.

Before my grandparents died, momma had bought a house in town, and she would come and get me on a Friday and take me back on a Sunday. Well, I didn’t like that, so I used to hide in the car and pop up when we would get back in town to her house. Sometimes she would just laugh, but other times she would be pissed. I did this for a long time, and I also used to run behind the car when she took me back to the country. I grew out of it eventually because Momma was tired of me and so was Great-grandma.

People always told me I was going to do something good in life, but what it was, I didn’t know. I always respected older people coming up my mom wouldn’t have had it no other way. I wasn’t allowed to play sports because I was too small in my mom eyes, so I had to be the manager. I had fun doing that though. I and Ricky Brown were tight in high school. We did a lot of wild stuff together. I was tight with Kirk Warner; also he was all state in football and basketball. He went to the University of Georgia to play football.

When it came time to graduate, I was going to go in the army. At first, I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my uncles Puncho and Bobo. I soon found out that the army wasn’t the place for me because the recruiter was giving me the runaround. I worked at Shoney’s restaurant for three months and decided to join the navy. Everybody thought I was joking until it was time for me to go to the MEPS station in Atlanta; then, when I went to boot camp, they were shocked, but I think I got the biggest shock of them all.

Momma, thank you for the wisdom and knowledge you gave me even when you think I wasn’t listening; for the whippings you gave me when I felt I didn’t need them but you knew; And for going out of your way to do things for me when you know you didn’t have the money but you made a way for me anyway. Thank you for being there when it seems like no one cared and seems like I was carrying the world on my little shoulders. For putting up with my bad ways and funky attitude until I got out on my own. I’ve seen things you told me would happen, and I’ve lived through things I never thought would happen to me. Most of all, Momma, thank you for your love and your patience because no matter how hard things may seem, sometimes you always knew what to say to make it seem like nothing. Thank you, Momma.

Love your son,

Charles Lindbergh Williams

COME ALONGSIDE FOR MY JOURNEY

F ebruary 27, 1986. I was looking out the window of my airplane that I caught to Chicago from Atlanta, Georgia—my first plane ride. I see nothing but snow and ice being from the south. I may have only seen snow maybe twice my whole life. Over the plane intercom, ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats, we are preparing to land. I’m saying to myself she can’t be talking to me I’m already seated. So as we land, the stewardess says again, "Welcome to Chicago O’Hare airport.

I left the plane and three other guys that I met at the Meps station in Atlanta and begin our journey by looking for the USO as we were told to do. I knew Atlanta has a big airport, but for some reasons, O’Hare seems bigger. Remember now I’m from the country, so everything I see from this point on is all good to me. We finally see the USO. We pass by this janitor glaring at us saying great mistakes, huh, uh, uh-uh. (That is what they called Great Lakes Naval Training Center back then.) We just looked at him and kept walking. Once we reach the USO, there is a guy in there telling old sea stories about his time in the navy.

The guy was dressed real casual and said he was coming back in the navy and told us we were in for a rude awakening. I’m saying to myself now I’m already scared, and this guy ain’t making it no better, so he proceeds on with his story telling us how many times he had gonorrhea and all the women he had been with and he can’t wait to get back on the west coast because the west coast is what’s happening. By this time, I’m getting to the point of tired of hearing this guy talk, so I’m ready to go.

Some guy out of nowhere dressed in a black uniform and a white hat in his hand shouted out, OK, everybody in here that is going to boot camp, on your feet and follow me. The guy that was telling the sea stories said, Good luck everybody. See you in the fleet. I paid him no attention of course he was on my last nerve. I don’t like people that think they know everything.

We walked back down the middle of the airport passing some of the same people and that janitor was still there talking about great mistakes, here we come. I just looked