The hatch at the front of the Braniff 707
opens and a uniformed man appears and welcomes us.
He commences to give us instructions on
disembarking. We can feel the pressurized atmosphere of the cabin escape through the hatch, and the thick warm humid air of the Philippines rush in.
Upon climbing down the gangplank from the 707, the first thing I experience is a hot moist coating on my arms and face.
Thank goodness I changed into "Whites" at Wake
Island. It must be 90 degrees.
The humidity and heat leaps on me. It's a cloudy day and
that fits my mood.
So this is the Philippines. Clark Air Force Base. The last place to get a free trip back home.
My watch reads 5:07 p.m. But it's still daylight. Probably missed one of the time changes during my slumbers.
A quick walk through customs for me it seemed. Then quickly directed toward a waiting bus.
Good thing they fed us on the last leg of the flight. And that I used the terminal restroom before boarding this transport.
So tired, but yet wide awake as I see my new country.
The bus driver, standing outside of his bus is calling out " Subic Bay! Subic Bay Here!"
He's Philipinno guy, about middle aged. My first real view of a native.
Yes I glimpsed Philipinnos in the terminal.(//)
But only at at hustled speeding glance.
They sure moved everybody fast through that terminal it seemed. As like in some planned and orchestrated symphony. Only about ten of us board the old american school bus painted grey. We carry on our sea-bags and toss them into empty seats.
I sit on the right side, in a seat by myself. I'm the
only corpsman, judging by the ratings and uniforms of the other guys.
The bus moves and we head off, passing single and two level military type buildings that have that tropical look with slats in the windows. Palm trees and green nicely kept lawns surround them.
Yup, leaving Clark Air Force Base, and all hopes of going home for at least a year.
As we exit the base a new world starts to appear. More palm trees and thick foliage here and there along the roadside. Modest wooden homes nestled in them. And Philippines walking along the road. Some simple stores and businesses. We pass some young women carrying packages and dressed in light casual dresses . A couple of the guys lean out the windows with whistles and waves. The girls giggle, smile and wave back.
The bus picks up speed and soon we're going at a pretty good clip down a wide two lane road passing vast open fields. Little or no traffic. I later hear that this same road was used during the infamous Bataan Death March. That American, British and Philipinno prisoners suffered and died on this road.
In the distant east stands a mountain, green and dark green. Probably covered with jungle. As we move on it starts to become early evening. Less and less structures now. More open fields, then foliage, then fields. As an hour goes by we again start to see small buildings along the road side that appear in small groups here and there. Like a small store, shop, home or bar with a simple string of white light bulbs hanging on their facades. Wait, maybe the bar had a red and blue light-bulb on it's string.
No fancy lighting here friends.
Then as it got darker, and nothing.
I slip in and out of a light sleep due to the sometimes bumpy ride. Tired.
I awake in the night and the bus is entering some guarded gate. Marines are here. They talk to the driver, come inside and look at us. Finally wave us on. another twenty minutes and we're at a dock by a bay. We pull up to a barge that has been converted to a floating barracks. A transit berthing. A place to sleep and bathe for coming and going military personnel.
Well it's late. We're shown our bunks quietly as others are asleep. I strip to my skivvies and crash.
What seem like a few hours later the lights come on. It's early morning. I get up, s**t, shower, and shave, as they used to say.
I'm told by the petty officer of the day that there's a van outside waiting for me. I get my sea-bag and head out and onto the dock.
Yes indeed, there in the early morning was a navy grey old Chevy van waiting to take me to my place of work. The Subic Bay Naval Hospital.
I get in and the Philipinno driver takes me away. He's young. We chat. He tells me where I'm going. It's up in the jungle. What?
Yes, about five miles up into the hills overlooking the base.
A single skinny two lane road goes up there.
And sure enough, on about a ten acre clearing carved out of a mountain top sits the hospital compound. Completely self sufficient.
We pull up to the barracks. The Master At Arms is there and signs me in. I'm taken to my bunk and locker which is in a room with three other bunks. No one's in there. He tells me to take the day off and get situated. He tells me I can still make morning chow. I say thanks, he leaves.
I drop my sea-bag by my bunk. I'm looking at my bunk.
Before I know it I have fallen into my bunk fully clothed like a tree that has just been cut down.
I'm then in a deep sleep.
:sleeping: