Uncle Billy enlisted in the navy shortly before the Korean War and got out after the end of the war.
Uncle Billy was mustered out of the navy in October of 1953. In those days, sailors on the west coast all went to Treasure Island naval station for discharge. He walked to the bus stop and caught a ride to San Francisco where he went into a used clothing store and swapped his sea bag contents for some used clothes and an extra $15 to add to his mustering out pay. He had been in nothing but navy uniforms for the years of the war and it felt pretty good to be back in civvies for a change.
Next stop, Las Vegas. Las Vegas had its start as a train stop where the old steam trains filled up water tanks during World War Two. Service men got off the trains and enjoyed drinks and gambling while the trains were parked there. Uncle Billy went through a lot of his money pretty quick between the slot machines and the Blackjack tables, so he headed out of town two days later.
He bought another bus ticket and headed for Denver. He had heard a lot about the town while in the navy and he had never been there before. He thought he might have a nice long trip before settling down back home. He had read John Steinbeck's novel "East of Eden" and liked the part about a young man who served in the military and afterward roamed the country until he was out of money and arrested for vagrancy. Billy thought that sounded good, but he would cut it short before he was totally out of monetary funds.
Uncle Billy met up with his navy buddies in Denver (they had taken an air flight there) the three of them set out for a night of celebration in downtown. Things soon became raucous and a fight broke out with some marines who were also just out of service. The police were called and they all spent the rest of the night in jail. They were released the next morning after paying for all the damage caused the night before. That left uncle Billy very short of money and he knew if he stayed any longer he would be broke, so he headed out of town.
Uncle Billy was wishing he had saved his uniform when he found it was not easy to catch a ride out of Denver while he was looking like a possible vagrant. He finally caught a ride with a seemingly kind man, Fred, who said was heading to his new job in Albuquerque. They got as far as Kingman, Arizona when Fred said he was tired and had to stop. Fred offered to share his room for the night. It turned out Fred approached uncle Billy in the room with a financial scam that he had ran in another state, Billy kindly refused his offer and left the room. He spent the night sleeping behind a dumpster. The next day uncle Billy decided to head east toward home near Springfield, Missouri.
Kingman was right on the old route 66 so it was a straight shot back to Springfield. The only problem was catching a ride with some kind soul.
Uncle Billy decided a life on the road was not for him. He headed home, thumb out and hoping for a ride. He got there and met his future wife, Ethyl and thought he would settle down and live a normal life, but if you have read previous posts about uncle Billy, you already know that life has been a rocky one.
Copyright Bill Weber 2019 and beyond.
Next stop, Las Vegas. Las Vegas had its start as a train stop where the old steam trains filled up water tanks during World War Two. Service men got off the trains and enjoyed drinks and gambling while the trains were parked there. Uncle Billy went through a lot of his money pretty quick between the slot machines and the Blackjack tables, so he headed out of town two days later.
He bought another bus ticket and headed for Denver. He had heard a lot about the town while in the navy and he had never been there before. He thought he might have a nice long trip before settling down back home. He had read John Steinbeck's novel "East of Eden" and liked the part about a young man who served in the military and afterward roamed the country until he was out of money and arrested for vagrancy. Billy thought that sounded good, but he would cut it short before he was totally out of monetary funds.
Uncle Billy met up with his navy buddies in Denver (they had taken an air flight there) the three of them set out for a night of celebration in downtown. Things soon became raucous and a fight broke out with some marines who were also just out of service. The police were called and they all spent the rest of the night in jail. They were released the next morning after paying for all the damage caused the night before. That left uncle Billy very short of money and he knew if he stayed any longer he would be broke, so he headed out of town.
Uncle Billy was wishing he had saved his uniform when he found it was not easy to catch a ride out of Denver while he was looking like a possible vagrant. He finally caught a ride with a seemingly kind man, Fred, who said was heading to his new job in Albuquerque. They got as far as Kingman, Arizona when Fred said he was tired and had to stop. Fred offered to share his room for the night. It turned out Fred approached uncle Billy in the room with a financial scam that he had ran in another state, Billy kindly refused his offer and left the room. He spent the night sleeping behind a dumpster. The next day uncle Billy decided to head east toward home near Springfield, Missouri.
Kingman was right on the old route 66 so it was a straight shot back to Springfield. The only problem was catching a ride with some kind soul.
Uncle Billy decided a life on the road was not for him. He headed home, thumb out and hoping for a ride. He got there and met his future wife, Ethyl and thought he would settle down and live a normal life, but if you have read previous posts about uncle Billy, you already know that life has been a rocky one.
Copyright Bill Weber 2019 and beyond.
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