HARRY ''D''

My last year in the Navy I was stationed at Cheltenham, Md just outside Washington Dc. It is a major relay for the east coast for everything going out and coming into the nation concerning Naval communications. One thing to remember here …. Shore duty in the Navy is nothing like Sea Duty. Two completely different ways of doing business and it took me a while to get use to all the eggs I wanted and the variety of food was hard to believe.


Cheltenham was built to be used by Waves but it was decided that it was too far out in the country for our lady sailors so they sent mostly guys out there. It was the only Naval base I ever seen with bath tubs as well as showers. The walls in the ''head'' (bathroom) were literally covered in mirrors from the sink tops to the ceiling. This kinda leads to my story.....


In the barracks we had a guy named Harry D. He was a large man with a physical appearance of the ''after'' picture in one of those body building books. Harry never ''walked''...... He strutted.. He would wrap a towel around his waist and ''strut down to the showers''. He would stand in front of the mirrors and ''flex'' using all the poses that they do in the body contests. He loved to ''show off''......
Harry was eat up with ''attitude'' to go along with the muscle. He was a second class P.O. And he thought he was God. He would give the E2 and E3's a rough time at every opportunity. He was an overbearing, loud mouth. S.O.B. And no one liked Harry but he didnt care. He rode a Harley and he liked to go downtown DC and go to the ''Speak Easy'' and find a skinny guy and beat him up just for the fun of it. (thats another story and I will tell it to you later)
Harry loved to ''work out''. He and I were on the same ''watch rotation'' and sometimes after the eve watch I would go down to the ''Rec'' hall and shoot pool by myself.
One night I was bumping a game of 'golf' on the pool table and Harry came in wearing ''sweats'' and a towel around his neck. He punched out the heavy bag and went over to the speed bag for a few minutes. He then went to the weight bench, put up a bar and started loading it with about every weight in the building. I swear the bar bent a little under the poundage he put on it. He made sure that he attracted my attention by clanging the weights on the bar. He then started his ''breathing exercises'' and then laid down on the bench. I was bumping pool balls and watching him out of the corner of my eye. He took several deep breaths and lifted the bar off the yokes. It immediately came down on his chest and stopped. I peeked at him as he tried to lift the bar. He could maybe move it an inch or two but that was it. He was starting to sweat and he made a last effort to lift the bar.......... No dice....... Harry rolled his head sideways and said


''Hay Seajay, How bout a ''spot'' over here''......
I kept shooting pool like I did not hear him.
He kinda panicked.......
''HAY SEAJAY, I need some help over here''
I walked over the weight bench, propped on my pool que and said, ''What'ca need Harry?''
''GET THIS ''FLUBBING THING'' OFF ME MAN, I CAN HARDLY BREATHE''
I told him that there was no way I could lift that bar and I would go get some help and pretended to leave......
''NO, NO, NO …. DONT LEAVE MAN, I WILL HELP YOU LIFT IT''
He was really in trouble but I said I needed to put away my que stick first........
''FOR GODS SAKES MAN........ HURRY UP''.......
I propped my que in the corner and cupped my hands around the end of the bar and me and Harry lifted one end and then the other back in the ''yokes''........ Harry was wet with sweat and he laid there for a few minutes getting his ''composure'' back together.. I went back to my pool game. He finally got up and walked around. He came over to the pool table and shook hands with me and thanked me. He said he thought it would be a good idea if I didn't spread this around the barracks about what had happened and I just kinda grinned at him.

''You bet Harry,,,,,,,,, mums the word''.....
I never told anyone about the incident but when Harry would jump on one of the Seaman for nothing, I would look at him and say.....
''Hay Harry, you been liftin' weights lately, I haven't seen you down to the Rec Hall in a while.'' He would give me a mean look and walk away.


Sometime I will tell you how a ''skinny guy'' almost killed Harry but that is another story for later.......
So it went on ''soft shore duty'' my last year in service to this great nation...


I think they should bring our troops home now 'cause we miss them over here. 'course, that is just my opinion I guess..