#Uss sleep now in my arms install

WELL, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IT TOOK A WHILE, BUT WE RECOVERED THE SALVAGE BOAT. I YELLED UP TO THE OFFICERS ON THE DECK, THAT I HAD DAMAGED THE SCREW. I LOOKED UP FROM MY COCKPIT AND DUCKED, ONE BLADE WAS UNDER THE BOAT AND ONE OVER MY COCKPIT AT THE SAME TIME. I HAD BOTH ENGINES WIDE OPEN AND STILL GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER. WE MANAGED DO ALL THAT BUT BY THE TIME WE DID, I WAS ONLY A FEW FEET FROM A VISIT TO A DISASTER. THAT BIG BRASS SCREW KEPT GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE ABOVE PICTURE, JUST THE AFT DECK OF MY BOAT TO THE RIGHT, I WAS TURNING AROUND TO CATCH THE #8 BOAT AND TIE ON TO HER. BOBBING STRAIGHT TOWARD THE SHIP'S SCREW. THE SEAS WERE THROWING US AROUND AND IT WAS HARD ENOUGH TO CONTROL MY BOAT THAT CLOSE IN TO THE SHIP, BUT NOW WE HAD 70 THOUSAND LBS. I KNOW WE COULD HAVE TAKEN IT TO SHORE A LOT EASIER THAT WAY. SAM AND I BOTH HAD ALL OF OUR AIR TIGHT COMPARTMENTS AND THE SALVAGE STILL HAD A FEW. WELL AFTER ALL WAS SAID AND DONE, THE REAR OF THE BOAT WENT DOWN TO WHERE ONLY ABOUT 6 FEET OF HER 60 FOOT WAS OUT OF THE WATER. THE CHIEF WAS GETTING VERY UPSET AND YELLED 'SARGENT I'M ORDERING YOU TO CUT THE ROPES NOW'. I KNOW I COULD ALWAYS CUT THEM BEFORE IT TOOK ME DOWN. I KNEW THAT IF I CUT THE LINES IT WOULD GO DOWN FAST. I DIDN'T AND I KEPT ON TRYING TO WORK ON THE SLING. ON DECK YELLING FOR ME TO CUT MY LINES THAT HELD THAT SALVAGE. THAT BEING THE CASE AND THE FACT THAT MY BOAT WAS NOT DAMAGED, I WANTED TO SPIN THEM AROUND FROM THE SHIP AND LET SAM TIE UP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF #8 AND TAKE IT TO THE BEACH. IT WAS MY THINKING THAT SOME BUT NOT ALL COMPARTMENTS WERE DAMAGED. THE TWO BOATS HAD BEEN BANGING TOGETHER ALL NIGHT UNTIL IT BEAT A HOLD IN THE SALVAGE.

#Uss sleep now in my arms install

THERE WAS NO WAY TO HOLD HER IN PLACE WITH THE SHIP'S BOOM IF WE COULDN'T INSTALL THE CABLES. IN A SHORT TIME I HAD NO FEELING IN MY HANDS. BY THIS TIME, THE #8 BOAT HAD THREE FEET OF WATER AND I WAS IN IT TRYING TO CONNECT THE SLING. 1ST DIV ALREADY HAD THEIR BIG HOOK LOWERED AND WE WERE TRYING TO HOOK UP THE SLING TO THE BOAT. UNFORTUNATELY THE FOUR POINT CLING THAT IS USED TO HOIST THE BOAT WAS NOT CONNECTED. WE WERE THE FIRST DOWN AND IT WAS VERY COLD AND THE SEAS VERY CHOPPY. MY BOAT WAS TIED TO THE SALVAGE BOAT, WHICH WAS NEXT TO THE SHIP, AND SAM'S WAS THIRD OUT. IT WAS BC DIV.'S JOB TO SET WATCHES TO GO DOWN ON THE BOATS AND CHECK TO SEE IF THE ROPES AND FINDERS WERE PROPER AND THAT THE ENGINE ROOMS WERE REASONABLELY DRY.ĪN LCM HAS SOMETHING LIKE 16 SEPARATE AIRTIGHT COMPARTMENTS. IN THE EVENING AFTER HITTING THE BEACHES ALL DAY, WE WOULD TIE THE BOATS ALONGSIDE THE SHIP IN WHAT WE CALLED A NEST. YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT, BEING FROM A COUNTRY WITH THAT MUCH COAST LINE, AT LEAST SOME OF THEM WOULD HAVE GROWN SOME SEA LEGS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH RICE FLAVORED PUKE IN ALL MY LIFE. THE DAY BEFORE WE HAD BEEN TRAINING THE KOREANS IN AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT LANDINGS. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE COLDEST I'VE EVER BEEN. I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO GRAB MY JACKET OR ANYTHING AND I 'M SURE I WAS WEARING SHOWER SHOES. IT WAS LIKE FEBUARY OR MARCH AND IT HAD TO BE IN THE LOW 30'S. I WAS EATING BREAKFAST IN JEANS AND TEE SHIRT, WHEN HOUSER OR BLACK SAID 'SARGE MAN YOUR BOAT, NOW, THE #8 IS SINKING AND YOUR TIED UP TO IT'. WE WERE NEVER TOLD DIRECTLY OF THEIR FINDINGS BUT WE DID KNOW BECAUSE NO ONE GOT IN TROUBLE FOR THE SINKING OF THE SALVAGE BOAT AND COSTING THIS US NAVY A LOT MONEY. THEY WERE LOOKING INTO WHY THE BOAT TOOK ON THAT MUCH WATER IF IT HAD BEEN PROPERLY CHECKED EVERY HOUR. THE TRUTH OF THAT MATTER WAS, AS I EXPLAINED TO THEM, THAT WE HAD BEEN ON PORT AND STARBOARD WATCH FOR SO LONG AND HAD NOT HAD A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP AND THAT I WAS SUFFERING FROM SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND DIDN'T KNOW MY BUTT FROM FAT MEAT.

I KNOW I WAS QUESTIONED AT LEAST THREE TIMES. THEY WANTED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS. OFFICERS OF NAVAL INTEL (ONI) LATER INTERROGATED MANY OF US IN BOAT GROUP.

NOW THIS WAS ALL RELATED TO THE SINKING OF LCM #8 AND WAS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER. BY THE WAY, EVEN THOUGH I HAD SOME VERY BAD TIMES, I NEVER DID LEARN HATE THE NAVY OR MY FRIEND PAUL BUTLER.

I ACTULLY GOT INTO MORE TROUBLE FOR THAT, THAN I DID FOR COSTING THE US NAVY AT LEAST A MILLION DOLLARS. SO THIS DAY HE WAS HAVING HIS FUN AND I THREW THEM OVER WITHOUT THE ROPE AND SAID, 'THERE, YOU WANT THEM CLEAN, I'LL BET YOU THOSE BABIES WILL GET REAL CLEAN NOW'. THE PETTY OFFICER, BM2 PAUL BUTLER, HAD EXPLAINED TO ME THAT HE WAS GOING TO DO ME A FAVOR BY RIDING MY BACK SO HARD THAT I WOULD LEARN TO HATE THE NAVY SO MUCH THAT I WOULD NEVER THINK OF RE-ENLISTING. THIS WAS NORMALLY DONE BY TYING A ROPE AROUND THE MOP HANDLES AND THROWING THEM OVER THE FANTAIL AND TAKING THEM FOR A RIDE.

I REMEMBER GETTING 15 HOURS EXTRA DUTY IN THE ENGINE ROOM ONCE, WHEN I WAS TOLD TO CLEAN A FEW MOPS. AS THE ASSAULT BOAT COXSWAIN OF LCM #6 AND THE CAPTAIN'S GIG. MY NAME IS CHARLES SARGENT BETTER KNOWN AS SARGE.