Received this email from RD3 Mike McElroy wanted to share withy you all.  Also on Gallery 9 there is a picture of the mess decks Christmas decoration submitted by EM3 George Hickey

 

Paul,
 
I thought you might be able to use this story.  Hopefully some of the other "culprits" will come forward to add to it.
 
Mike
San Diego
89NM and 41 years from Pier 9

 

The Christmas Choir

 

            Leaving a war zone is normally a time of relief and happiness for a ship’s crew.  However, a sense of gloom settled on the Prime as she steamed out of Vietnamese waters at the completion of her first war patrol.  It was December 24, 1966 and the thought of being at sea so far from love ones at Christmas weighed heavily on most of the crew.  In the afternoon the XO, feeling the responsibility for keeping up morale, came up with the solution.  He stepped on to the Mess Decks and issued a terse order: “There will be Christmas spirit aboard this ship by 18:00.”

            For my part, I went up to CIC and drew some Christmas trees and a Santa on the status boards.  Then someone, probably Al Fetting, said we should put together a choir and go around the ship singing carols.  So around 20:00 five or six of us painted beards on our faces, wrapped towels around our heads and draped blankets over our shoulders and went caroling. 

            We sang to the off-watch guys on the Mess Decks. We went to CIC, the Pilothouse and finally up to the Bridge.  After several songs to the bridge watch, the Captain asked, “Have you been to the Engine Room yet?”

            “No sir!” We answered, briefly eyeing each other because we hadn’t thought of that.

            “You’d better go down there,” he ordered.  Adding:  “Snipes are people too!”

            Somehow we Ops types found our way to the Engine Room.  As we headed toward Main Control we began a joyous song.  Standing watch at the control panel was Fritz Jones, one of the few Afro-Americans in the crew.  He looked up and saw us.  With ear muffs on and the noise of the engines, he had no idea we were singing.  He only saw a group of strangely disguised white guys coming at him.  His eyes widened in terror.  He turned, bolted out the other side of the booth and instantly vanished!

            We stood looking at each other, dumbfounded by what had happened.  We trudged back up the ladder out of the hot noisy spaces.  The Ops Choir disbanded and was never heard from again.

 

RD3 Mike McElroy