I don’t know about the 40’s and 50’s but I can tell you what it was like in the 60's...it was great! PC was not even a phrase back then. It was hard work, but we really did have fun. Plus all the sailors and officers in the squadron and on the base stuck together and helped each other out personally and professionally. We'd work on each other’s cars, we’d baby sit, house sit and generally helped each other all of the time.
In my squadron house keys and car keys were left at the duty office while someone was away. You’d maybe be going off duty and the OOD would ask…“Hey are you going off base tonight? Could you take this mail to Mr. ____’s wife?” Also remember that the draft was still in effect back then so we’d get a better “cross section” of people. (I think you know what I mean.)
I served with some really smart, sharp educated people who worked hard and were a great help to the effort. Those people needed to get their time out of the way so they enlisted instead of waiting for the draft. People like that aren’t in the service today unless they want to serve. And I’m talking mostly enlisted not the officers. But those were the “grunts” that got the work done.
Now to "prop's"
We kept a T-28 in Yuma… And VF-45, a sister squadron, had an A-1E, what fun back seat rides!
Steve
BTW... I didn't vote I'm just sharing some good times.
(Nice thread BTW.)
