TV in Distress

by Lucienne (30-L-2 FPE)

The invasion of Africa was over and our base had settled down to the routine job of escorting convoys and chasing submarines. The enemy who had fought us on the African beaches were now our allies, so only the Germans remained the object of the military forces.

Socially, each individual officer generated his own friendships both on and off the base. The two per- sons involved in this true story shall be called Billie and Lee because names are not important.

Billie and Lee had become close friends, thru working in the same department and going ashore to- gether, in fact for several months they had been going to dinner one night a week at the home of a French family who loved Americans.

Lee's ability to converse in Spanish had made a hit with the father of the family because he had been the first American Officer he had been able to under- stand.

Billie, the Naval Officer about whom this article is written was a very competant aggressive person re- spected by all for his abilities as an officer and ath- lete. Actually Billy was the pitcher and Lee the cat- cher on the officers baseball team. Billie was 5'7", weighting about 140 pounds, coal black hair and eyes and with features much to pretty for a man. His body actually grew no hair and he shaved now and then most- ly to convince himself and others there might be some fuzz there.

One night, at one of these family dinners, Billie proceeded to get drunk on the brandy, wine and cognac served before, with and after the meal. The first vis- ible sign of his condition was that he became very qu- iet and sat alone in a corner. Shortly he began crying and soon he was in the throes of a violent crying jag. Nothing anyone said or did had any effect except to

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