Page Two
CLOUDBUSTER
Saturday, August 19, 1944
Cruising With Covey
By David Y. Coverston, Ylc, USNR
Two weeks have passed since I left the “Hill,” and I’m still
here at the RecSta in Norfolk waiting to get out, so you can see
that I was not only optimistic about starting in on that 20%
increase in pay—I was overly optimistic. In fact, I’m so fed up
with waiting that I’m considering asking the FHA to build me
a shack of my own down here so that I can have a little more
privacy. However, liberty every night isn’t hard to take, and
that brings me to the kind of liberty you’ll have if you happen
to be sent down to this American version of a concentration camp.
CLOUDBUSTER
Vol. 2—No. 49 Sat., August 19, 1944
Published weekly under the supervision of
the Public Relations Office at the U, S. Navy
Pre-Flight School, Chapel Hill, N. C., a unit
of the Naval Air Primary Training Command.
Contributions of news, features, and cartoons
are welcome from all hands and should be
turned in to the Public Relations Office, Navy
Hall.
★
CLOUDBUSTER receives Camp Newspaper
Service material. Republication of credited
matter prohibited without permission of CNS,
War Department, 205 E. 42nd St., N.Y.C.
★
Lieut. Comdr. James P. Raugh, USNR
Commanding Officer
Lieut. Comdr. Howard L. Hamilton, USNR
Executive Officer
Lieut. P. O. Brewer, USNR
Public Relations Officer
★
Editor: Lieut. Leonard Eiserer, USNR
Associate Editor: Orville Campbell, Y2c
On The Lighter Side...
An old Southern darkey, father of 16 chil
dren, was being lectured by the doctor for
asking his wife to have so many children.
“You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Ras-
tus,” the doctor said.
“Indeed I is,” said Rastus. “The next time
it happens I’s gwine to hang myself,”
Well, before very long, the doctor was
called to Rastus’ house and sure enough an
other visitor was expected.
“Rastus,” said the doctor, “what are you
doing here? I thought you said you would
hang yourself if this ever happened again.”
“Indeed, I did, doctor, an’ I took a big old
rope, put it around my neck and threw it over
a limb. Den,, would you believe it, just as I
was about to jump offa that stump, I said to
myself, ‘Rastus, you better be careful here.
You might be hanging an innocent man’.”
if * * * *
She laughed when I sat down at the piano,
but she got scared as hell when I came over to
the divan.
*
Dizzy Gob: “I came to see my friend. How’s
he getting along?”
Nurse: “Oh, he’s getting along just fine.
Did you wish to see him? He’s convalescing
now.”
Dizzy Gob: “That’s all right—don’t bother
him. I’ll just sit down and wait until he’s
through.”
* *
Our idea of an optimist is of the man who
took the marriage vows at the ripe old age of
87 and started house hunting for a nice place
close to a school.
In the first place, Norfolk (known by other
names which wouldn’t pass the censor) isn’t
what is known as a good liberty town. It seems
that this ancient seaport has had sailors in it
from time immemorial. Wartime has only in
creased the number of sea-going men on its
streets, and they’ve never forgotten the rowdi
ness that once marked men from the ships as
indelibly as do the bell bottomed trousers and
uncomfortable jumpers we have to wear. But
if you look long enough (two weeks is a life
time here), you’ll find places that aren’t so
bad, and it’s about these I wish to write.
About a mile from the RecSta, going North,
is an amusement park called Fleet Park,
which is operated solely for enlisted person
nel and their guests. I was out there last week
for an evening, and although it was very
crowded, a variety of amusements enabled me
to have a pretty good time.
Fleet Park covers about ten to fifteen acres,
and contains a skating rink, two swimming
pools, indoor and outdoor, a gymnasium, out
door dancing pavillion, horeshoe pits, picnic
grounds, and a fairly large ship’s service. The
ship’s service has a library, cafeteria, ping
pong room, pool hall, and counters which sell
soft drinks, beer, ice cream, and sandwiches.
It also handles athletic gear, and footballs
which may be used on the courts, fields, and
diamonds which are a part of the park. Prices
are low, and it provides entertainment for an
evening.
Eighteen miles from Norfolk, via bus.
him and whispered in his ears, “Say, slugger.
I’ve got a swell idea! Next time he hits you,
hit him back!”
* * * * *
A general and a colonel were walking down
the street. They met many privates, and each
time the colonel would salute he would mutter,
“The same to you.”
The general’s curiosity got the better of him,
and he asked:
“Why do you always say that?”
The colonel answered: “I was once a pri
vate and I know what they’re thinking.”
* m 1)1 ♦
North Carolina Farmer: “No, I wouldn’t
think of chargin’ ye for the cider. That would
eighty-six cents round trip from the city, lies
Virginia Beach, a narrow sandy strip of ocean
front bordered by a lengthy concrete seawall
and board walk. As is usual with such tourist
attractions, there are many things to do, but
the prices are slightly on the high side.
Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, cootchie
shows, cotton candy, and all the other lures to
get your nickels, dimes, and dollars fill the
boardwalk, and it’s very easy to spend a day,
and your pay, taking in the assortment they
offer.
Lockers for those who wish to swim are in
evidence at a little above average price, and
while not as elaborate as those in more sou
thern states, they hide you until you can
squirm into a pair of trunks.
The ocean at this particular spot has a
mean temperature of about 68 degrees, so the
signs say, and makes for pleasant paddling
and breaker riding. The beach as a place to
play in the surf fails to measure up to Florida
beaches, but that is to be expected.
In Norfolk proper there are a good many
motion picture houses, screening every type
of film from the horse opera to the currently
popular “Going My Way” and other first run
hits. Most of them arte renovated silent pic
ture emporiums and don’t have the lustre of
modern day cinema palaces, but they are com
fortable enough and have some of the best
projectionists in the business.
As in North Carolina, there are no bars
that deal in hard liquor, but wine bars are
plentiful and are generally full of paying
customers. Novelty shops appear in almost
every block, along with penny arcades and
other “joints” to pass the time.
SP’s fill the streets, keeping the scene fairly
peaceful, continually barking the old “Square
that hat. Mac,” but usually carrying out their
duties in nicer fashion than the cartoons depict.
Since a great deal of Norfolk is out of
bounds to servicemen, I can’t say what goes
on down there, but I imagine you can guess as
well as I can.
All in all, I suppose there are worse liberty
towns than Norfolk (I don’t know where), but
with a little ingenuity, you can usually find
amusement enough to have a pretty good time
without getting into trouble.
Until next time, when I hope to be writing
aboard ship, so long, and thanks again.
At the end of the fifth round, the heavy
weight staggered to his corner in a dazed and j
battered condition. His manager approached
be bootleggin’ and praise the Lord I ain’t come
to that yit. The peck of taters will be five
dollars,”