Back during the Berlin Airlift in 1948, my buddy General Pearson (yes, his first name was “General”) had just completed Army Air Corps Officer Candidate School. Sure, he took some ribbing, a spanking new second lieutenant whose name was General. But now he was on his way in a C-47 to his first duty station, Bangor Field near Bangor, Maine.
Bangor Field is no more but was a busy place in those days, a port of entry for aircraft flying the Berlin Airlift (remember that?). The C-47 pilot dutifully radioed his manifest ahead to Bangor Field, naming his passengers and his ETA (estimated time of arrival).
The Bangor Field operations officer was aghast when he noticed that a “Lieutenant General Pearson” would soon be landing at his airfield. In a panic, he roused his base commander who was sleeping late. After all, it was Saturday.
Oh, My God, the commander cried… a Lieutenant General, three stars, is due at my airfield within the hour! Damn! On a Saturday?
The base commander quickly organized an ad hoc honor guard, rounded up off-duty MPs, cooks, clerks, and mechanics, and ordered them all into Class A uniforms and armed with ceremonial M-1 rifles. The tiny 7-piece band was assembled, hung over from a night on the town. They gathered up their instruments and staggered toward Base Operations.
Somehow this chaotic assemblage was standing at attention on the apron in front of Base Operations as the C-47 touched down and taxied toward the ramp. Out on the apron the band played sprightly Sousa marches. The base commander and his staff were in neat military formation, at rigid attention, ready to honor a high-ranking Army Air Corps VIP.
The plane’s engines shut down as the passenger ramp was pushed against the C-47. The big cargo doors opened. Down the steps came four confused second lieutenants
Third in line, his single gold bar gleaming, was my friend 2nd Lt. General Pearson.
The base commander, frozen in mid-salute, stared at these spanking new officers… the band’s music faded to silence. “Where’s General Pearson?” shouted the base commander.
“Here, sir!” came a small voice from the bottom of the ramp.
Suffice it to say that 2nd Lt. General Pearson performed his tour of duty at Bangor Field hidden deep inside the base mess hall as mess officer – the commissioned officer’s equivalent of KP.
–8-2018–