Shore Patrol. That is the group of Naval Petty Officers that get to walk in circles in the "downtown" areas or as assigned, when there are other sailors or Marines enjoying themselves on what is called "Liberty".  They are there for the members safety and security. When ships visit foreign ports, the visiting ship provides additional Shore Patrol assistance to the permanent assigned detail.

When an air craft carrier comes into ANY port of call, there is a mass of additional people thrust on the local businesses and entertainment places.  In addition to the military people there are civilians that come into town to get a little piece of the fiscal action, because we all know. . . sailors spend money.  In relationship to the local wage earner, it is a LOT of money.  With the mass of people, and the excitement of the sometimes exotic location, there is chaos!

When the carrier is anchored and liberty call is sounded, the liberty boats are filled with anxious to get on solid ground, men (and now, women as well).  At the fleet landing (which is where the boats pull up to, to discharge or pick up their loads) the sailors and marines are greeted with a bunch of ltttle KIDS!  They are perhaps 12-15...hard to tell really, with the culture of the area.  They are yelling at you something like this:  "Hey Joe!  I can take you to a great place to have a drink, show you a good time!", or some such message in the lingo of the area.  Then off they go to do their shopping, drinking, exploring, etc. with their sailor(s) in tow.  To be fair, MOST of the visiting military by-pass the little folk, but they are there.  I saw them in Naples, Italy and all our ports of call on our Med. Cruise.  It was like they traveled with the ship!  This is important, because I will be mentioning them again later.

The Ship was my second Essex Class Air Craft Carrier of my career. It was the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31).  By this time I was a First Class Petty Officer (E6) and was the Print Shop Supervisor.  I was temporarily assigned for the evening, Shore Patrol duty.  Having reported in to the SP Shack on the pier, I was assigned to a four man team of an LT, 2nd Class and a 3rd Class PO.  Our area was the Downtown Entertainment area of Victoria City on the Island of Hong Kong.  Most folks think the city is Hong Kong, but it is the ISLAND.  the picture below is NOT the Hong Kong Island of today.  This had lots of open land.  I really think it has built up since 1970.

                           

                                     1970 Victoria City, Hong Kong

On our four block beat, included numerous bars, and a couple of Opium Dens.  We were not allowed to enter any establishment unless invited by the person in charge of that place.  During our roving patrol we walked by the opium dens with the front door open and darkness inside with just a bit of light to see what looked like bunk beds and beady eyes. Was rather unnerving for a stranger in town.  On one of our many trips around in circles, a man came running out jabbering and grabbing at the LT's arm for us to come into his place.  Seemed something was amiss. As we entered, we saw the focus of his concern.  A very large sailor has passed out on his bar.  Well, he was still sitting on his now rather wet bar stool, but, due to his hight, was still sprawled out on the bar, and the owner wanted him gone.  As we looked at each other, there seemed to be a standoff on WHO was going to wake this giant.  We called the perm. shore patrol team.  Shortly four sailors with chrome helmets came in and the shortest of them walked up to the giant, took his finger and woke him up right nicely.  They ushered him out and took him back to the fleet landing to send him back to the safety of his ship.

Wan Chi district Victoria City, Hong Kong

Later on in the evening, our team had strung itself out over a half a block, and I as a faster walker was, of course, at the head of the pack.  Approaching one of our "turns" at a four lane busy downtown street, I was a sailor being beaten up on the other side of the street.  I let out a holler and started running, unslinging my night stick, dodging traffic.  There were four men beating up on one of ours.  All of a sudden about half way across, I realized I was the only one running!  "Oh, I hope they run away", was my first thought.  I was NOT a fighter....never been in a fight in my entire life!  As it turned out, God was good!  He made them bad guys slink back into the basement bar they came out of, before I got there.  I would have hated to have had to hit them with my stick! ha ha  As it turned out, the rest of my team DID start running after seeing me take off and the LT called it in to the Perm. Party SP unit.  As I was checking out the "beatee", my team caught up with me and shortly the Perm. SP's arrived.  Off they went into the bar and a SP van came by and loaded the bad guys in (they were from one of the ships in port), the guy that was beaten up got loaded into another vehicle and taken to get fixed up and sent back to his ship as well.  Shortly after that event, our shift was over.  Hong Kong was now seen in a new light for me.  I understand since my days there, it has really changed...don't know if that is for the good or not.

What was interesting is the KIDS!  Those little boys that always met the sailors as they arrived to the fleet landing getting off their ships for liberty?  Yup.....I could swear that those kids that greeted us so enthusiastically in Italy, France and Spain, were the same ones in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines!  Haven't ever been able to figure that one out.

Point of the story:  Where ever you go, expect an adventure, and you will never be disappointed. If given an opportunity to do something you haven't done before....take it.  Life is really a very short time, and to live it fully, you are going to need stories to tell.  I am living proof of that.  My point is that it is even greater if the stories you tell are acceptable to be told without embarrassment! ha ha  I do know that God was with me on every step I took and everywhere I went....and THAT was reassuring.

Keep singing, Keep smiling, and Keep exploring life, it is GREAT...you just have to enjoy it!

Blessings,
Gary