Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content. Please use the button below to manage your account.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Welcome! We hope that you enjoy our free content.
Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
Thank you for signing in! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Checking back? Since you viewed this item previously you can read it again.
I’ll never forget that day in early 1951 when I told my family goodbye and got on a Greyhound bus for a trip to Louisville and my entry into the U.S. Navy.
That entry included a physical before being ushered to the Naval Station Great Lakes training center in Illinois.
But something happened during that physical that almost stopped my tour of duty in the Navy before it started. After completing the physical, a Navy doctor said he was sorry, but I was on my way back to Owensboro.
“Why doctor?” I asked. “What went wrong?”
The doctor said he was very sorry but my test indicated I suffered with borderline diabetes.
I told the doctor it was important that I be accepted into the Navy because there was the possibility the Army might take me, even with borderline diabetes.
Since it was about lunch time, the doctor told me to go have some lunch and drink a large glass of milk with it.
I did as told, was given the test again, and the doctor turned me loose for Navy life.
I had never heard off a health condition such as that, but I had to live with it for the four years I was in the Navy.
On being discharged, I continued wondering about borderline diabetes, and I decided to look up Dr. John S. Oldham and ask him.
“That’s a like lot like almost being pregnant,” he said.
But the diabetes thing was not my only problem with getting to remain in the Navy. Early in my boot camp training it was discovered I could not swim. That came when we were having swimming tests, and I had to admit I was not a swimmer.
“Tell you what sailor boy. You’re going to take the test, and if you don’t pass it you’re going home,” one of the instructors said.
With that I jumped off a platform into the corner of the pool. The goal in passing was to swim to the other corner, take a left and swim the length of the pool.
So, I jumped into the water, went under, struggled back up to the surface and duck-paddled my way to the other corner making the turn, I duck-paddled for about another 19 feet and went under.
Then it became a matter of making it to the other end or going home.
On the bottom, I struggled another few feet and started the drowning process. Watching me all of the way, an instructor with a grappling hook grabbed me by the back of my swimming shorts and pulled me to safety.
“Tell you what,” the instructor said. “When somebody tries to pass a swimming test as hard as you did, I’m giving them a passing grade.”
I never did fall to borderline diabetes, never did try swimming again and never did need to come back to life again.
Your comment has been submitted.
Reported
There was a problem reporting this.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
We’re always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what’s going on!