A GREAT LAKES SAILOR
The Cowle, Part 5
by Janis Stein

Join me in the continuation as our featured sailor's stint on the lakes is interrupted when Uncle Sam mails a draft notice that lands our sailor in Germany.

By the end of July, the sailor was told he would be leaving the Cowle and transferring to the J. Burton Ayers. Once again, he found himself under the guidance of Captain Melvin Edwards. The sailor continued his job as wheelsman aboard this freighter in April of 1954 as well, but his season would be short-lived. Though the Army excused him one year prior, Uncle Sam sent another draft notification in late June, informing the sailor it was time for him to go.

The sailor had two weeks to spend with his family in Carsonville, before he traveled to Bad Axe where he was inducted into the United States Army. At 24 years old, he and other young area men were then sent to Detroit with an end destination of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It was there the young man completed Basic Training, and at Fort Leonard Wood, the sailor could now call himself a soldier as well.

After Basic Training, the soldier was shipped to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, where he studied to become a medical aid. The month of November rolled around as he was completing his medical training, and after a delightful Thanksgiving dinner, courtesy of the United States Army, Uncle Sam sent him to Fort Dix, New Jersey.

The sailor turned soldier sailed out of New York harbor on December 2, 1954, on a ship filled with soldiers bound for Germany. The soldiers slept in hammocks hanging above one another, and the ship carried civilians in the passenger quarters as well. Those family members and spouses of servicemen set sail along with the soldiers, and for many, the ride across the North Atlantic would be the ride of their lives. The sailor, however, had grown accustomed to the turbulent waters of Lake Superior, and as the military ship battled heavy seas for a week straight, he fared better than most.

As the boat rocked, the soldiers tried to eat their dinner. Sitting on stools bolted to the deck, the soldiers wrapped their feet around the stools' legs to stabilize themselves. Because the tables didn't have railings on, the men held onto their tray with one hand while eating with the other. For some even the thought of eating during such a rough ride was difficult. The fellow washing dishes was having his own problems when at last his stomach revolted. When he vomited right in his dish water, lunch was over for more than one!

The soldiers arrived in Germany right before Christmas, spending some time getting settled in before their duties began the first of January. The Huron County native was sent to an ambulance company in a medical battalion, and he would spend much of his time in Germany riding around in an ambulance, though not once did he carry a patient in the back!

The young man found his job as a soldier similar to sailing as there was always something new to learn. Though he worked hard while he was in Germany, he and his fellow soldiers played hard as well, so hard he ended up in the infirmary with a cracked ankle resulting from a well-played baseball game after the day's work was done!

While he was in Germany, he also fell in love…with a little gray Volkswagen beetle, complete with a sun roof. The brand new bug might have set him back 1200 bucks, but it was well worth every penny. The car was so incredibly cool, he was sure he'd be the talk of Sanilac County upon his return to Michigan. Because the car had a manifold heater, it was very cold to ride in during the winter, but sometimes a few inconveniences had to be overlooked for the sake of image!

When the soldier had his two-year stint fulfilled in May of 1956, the Army shipped his beloved beetle back to the states free of charge. The soldier arrived at Fort Hamilton, New York, and after picking up his car, he began his journey home.

The sailing season had already begun, but that was alright since he wasn't sure he was quite ready to return to the lakes anyway. Rather, in the fall of the year, he traveled to Florida in search of adventure and the warm weather Michigan could never provide during the winter months.

Be sure to look for the conclusion next month. With our sailor's duties for Uncle Sam completed, he returns to work aboard the Norway, Lyman C. Smith, Horace S. Wilkinson, A.E. Nettleton and the Frank R. Denton.

© 2006 Janis Stein