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Briefcase and Me
Totally Off Topic for RAM, posted there out of habit
Briefcase and Me I first met Briefcase in 1969. I was a new Ensign, assigned as Disbursing Officer on a new ship being constructed in New Orleans. We were set up in dingy offices on a rickety old pier on the West Bank, hosted by the Eighth Naval District. Part of the pre commissioning crew's job was to set up the mundane bureaucracy of a warship, which naturally included stocking up on office supplies. One fine morning, I boarded the Navy shuttle boat heading west over to the Supply Center on the East Bank of the big river. After loading up on black ball point pens, legal pads and wheel books, I noticed Briefcase sitting on a counter off to one side. Briefcase was more utilitarian than flashy, but looked just the right size to hold bundles of twenty dollar bills. I guess it was just the luck of the draw that Briefcase went to sea instead of carrying leases and contracts around Louisiana. We were pretty close from the beginning. Briefcase went home with me in the afternoons sometimes, and got to know my family. Of course, he was crew, not a dependent. When the ship was ready to go, my family drove to Charleston, but Briefcase and I rode the ship around. I got pretty sea sick on that first trip, but Briefcase didn't seem to mind. After we were operating, Briefcase and I worked closely together every two weeks. We'd hit the crew's lounge and the wardroom, then head up to the bridge to take care of the watch team. On deck, I always had a paranoid fear of tripping over a scuttle and dropping Briefcase over the side. I guess Briefcase had a bit of fear as well, since I never got any complaints about my steely grip which must have left my fingerprints imbedded in his handle. We also made some road trips to various banks, taking along my DK and Mr. .45 pistol. Briefcase and .45 had a bit of a friendly rivalry going, but everybody knew who was the real star of the show. On one long cruise, I felt short of cash and made a replenishment visit to an AO that was visiting the same port. Briefcase and I made that trip alone, since taking the other two would have been a bit ostentatious. I had to caution Briefcase not to act snotty about being an exalted Tin Can Sailor. After all, the Chop on that ship was doing us a favor, and we shouldn't put on airs. On one occasion, Briefcase and I had to stay behind for some errand while our ship went out, then ride another ship the next day to meet up and get highlined over. As I was getting strapped into the bosun's chair, I realized, as a plankowner, that my crew had never done such a transfer before. I was going to be the guinea pig! But everything went fine. Talking to the crew afterwards, I realized that they had been more concerned with Briefcase than me. They had assumed I was bringing payroll with me. If they had realized that Briefcase only held some car magazines and extra skivvies, I might still be swimming. Later on, Briefcase and I began to grow apart. The bank in Mayport was understaffed, and only allowed Disbursing Officers to pick up cash on Tuesdays at 1400. This regularity made me feel a bit conspicuous and therefore vulnerable. I adopted a new procedure, leaving Briefcase, my DK and Mr. .45 in the office. I would go alone, cash my check, stuff $30,000 in Mr, Extreme Foul Weather Jacket With Zippered Pockets, and try to look nonchalant as I made my way back to the ship. Things got worse when my active duty time was almost up, and I was just running out the clock. I didn't appreciate well enough that Briefcase was on an indefinite enlistment. I'm sure that when my relief arrived I introduced them properly, but I was far too concerned with my own future to properly express my gratitude for our time together. It's been over thirty years now, and that ship has lived its life and gone on to the scrap yard. I often wonder what become of Briefcase. I hope he didn't wind up in a Dumpster, but got finally tossed over the side on purpose, with appropriate ceremony. He would have liked it that way. Bob McKellar |
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DK?
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Leadfoot wrote: DK? Navy rate designation for Disbursing Clerk - Enlisted guy who did all the work for the Disbursing officer ( and tried to keep him out of trouble ). Bob |
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"Leadfoot" wrote:
K? Dispersing Clerk. |
#5
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In ,
Fred J. McCall radiated into the WorldWideWait: "Leadfoot" wrote: DK? Dispersing Clerk. aHEM... *Disbursing* ... tsk, tsk |
#6
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"Duke of URL" macbenahATkdsiDOTnet wrote:
:In , :Fred J. McCall radiated into the :WorldWideWait: : "Leadfoot" wrote: : : DK? : : Dispersing Clerk. : :aHEM... *Disbursing* ... tsk, tsk That depends on whether he has the money on payday or not. :-) |
#7
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In ,
Fred J. McCall radiated into the WorldWideWait: "Duke of URL" macbenahATkdsiDOTnet wrote: In , Fred J. McCall radiated into the WorldWideWait: "Leadfoot" wrote: DK? Dispersing Clerk. aHEM... *Disbursing* ... tsk, tsk That depends on whether he has the money on payday or not. :-) If he doesn't, he's a Defalcating Clerk. |
#8
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Fred J. McCall wrote:
"Duke of URL" macbenahATkdsiDOTnet wrote: :In , :Fred J. McCall radiated into the :WorldWideWait: : "Leadfoot" wrote: : : DK? : : Dispersing Clerk. : :aHEM... *Disbursing* ... tsk, tsk That depends on whether he has the money on payday or not. :-) Yep...if he doesn't disburse then they'll disperse him... -- -Gord. |
#9
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Duke of URL wrote:
In , Fred J. McCall radiated into the WorldWideWait: "Leadfoot" wrote: DK? Dispersing Clerk. aHEM... *Disbursing* ... tsk, tsk Fred didn't have to be able to spell that one, he didn't write the personnel evaluation report on him; that was Bob's job. -- Andrew Chaplin SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO (If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.) |
#10
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Andrew Chaplin wrote: Duke of URL wrote: In , Fred J. McCall radiated into the WorldWideWait: "Leadfoot" wrote: DK? Dispersing Clerk. aHEM... *Disbursing* ... tsk, tsk Fred didn't have to be able to spell that one, he didn't write the personnel evaluation report on him; that was Bob's job. -- Andrew Chaplin SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO (If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.) Actually, for the DK I had for most of my tour, I could write a whole series of news group posts. He was quite entertaining ( as well as an excellent DK ). Bob |
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