Lost in Time

A Navy Captain took over as the Commanding Officer of Naval Station, Pearl Harbor on a Friday

The following Monday, the Captain decided to take a walking tour of his new base.

When he emerged from his office, he noticed two sailors that appeared to be ‘guarding' a bench in front of the building.

The Captain walked over to the two sailors and asked them why they were ‘guarding' the bench

One of the sailors answered…"We don’t know, sir. The previous Commanding Officer told us to, so we are guarding it! We believe it’s some sort of base tradition.”

The Captain, a little puzzled, went back to his office to call his predecessor to ask him why he wanted sailors to guard this particular bench.

The previous Captain stated over the phone…"I don’t know. The previous Captain had sailors guarding the bench… so I kept up the tradition.”

The Captain, more confused than ever about this ‘tradition', did some research.

The Captain went back another four Commanding Officers whereby he found a now 100 year old retired Admiral.

The Captain called the Admiral and asked him…"Excuse me, sir. I am Captain Kennedy, the Commanding Officer of Naval Station Pearl Harbor. There’s two sailors assigned to ‘guard' a bench outside my office. I heard you started this tradition…can you tell me why, sir?”

There was a long pause…then the Admiral slowly said…"What? Is the paint still wet ! ?”


And that, my friends, is how traditions gets started!

True story

a Friend of mine was starting as CO of a RAN base. first female CO so it was a big deal.

I rang on the first day ( landlines in those days) and a Rating answered and said "Ma'am is off doing rounds with the officers, can I take a take a message?"



so I said.. sure.. tell her "Mr xxxx from the Russian Embassy rang and offered his congratulations!"

Apparently the Rating dropped the phone ran half way across the Base saluted 10 times and said I have a message..

Ma'am turned and looked down at the Rating .. yes spit it out.

"Mr xxx from the Russian embassy rang and congratulated you on your first day .!"

to which she said "Mr xxx is bloody Tom, and no more Russian than you or I!"

and turned and left

I believe the tradition carried on

she rang me later that day.. "should have seen the faces on the officers!"

A colleague, bachelor, was being transferred from Sydney to our Albury office. He was due to start there on his birthday, which was the same as mine. I arranged for as many women from various offices to call the switchboard at Albury, early in the day before he would have arrived, to leave happy birthday messages. When he arrived, he had a well-established but totally undeserved reputation as a ladies' man.