[TPIN] Military Bands - a new thread?

[Allegro69]

I remember those refuelings and the highline bit. While it's one thing to
witness, it's another thing altogether to 'cross over' in one of those
cages. On one occasion, the entire band was highlined over to a destroyer
bound for Tunisia where we were assigned to do a tour. Since our ship the
USS Columbus wasn't going that way, we hitched a ride on the 'can' that was
going to Tunisia. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant 'crossing'. Since
the cage was a two person rig, the first to cross over was our band master
and the Chaplain. Both got sick as dogs half way across since the sea was a
bit heavy that day. It's OK when the line is taught, but when either of the
ships pitched and rolled, there was a sudden drop followed by an equally
sudden bounce up. Rather I ride on a roller coaster than ever do the
highline thing again. 8-)

On another occasion while on the Med Sea, we had to hitch a ride on a
destroyer bound for (I forget where). This time, we went by chopper which
would be OK. But again the sea was rough where the chopper couldn't touch
down on the can. So guess what? We and all of our gear had to be lowered to
the ship from the chopper by cable. Most thrilling indeed, swinging back and
forth like a clock pendulum! It's truly amazing what a small world it is
where on board the can, there was a sailor on deck to grab hold and unhook
the person that was lowered. Usually, the first question that sailors ask
each other is 'Where are you from?' When the swabbo asked me, I told him
Massachusetts. He told me he was also from Mass followed by 'What town?' All
kinds of bells and whistles went off when I told him 'Walpole'. As it turned
out, the swabbo and I were classmates all thru our school days. Just as I
went on to work for the Post Office after I was discharged, he went to work
for the PO in Walpole where he was my mailman at home. To this day, we talk
about that episode that happened thousands of miles away from Walpole.

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SNIPPED
Anyway, after "graduating" from there I was stationed in Newport, R.I. in
1968 - 1969 and did my lone sea duty assignment on a Meditteranean cruise on
the Forrestal (carrier) and Columbus (heavy missle cruiser). Did you know
that when destroyers are refueled out at sea they "highline" a fuel line
from one of the larger ships to the smaller ship? Then the band stands on
the deck of one of the ships involved and plays little march sized ditties
for the amusement of the crew on the other??? The ditty I remember as being
particularly annoying was a march sized arrangement of Batman, but there
weren't too many "pearls" in that book of arrangements... Interestingly
enough, after asking some of the crew on the destroyer if they liked what
they were hearing, found out they couldn't hear a note of what we played (as
I had suspected all along)! :-)