Memories and mementos of the past transport us. That is, after all, their function. We need our memories to guide us on our way so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Imagine if you didn't remember what you had learned. We keep mementos as reminders of that past. Mementos are moments captured. Some we keep with us all the time, others are tucked away waiting to be rediscovered, be of use once again. I recovered one such memento today.
Like the majority of us today I carry my phone with me. That's something I remember seeing in the Dick Tracy cartoons. Later on, Maxwell Smart on the show Get Smart had one in the heel of his shoe. I had a case that went on my belt. It was a horizontal one and was constantly getting in the way. The clip thing just didn't work out well for me and so I was using it through a belt loop but that restricted the position. Anyway, I decided I wanted a vertical case, preferably good quality leather with a belt loop design. So off to Amazon I go. I found one I was happy with that had a belt loop design, but it had an added feature. It also had a ring on it where you could attach a carbineer clip. Now that sounded great, just what I needed. I ordered that phone case and it arrived promptly. Love that Amazon delivery service.
After receiving that case I did hang it on my belt loop with the included carbineer clip. It worked well as it was free to shift around. As I hung that phone on my belt loop I was reminded of my time in the navy. You see, in the navy you carry your keys on a belt loop with snap hook. Now like a lot of things in the navy it's a whole thing. The new guys will buy a key ring at the store and have maybe one of two keys on it. One for their locker and one for something else, maybe the key to a certain room on the ship. And that's part of the thing, the more keys you have, the more important you are. It's a sort of status symbol. That status can be further enhanced by the snap hook you have.
If you are able to secure a snap hook from the signal shack, convince some skivvy waver to give you one, that added salt to you! They are the real deal. A sure sign of being a real sailor if you had one of those. Official US Navy snap rings are a prized possession in the hierarchy of old sailors. If you could add a P-38, better known as a John Wayne opener to that ring so much the better. I lifted mine from a life raft on board. You can't just buy any of those things in the ships store! I managed to acquire one of those from the first ship I was assigned, the USS Pawcatuck AO-108. I stepped aboard her in 1972, a boot, a pollywog, and a target. You have to earn you way to being one of the guys. Having endured the frequent hazing rituals associated with my first cruise I got a bit salty. I still have that clip, wrapped now with some shot line I managed to get from a deck ape. Another sign of saltiness. I carried that key ring that gradually grew larger and larger with the number of keys. I was, the man, on my last ship, the man with the keys! The keys gave you that access to those restricted spaces.
That snap hook has crossed the artic circle, the equator and passed through the Suez Canal and transited the straits of Hormuz during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, I used it my entire naval career and while employed as a civilian afterwards, still carrying the keys. But at some point, I don't really remember when or why I no longer used it. I put it away in a drawer in my bedroom, a memento, something to save for some reason. Often, we are not aware of that at the time, it's just something we sit aside.
I was reminded of it when I hung that phone on my beltloop. I went and found it, attached my phone case to it and hung on my side. Now I may not have the keys anymore, but I have access to all the information in the world! I can call anyone, at anytime, from almost anywhere. Something I would gladly have relinquished those keys for back in the day. There was no internet, no cell phones, none of that while I was in the Navy. None of that came along until ten years after I retired!
I suspect the holder of the keys is still a big deal onboard ship. I suspect that tradition is still holding on. Today the guys on ship wear fatigues instead of bell-bottomed dungarees. In my day those jeans had to be faded just the right amount but not too much. That was accomplished by us old salts by dragging them behind the ship for a few hours, it sure did fade and soften those pants. Yes, that was another whole thing, having the right look. Your coffee cup was another. I have the one from my last command, the handle broken off and a chip in the rim but serviceable, another memento.
A good deal of this was influenced by whatever rating you carried. I was a Machinist Mate, a snipe, an engineer. We didn't get up to the signal shack often, that was high up by the bridge, the domain of deck apes and twidgets. Getting to know them and having them gift you a snap ring wasn't easy. The Navy is a very cliquey place, especially on-board ship. But as a Machinist Mate I had access to these spaces for engineering reasons, like, their heat isn't working, or some other mechanical thing needed fixing. Skivvy wavers and twidgets wouldn't know anything about that. If you were in A division, the A standing for auxiliaries, meaning anything mechanical outside of the engine room, you did interact with those other groups on ship and make friends. Mostly you made deals with them. They wanted something from you, and you wanted something in return. I was in A- division on several ships and in the main engine room as well. Yeah, the engineers run the show and all the others are there to support us. We have the key to the ship you know. I have had a deck ape come down to the engine room and ask for that key. The OD sent him. The OD is the Officer of the Deck. Pretty funny stuff. What they would call hazing today, probably not allowed anymore. And yes, we had a key to give him. LOL
A little thing with a lot of memories.
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