Friday, October 25, 1968
There was a corner area just inside the mess deck which was too small for a table. It was next to the divider (entrance) to the Officer/Staff mess. The triangular space was like a nook, and the unused spot was perfect for a small newsstand.
Reb heard about the incident with the imposed newspaper box hanging in the mess deck, and he took it upon himself to build a “SHARE Center.” It was a handy place to put magazines and hometown newspapers. I donated my TIME magazines, and we passed the word for others to contribute. By the time we opened for lunch there were various comic books, a MAD magazine, and someone had dropped off a Bible.
Top Culverhouse was impressed with the idea and suggested we add a shelf underneath for board games (chess, checkers, etc.). Before dinner Reb added an 8″X11″ calendar to the wall with an X on the days already passed. Large block letters spelled DEROS: Date of expected return from overseas . . . the date all Marines in Vietnam were waiting for.
Leggs wrote his name into the October 29th square; he was really getting “short.”
Next Edition: Bridge Completed
My Vietnam Experience 