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USO shows were legendary. Big name stars, top quality entertainers - and girls!
After two years in the army the 801st had never gotten within a thousand miles of a USO show. But finally, halfway through their slow voyage across the Pacific, they caught up with one. A star-studded show was scheduled for the afternoon of the day they were scheduled to go ashore on one of the several islands they touched at on the way.
The only problem was, dad and his buddy were in the morning liberty party. Half the ship was to go in the morning and half in the afternoon, and dad and his buddy were in the wrong half.
No problem! They would just stay and go back to the ship with the afternoon group. They were only two guys, and wouldn’t be missed either way.
This might have been a good plan but for three things. A typhoon was moving in, so they cancelled the USO show. They also cancelled the afternoon liberty due to the dangerously rising seas. And a few hundred men from the morning group all had the same idea that “they won’t miss just a couple of us” and stayed to sneak back with the afternoon group.
A landing boat had to be sent in the dangerous waters to pick up the strayed men. It swamped on the final trip back, almost drowning the entire load.
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