Swing (Jan-Dec 1945)

Record Details:

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"NIGHTSTICK NAVY" 9 a few hours of liberty, as well as the additional thousands of enlisted men and WAVES on their way to new duty assignments, or to discharge centers. Petty Officers Frank Kuehnell, Charles Wiesenmeyer, and Oliver Hodges are assigned to the four P.M. to midnight watch in Chicago. Their station wagon has a roving assign' ment, and is expected to respond to all radio calls, thus backing up the street patrols and depot details. Following them on their rounds is something more than the Shore Patrol keeping order. It is also the story of servicemen in a big city. Their first stop was a shabby one and a half room apartment on North LaSalle Street, the home of an AWOL sailor — stuffy with too much heat and stale from the odors of cook' ing. The sailor's baby crawled for' ward, chuckling, as the SP's walked in. His wife was pale with shame and fear. "Honest, I don't know where he is," she protested, picking up the baby. "I haven't seen him in two weeks, since he walked out on me. But my girl friend saw him up on Howard Street one night with a woman." Her mouth twisted on the last word. Outside in the street again, Kuehnell whistled in Hodges, who had thoughtfully posted himself at the rear of the building, and predicted, "We'll pick that guy up sooner or later. He'll come back for money, or because he hasn't any other place to go. And in the meanvv^hile, we'll have the Howard Street detail do some checking." "That kid was cute," added Wiesenmeyer. "Too bad his pappy had to pull a dumb stunt like going AWOL." The patrol's next duty was to check bars on the near north side of Chicago, asking for papers or liberty cards. The approach was usually a friendly, "Having any fun, Mac?" In a filthy bar that looked like a set in a George Raft movie, five sailors swigged beer while a midget woman did a strip-tease, surrounded by an assortment of queer bits of humanity. There were other dives, not quite so dirty, where servicemen watched floor shows consisting mostly of precious emcees, dirty jokes, and third rate torch singers. But they also had a good time in clean but crowded spots like the Hotel Sherman's Panther Room, where the Sinatra Set beat time to Jimmy Dorsey's music, or in the downbeat room, where "Hot Lips" Page blasted eardrums and Dorothy Donegan's piano playing started them weaving at their