TIME WAS WHEN GOING TO HAWAII WAS IN THE REALM OF FANTASY. ONE COULD ONLY SATISFY SUCH AN URGE BY BUYING A TICKET TO THE LARGO THEATER ON 103rd STREET IN DOWNTOWN WATTS AND SIT THROUGH A BING CROSBY FLICK; NAMELY "WAIKIKI WEDDING". ANOTHER OPTION WAS WATCHING A :"B" MOVIE LIKE A "CHARLIE CHAN MYSTERY". THEN PEARL HARBOR TOOK PLACE, CAUSING MANY OF AMERICA'S FINEST YOUTHS TO PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR UNCLE SAM .

OVERNIGHT, AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS SWELLED THE RANKS OF THE ARMY, MARINES, THE ARMY AIR CORPS, AND THE US NAVY. IN VIEW OF MY SPLENDID PHYSICAL BOD, THE MARINES WERE SURE TO SNATCH ME INTO THEIR RANKS AS A LIGHTWEIGHT, JOHN WAYNE. ALAS, T'WAS NOT TO BE; THE CORPS FIRMLY SHOWED ME THE DOOR AND ORDERED ME NOT TO SLAM IT ON THE WAY OUT.

DOWN THE HALLWAY A COUPLE OF OFFICES HENCE, THE US NAVY WAS MORE LENIENT WITH YOUNG SICKLY AND LOW "I Q" SPECIMENS, AND INVITED ME IN FOR THE PURPOSE OF MOLDING ME INTO A LEAN, MEAN, FIGHTING MACHINE. PICTURE A SUPER, UNFLINCHING, DO-OR-DIE, SWABBIE; IT WAS THE GENT STANDING IN LINE AHEAD OF ME, AND I WAS ALSO ACCEPTED BECAUSE OF BEING LAST IN LINE WHEN THE OFFICE CLOSED FOR THE DAY. THE NAVY ENLISTED ME BY DEFAULT.

FOUR YEARS LATER, INSPITE OF ME, AMERICA WON THE WAR AND MOST OF US WHO SURVIVED WERE MUSTERED OUT AND RETURNED TO CIVILIAN LIFE. MY NAVY TERM OF ENLISTMENT EXTENDED SIX YEARS TO 1948. HAVING TRAINED AS AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHER, THERE WAS STILL A NEED FOR MY SKILLS TO RECORD THE HISTORICAL EXPEDITIONS AND IMPORTANT (ACCORDING TO THE NAVY) ORDNANCE TESTS NECESSARY TO IMPRESS THE WORLD WITH AMERICAN MILITARY LEADERSHIP, AS WELL AS SUPERIOR ARMAMENT.

WHAT STARTED AROUND ON DECEMBER 7th, 1941, CAME BACK AROUND TO THE EARLIER DREAM OF TRAVELING TO HAWAII; NOW BY COURTESY OF UNCLE SAM.

I WAS SHIPPED TO THE MARSHALL ISLANDS WITH A STOP AT A NAVAL BASE ON THE ISLAND OF OAHU. WHILE THERE, OPPORTUNITIES AROSE FOR LIBERTIES DURING THE WEEKENDS TO ROAM THE ISLAND FOR PICTURE-TAKING. ONE SUCH DAY FOUND ME ON THE BEACH AT WAIKIKI WHERE A SPLENDID VIEW OF THE DIAMOND HEAD WAS AVAILABLE. THE YEAR WAS 1946.

IT SURE TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET AROUND TO ONE LITTLE OLD SNAPSHOT.

ENJOY IF YOU WILL; DIAMOND HEAD FROM WAIKIKI. (SEE NEXT PAGE)