Woody Morrison: Changed His Mind

Dr. Morrison posts regularly on the Tlingit and Haida peoples of Alaska Facebook page and you, of course, should follow them [here].

Good Evening. Another good day... we wrapped up the workshop on Indigenous Fathers. It was an excellent workshop: one of the areas covered was the benefit of having fathers involved in the lives of their children... the family.

Right now here is a story that might be termed a "Family Story“.
The man in the following story was my late Clan Brother. We were both of the Two-Headed Eagle Clan and, had a lot of fun together.
Ḵáawan Sangáa

Changed His Mind

by Woody Ḵáawan Sangáa

In 1962 I was a Radio & Television student and Haskell Institute (Bureau of Indian Affairs Post High School at Lawrence, Kansas. Also some high school students.) during the Cuban Missile Crisis... nearly had WWIII. I turned 21 that year and knew I was probably going to get Drafted into the US Army. I decided to “dodge” the draft. On the first week of Feb. 1963 my clan brother, Willis Bell Jr. (nick-name – Dumbo) and I caught a Grey Hound Bus to Topeka, Kansas to the see a Recruiter.

There were two offices right next to one another: one was the US Marine Corps., and the other was the US Navy: there was no one in the Marine Recruiting Office (must have spotted me coming) so we went into the Navy office.
The Recruiter had us fill out forms then told us we would have to go to Kansas City, Missouri to the Induction Center. He gave us Bus Tickets or Chits, I don't remember which and when we should report in there. We went back to Haskell, I told my girlfriend what we were doing. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea.

Then on February 15, 1963 we boarded another Grey Hound Bus for Kansas City. Upon arrival we went to the address given us. More paperwork. We were going to Enlist on the Buddy Plan – that meant that we would get to serve together. Dumbo stepped out, saying, “I'll be right back Partner.”, and he was gone. The rest of us Enlistees were shepherded into another room where we were sworn in... took an oath to Defend and Protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

When I left that room I spotted Dumbo with his little (AWOL Bag – Satchel) heading for the front door. I called to him. “Hey, Dumbo, where are you going?” He looked over his shoulder and called back to me, “I changed my mind”.
I started yelling at him, he came back and told me, “I am still serving in the Army National Guard and can't join any other branch until I first get a Discharge. (I got my discharge from the Guard in 1959). He disappeared out the door.

I was the oldest of the new Enlistees so I was given my own and all their Orders. We were to catch a train to Los Angeles, California then transfer to a Military Bus. Our train wasn't leaving for 4 or 5 hours.

I wandered around then stopped into a small bar. Inside was a horseshoe – shaped bar and behind it was a 16mm movie projector and a small movie screen. The movies were all comedy. In one, a guy walked into a restaurant or saloon, counted his change, then ordered One Meatball.

The waiter brought him his order and a knife and fork. The customer sat looking at his meatball then called to the waiter, “Can I have a slice of bread?” The waiter walked up to his table and started sing a song... “You get no bread with only one meatball.”

Later there was one where a guy sat down in a small eatery and ordered Bacon and Eggs. The Waiter asked how he wanted his eggs cooked and he answered, “One cooked on one side and the other one cooked on the other side.” The Waiter hurried into the kitchen and told the cook what the customer ordered... “Two eggs, one cooked on one side and the other cooked on the other side.”

The cook stared at him non-noncommittally then asked, “Did you ask him how to do it?” When the waiter answered, “No.” and got his face slapped.

Any ideas on how to do it?