"Cherry Boy" 3D.gif

*A rare, signed, higher resolution and non-watermarked version of this image is available for download at: https://creary.net/digitalart/@jaichai/cherry-boy-in-the-philippines-of-the-80-s

(Circa the early 1980's)

There I was on the USS America, CV-66; one of three Kitty Hawk Class Super Carriers and decommissioned in 1996.

I was on temporary duty serving as the medical support for VS-32, an Air Anti-Submarine Squadron flying S-3 Viking aircraft.

As usual, I and all other non-ship's company medics were absorbed by the Medical Department of the Super Carrier and "enjoyed" all the duties and privileges of the ship's company medics (Hospital Corpsmen).

This included being eligible for accompanying patients on off-going medevacs ashore; rendering emergency care as needed until reaching the designated medical facility where the patient could receive definitive medical care.

For the lucky Corpsman, it meant a week or two onshore, copious alcohol, additional pay (per diem expenses), souvenir shopping and depending on the final destination, lots of exotic babes!

Nobody really knew how the medevac Corpsman were chosen.

Sometimes it looked random, like a lottery.

Other times, it appeared sequential; that is, by the order of listed names.

On some occasions, a Corpsman with a certain specialty (e.g., advanced combat surgery, respiratory therapy, infectious disease control, etc.) was chosen.

I never speculated on such matters 'cause unlike the rest, the thought of a mission that included a critical patient to keep alive, a harrowing catapult shot off the carrier and a reception at a US Medical Facility on foreign shores DID NOT get me in the least bit excited.

Besides, the carrier was doing a West-Pac cruise; meaning: any exotic babes in this part of the world would be Asian - either Thai, Indonesian or Filipina.

Now don't get me wrong. At 18 y/o, I wasn't a sexual racist.

But, although my obvious ethnicity is Asian, I grew up as a spoiled rich kid in the United States.

Hell, I didn't even realize that I wasn't a white guy until I was in elementary school...

My first crush (a s-w-e-e-t girl whose family recently emigrated from Russia) and I were on the playground and happily competing on how high we could go on the swings.

Suddenly, her father came to pick her up for an appointment at the US Embassy.

He was furious at her for socializing with "a poor, dirty, brown Asian monkey" and ordered her to stay away from me forever.

At 59+ y/o, I still remember that incident and her name.

It was "Leishia" plus an obviously non-descript "American" last name.

She transferred to another school two days later and I never saw her again.

Later in High School, my girlfriend was a blond-haired, blue-eyed exchange student from Sweden.

With me at 5' 6", brown skin and wavy, jet black hair and her at 5' 8", ivory glowing skin and long, sandy blond hair, we were aptly named as "The Delicious Ice Cream Sundae Couple" at our Junior/Senior prom.

Shortly thereafter, I ran away from home, dropped out of High School and lived on the streets of southern Florida until I enlisted in the military at 17 y/o.

But that's another story.

Suffice it to say that contrary to the USS America's medical department medical personnel (plus the other 5,000 servicemen on the USS America), being chosen for the next medevac to the Air Force Hospital on Clark AFB, Angeles city, Philippines, was NOT on my personal bucket list.

Then...

Because I saved a dumb "Grape Ape", a "Purple Shirt" flight deck jet refueler, from being sucked up into a jet's intake, I was "awarded" the privilege of accompanying a patient on the next medevac to Angeles AFB Hospital, Philippines.

I wanted to refuse the honor and told the senior enlisted of the medical department, a Senior Chief SEAL, to pick the next person on the list.

But...

Word travels faster than the speed of light on a ship, even on a huge ship like a supercarrier.

Everyone already knew that I was the next medevac Corpsman and the Cat-Shot scheduled asap.

People speculated on the "why" I was going.

Some thought it was a genuine reward for superlative performance (i.e., the Grape Ape save).

But I saw another, devious and perverted angle: "Cherry Boy Initiation" and better yet, a "Young early high-ranking Asian Cherry Boy!"

You see, through no fault of my own, I had a reputation of being a "Golden Boy, Hot Shot".

For many, I was too young to be an E-4, too baby-faced to be a Marine Jumper/Diver/Shooter type and most of all, too Asian looking to pass up an opportunity to meet "real, hot Asian women" - not those born and raised in the States, but Asian women who knew all the military ranks of visiting sailors, soldiers and marines better than most people on active duty!

The HMCS told me, "Son, I can't let you decline this mission. It would diminish the 'Medevac Opportunity Value' amongst the troops.

Then I would lose a morale-booster card from my personal deck of enlisted motivators.

Besides, you've always been wouned-up too tight.

You really deserve this mission to "decompress" - so to speak, he said, smiling from ear to ear.

Just keep your patient alive, transfer your patient to the accepting duty medical officer, go ashore and enjoy being a barely 18 y/o, Petty Officer 3rd Class, hard-charging Marine Corpsman with a boyish face and an Olympic athlete's physique.

Believe me, compared to their normal array of fat, permanent shore duty Air Force guys and old, visiting, career E4 and below sailors, the local women are going to fight over you!

After viewing his personal scrapbook, a vividly graphic chronicle of liberty ashore in the Philippines, I quickly acquiesced.

I remember saying, "No shit, really, only five bucks?!"

Then the Senior Chief SEAL said, "I have cleared this mission with your Commanding Officer at VS-32.

And he agrees with me, saying, 'Doc doesn't know what he's really got - naturally.

He could easily be any Asian military's poster boy.

And considering the current political climate, I'm just glad he's on our side.

Just make sure I get him back in one piece and still sane.

I can only imagine what the local population (aka Filipinas) will do to him as he is ’contributing to the local economy’ - the lucky bastard!

Am I clear, Senior?'

"Crystal, Sir," he said...

[If popular, this saga will be continued.]

May you and yours be well and loving life today.

In Lak'ech, JaiChai

(JaiChai 10 May 2022. Simultaneous multi-site submissions posted. All rights reserved.)