Back when I wore a younger man's clothes, the wardrobe for several years was the uniform of the United States Navy. My tour of duty aboard ship included pleasant memories of, “ Liberty Call!” Those brief shore passes to ports of call included San Juan, Puerto Rico and Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, instead of engaging in drunken beach or bar parties, my shipmates and I took the opportunity to visit points of historical interest, sample the local cuisine and beverages, but quietly enjoy the fantastic beaches around both ports. The activities in the waterfront saloons were tempting but a combination of several things kept us out of trouble.
First and foremost was the limit of an enlisted man's pay. Couple that limit with the two foot long Billy Clubs carried by white helmet members of the Shore Patrol and the temptation of those saloons was blunted.
That's not to say everyone on liberty was a boy scout. About 5 % of the ship's crew always staggered back aboard under their own steam or were escorted between two of those white helmets. Serious offenders had to appear at Captain's Mast and could result in loss of pay and extra duty. The really bad actors who committed the worse offenses could end up serving a tour in the Portsmouth Brig in Kittery, Maine. That brig had the dubious nickname of, “Alcatraz of the East.” Worse than the forbidding appearance of Portsmouth was its crew of prison guards who were members of the United States Marine Corps. In case you didn't know, marines (AKA- Jarheads) are dedicated to making a sailor's life miserable when they're base or prison guards. Scuttlebutt had it the Portsmouth crew of guards excelled at this assignment.
In summary, limited financial resources combined with the threat of punishment for bad behavior prevented most sailors from succumbing to their primitive instincts.
Let's fast forward and compare today's Spring Break beach and bar parties with liberty calls in the old 13 button navy. From a grandfather's perspective the most disturbing difference is the coed nature of today's antics.
A few of my shipmates while under the influence acquired monochromatic tattoos, mostly on their arms. Patriotic slogans like, “Death Before Dishonor” or a variety of symbols related to the ship became their eternal reminder of silly behavior.
Today's tattooed party youth include a growing number of gals, unabashedly displaying their technicolor “Tramp Stamps” located anywhere from the nape of their necks down to the crack of their barely covered butts. I have yet to meet a thirty plus year old lady who, like my rogue shipmates, doesn't regret that uninhibited moment of “independence.” It's like a “ pornographic selfie.” Once you hit the send button it's out there forever in the ethos of the internet. Young Lads and Lassies take heed: Think twice before you hit send or stagger into a tattoo parlor.
As I came down the homestretch in my mental comparison of Spring Break to Liberty Call, a positive conclusion hit me right between the eyes. Despite the added temptation of readily available drugs and relaxed social morals, college kids today are as good or better than my lot. We've just, thanks to media over-reporting of negative examples, been focusing on the bad 5% instead of the good 95%. For every pampered out of control college kid, there is a score of the silent majority who are a credit to their parents and society. They just don't get the media coverage.
To all the parents of the 5%, wise up! You're not doing your kid a favor by supplying the resources to promote bad behavior.
To the vast majority of collegians who spent the Spring Break with family, or participated in a community project, a tip of the hat from an old sailor. You're the big winners down the road. Don't forget to thank your parents along the way.
Maybe I'm an optimist but I think the country's still in the very best of hands, at least on campus.
Stratton Schaeffer is a retired consulting engineer and farmer who lives on Joe Hill.