by Jim Ruel
Corky was a baseball player. He was officially assigned to one of our shops but only the CO. knew which one. He was on Burtonwood for one reason and that was to play baseball on the base team. He spent his time in the gym or, with weather permitting, on the ball diamond.
He was also fond of girls and was engaged to a beautiful, blond English lass. The wedding was to be in the base chapel with one of the chaplains doing the honors. All his friends and her relations would be present.
On our site there were several empty huts. There was generally a poker game in progress in one or more of them. The games went on endlessly, along about payday, and there were generally several players and several onlookers. The furnishings were spartan. A couple of old nailkegs or boxes to sit on with a piece of plywood for a table. A single, naked, bulb provided the light. The huts were rotated often because the air police raided them occasionally.
One Saturday afternoon, just a week before the wedding, corky wandered in to watch the proceedings. He pulled up a nearby box to sit on. In a little while” the joint was raided” . The players were all cited and corky was too because the box he was sitting on was a box of butter stolen from the mess hall
The CO was required to punish corky for this infraction. The least he could give him was thirty days restriction to the base. No problem as the wedding was to be on base anyway and everything proceeded as planned.
Corky had arranged with his hut mates to have the hut all to himself. They all agreed to stay in town or sleep in another hut on Saturday night. The only snag would be bed check.
The wedding went off as planned. The wine flowed and the music played. A right proper affair for the young couple. The party lasted until about nine o’clock and then the couple repaired to the hut.
Corky gave his young bride clear instructions about bed check. She was to remain hidden and quiet until after bed check and then corky would give her the signal. She was not to come out or make any noise until he did. The girl was frightened but would do as she was told.
Corky prepared a place, behind the clothes in the rack, for her to wait. he then lay down on the bunk to await the bed check. the long day and the wine had their effect and corky drifted off to sleep.
As the first light filtered into the hut corky awoke. He yawned and scratched and then suddenly remembered his bride. He leaped out of bed and pulled back the curtains to be greeted by a very disturbed young lady with a very black look on her face he heard say just one thing. “you SOB.”.
