1954 - Life with IBM

At the next exam time I again took the exam and passed with no problems and I got my promotion. In trying to get my officers to support me (re: the failed test) I stepped on some toes and there was a chance to dump me from my current ship to the LST 525 that was going to be sent to Taiwan and given to the Taiwanese navy. I would be the only ET on the ship. It was a negative move but it turned out to be positive for me later in the year. Our ship was being cleaned up and minor repairs were being made for the long trip to Taiwan. It was scheduled to depart in January 1955. I quickly found out that because I was due for a discharge in January I would not be on the voyage. I was very relieved because riding in an empty LST across the Pacific would have been a terrible trip. My buddies on the ARL 21 (my old ship) were really teasing me about the move. However, the LST 525 only did some local maneuvers and returned in the evenings while the ARL 21 took several long cruises. Each time they untied the lines I went to the pier and waved goodbye and I was there to welcome them back. As you can imagine, there was some unprintable communication between us. The major task that I was given was to inventory and replenish the electronic supplies for the long voyage that was ahead. This was in the latter part of October. As I settled into my new responsibilities I found that the ET portion of the ship had not been properly maintained and there was a lot to do. Most of the major work was to determine what was needed for the upcoming voyage. Repair what was needed and provide a complete inventory to obtain and stock all of the necessary items for the long upcoming voyage. Having been actively involved in obtaining parts from the main parts depots during my prior assignment, I knew how to beat the bureaucratic system. Normally it would take 6 weeks from order to delivery. I had found that if you went to the facility with a signed parts order, all it took was to walk the order from desk to desk obtaining the necessary signatures and then taking it to the warehouse. This had worked well in the past and I knew that it would continue to be successful for this assignment.

I talked my division officer into allowing me to leave the ship for my discharge as soon as I had the job done. He was a good man and he knew that I had a challenge ahead of me. I described my plans and assured him that I would meet his specs and if I did, could get an early 6 weeks release from the Navy. He was impressed with my challenge and agreed even though he thought it could not be done in that time. I worked hard during the day and brought some of the files home at night. Both Joan and I filled out the inventory records and order blanks. I walked the parts orders through the parts depot and we had the job complete and inspected before the Thanksgiving weekend. The Officer was true to his word and said I could transfer to the processing center. As it turned out, my ship was tied alongside my old ship and I had to walk across it to go ashore. I made the most of my departure as I walked through the work space and said goodbye. I was able to be discharged almost two months early and we were back in Wisconsin by the end of November. By Thanksgiving we were discharged from the Navy and it was time to head to Janesville to get our civilian life going. When we moved from Norfolk we decided that the Plymouth would be able to tow the 36 foot trailer. I installed a hitch and with no towing experience we drove away. It worked quite well until we blew a tire as we came into Petersburg. I went to a nearby garage for help and they told me that they would have to install a new tire. We were stranded in front of a restaurant blocking the entrance. The manager was very upset and called the police. They were very helpful and finally we were fixed and continued on our way. When we arrived in Richmond we decided to stop in a trailer park for the night. I had some difficulty when backing the trailer into a spot and the clutch began to overheat. We spent the night and the next morning made the decision that the car was very underpowered for the job. Even though we were able to tow it to Richmond, we decided that it was not a good idea to continue. We made the decision to have the trailer towed to Wisconsin. We then contacted Morgan Drive Away and they took the trailer in tow. We thought that would be the end of our problems, but when we reached the Breezewood exit for the Pennsylvania Turnpike we found the trailer stuck on an icy hill. I had a shovel in the car and the driver and I scraped gravel from the side of the road and threw it under the tractor wheels to get enough traction to allow it to continue. When the trailer arrived in Janesville the driver told us that he had 5 flat tires in route. My story does not end with these prior words. When I knew that I was leaving the Navy, I looked around for opportunities that could use my skills. In the process I heard that IBM was looking for ex-servicemen with ET skills. I contacted the branch office in Norfolk and was told that if I did not plan on working there I should go to my location of choice for an interview. After we had settled in Janesville in the Osterhus house on Gartland Avenue, I contacted the Milwaukee branch office and scheduled an interview in the early part of December. Mom and I drove from Janesville and there were some signs of snow. After the interview we went to Bond's Men's Clothing store to buy me a suit. The suit had to be tailored and they were able to do it that day, so we went shopping and waited. While we waited the snow continued. After picking up the suit we headed home and quickly decided that we would need to stop and put on the tire chains. After we got onto County Trunk A

we were glad that the chains were on. The roads were covered completely and you could not tell where the ditches on either side were located except by looking for the mailboxes and trying to stay between them. The yard lights at the farms were on and that was a help. When another car approached we would both cautiously move to the side, and as soon as we passed we would pick up the other tracks and we were sure that we would be safe until the tracks filled in again. I went to work at a TV repair shop while we waited for an answer from IBM. In the beginning of January I received notice that I was hired and I was to report to work on January 17.