TURNING SASEBO JAPAN INTO HOMETOWN U.S.A.

Phil Carrico

Phil Carrico and Randy Joy – photo taken Sasebo, Japan - 1950

PREFACE: It’s a common thing and understandable when a young guy joins the military service and is far away from home - to eagerly seek out old friends from home. This is my tale about meeting an old friend from home in far away Sasebo, Japan in 1950. We have been home now for well over 50 years, but my old friend passed away a few days ago and his tale is part of my salute or eulogy to his memory.

Now you gotta remember, in the area where I grew up – the success of your hometown’s high school football team was the deciding factor in being able to ask, “Now, who’s the boss”? Once I joined Uncle Sam’s Navy and meeting guys from all over – I found that this scenario is much the same all over the country. Anyway, my Frogman unit was in the business of raiding and blowing up Korean coastal supply routes in the early ‘50’s and many times our jumping off place for raids was Sasebo, Japan – just across the Sea of Japan from Korea.

We steamed into Sasebo one beautiful day and as usual I was on the bow looking for the Destroyer that my best buddy from home was attached to. I didn’t see it at first because the Destroyer was tied up to the dock with a British Frigate tied to her outboard.

After we tied up I got our signalman to flag the Destroyer’s signalman to caution my buddy to put his pants on – “We are going out tonight”. It had been a year and a half since we had seen each other – so it was a happy reunion.

We headed for The Jade Light watering hole – the most used drinking spot for American Sailors in Sasebo. Randy had recently received a newspaper from home and was quick to let me know that our Bobcat football Team was kicking butt and taking names this season. Since both of us had played on the team for a number of years this was the best news yet and we ordered another round, then another and another….

Before long, well into our cups, we decided to write “Bobcat’s Rule” on the mirror behind the bar. Although the management protested we persisted and using colored chalk and big block letters we started the job – actually making a production of it as the hundred or so sailors in the place cheered us on.

We left The Jade Light soon after and went to another bar – then around midnight we started back toward the docks and decided to drop by the Jade Light and have one last drink. We could not believe it when we walked in – now the entire mirror behind the bar was covered with the names of high school mascots from little towns all across the USA.
There was no doubt we had started something – because on succeeding nights we found similar “Mascot” graffiti printed on any flat surface all over the city of Sasebo.

We talked and laughed about this stunt for years – until my buddy crossed the bar a few days ago. Guess this tale is my way of keeping his memory alive.

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