![\"caduceus\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/caduceus-medical-symbol-chrome-11185448-1.jpg\")
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“Bones” got his nickname as youth in California, due to excessively thin physiques he and his twin brother had. Would that we have that problem now. He did an Air Force tour, got out and went to Medical school at the University of Oklahoma. He then had the good sense to join the Navy, which leads nicely to:<\/p>\n
A brand new Lieutenant surgeon at United States Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton in July 1984 I was told on AM rounds by a nice ICU nurse that my summer white working uniform, regardless of the stifling summer heat, required a tee shirt underneath. She said my tattoos were showing through. I raced to my office, went to my gym bag and put on a tee shirt and was back on rounds before anyone knew I was gone. Being prior enlisted, and “the hot fill” for a disabled general surgeon and needed at Camp Pendleton, I took the detailer’s offer and opted out of 6 week “knife and fork school” called Officer Indoctrination School at Newport, R.I. <\/p>\n
I was very interested in learning “what to do, where to do it, how to do it and how to wear it” etc. But the situation seemed rather acute and I wanted to be recognized as a \u201cteam player\u201d.<\/p>\n
I had already clumsily driven past a few USMC gate guards and all the trouble that caused so I was perpetually nervous and appreciated anything anyone offered as far as help or guidance. This was before the Internet so I was relying on my uniform appearance based on officers I saw in the elevator and watching VHS tapes of \u201cWinds of War\u201d where Jan Michael Vincent played a submarine officer, with my rank of Naval Lieutenant.<\/p>\n
At noon I was in the officer’s galley in line amongst a crowd of hundreds. Quite a few were looking at me, smiling, and some even laughing. I was pleased to finally be warmly recognized as a new guy, fresh out of 6 years of surgery training and so nicely welcomed. One fellow from way across the room stood up and gave me a double ‘thumbs up.’ I thought that odd but still reveled in the welcomed attention and acceptance I was feeling. Half way through my meal a civilian worker (likely former military) asked me if I knew that a large sized ‘Mickey Mouse’ was showing through the front of my uniform blouse? Looking down I could not really see it, nor did I try as my bladder jerked in nervous spasms all of a sudden. That AM I had put on a well used work out T shirt I got at Disneyland. A colored \u201cMickey\u201d was showing through my thin summer white uniform. Thus, I now understood why I had hundreds of “new friends” in the galley. I quickly left and only years later learned from some of those there that I was deemed to have nothing less than “leather balls” to pull off such a stunt at the rank of 0-3. <\/p>\n
I was recognized for not showing the least bit of anxiety as I leisurely walked down the aisles with a twelve inch bright colored Mickey Mouse placed on the front of my Navy working uniform. Little did anyone know I was completely oblivious and totally clueless to my situation.<\/p>\n
To end that day I found I had parked in the Chief of Nurse\u2019s parking place. Welcome aboard, Lieutenant.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Nice. Thanks, Bones, a prophetic nickname. As a Leading Petty Officer I saw and corrected numerous uniform violations, but I never saw Mickey’s smiling face on one. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"