One day a sailor showed up for duty at HECP. He was not a signalman – so not a member of the fraternity. He had not been requested. He had no special skills. He never fit in. He was a young man, short, pugnacious, loud, opinionated, confrontational, and generally unlikable. He spoke with a noticeable southern accent and treated our Japanese co-workers with absolute contempt. He referred to the Japanese always as Wogs, using that word to their face. To say he was a disruptive element would be an understatement.

We made it clear to him that we lived in a cooperative community and that his racism was not welcome. He responded by becoming even more offensive. As a result, we imposed the silent treatment on him. No one spoke to him or listened to him. It was total ostracism. No crew member violated the rules. Apparently the officers, there were two of them, had a quick conference with the leading petty officer, and the sailor was transferred.

A few days later we got a message from him. It came via a signalman on a troop ship sailing back to the U.S. It was one last sarcastic comment which basically gloated that he was headed back home while we were stuck there with the wogs.