I remember feeling pretty isolated out in Diego Garcia, when this comedy group came over from the states, to try and beef up moral for the U.S. Navy there. It took place in some enlisted club, where everyone would hang out, with huge tv screens and nothing but beer (San Miguel) being passed around all over the huge establishment. The comedy group sang, danced, acted goofy and all that but one of their things was to have everyone in the audience write something in a slip of paper, and the comedians would place them all in a hat. Then in the middle of a comedy skit, they would finish off their skit by pulling out what was written in the slips of paper out of the hat. That would be like the punchline to finish the comedy skit or whatever.
So they begin their skit, and suddenly they grab a slip of paper, first thing they read....."DIEGO GARCIA SUCKS" Of course, everyone laughed at that one and totally agreed too.
Wow, it made me note right then in there that though I heard this phrase a hundred times a day, even the U.S. Navy out there was letting everyone know too that they were not happy out there in that isolated duty station. Just when I thought everyone was having a great time in this comedy show, deep inside, the real thinking was when would be the time when everyone did their time there would get to finally go home. That was reassured after the following slips in the hat were read. It all lead to ill feelings about this place out in the Chagos in the I.O. I think combat in Vietnam would have been more exciting than that dreary isolation and boredom in paradise.
Bookmarks