Another Prisoner Chasing Tale

Back when the Nikes were being used to protect all major cities and sensitive installations, I was a Radar Repair Man. I was sent to a new start up unit in Nebraska to take care of the Radars at Nike installations around Lincoln & Omaha.

When I arrived our permanent buildings were not ready yet so we were billeted in an old ordnance plant located out in the middle of an alfalfa field near Wahoo, Nebraska.

One day the Officer in charge of our unit called me in and gave me a military 45 side arm that I had never fired let alone qualified with. Then he posted me at the door of a room where a military courts martial was taking place. He gave me instructions that I would be given a prisoner to take to the stockade over at Offitt Air Force Base (I know my spelling is not good).

The prisoner was formerly a Sergent and was well known by everyone because he owed money to just about everyone including me. The Capt. told me to take him to an HFC office in Omaha so he could pick up some money on a loan he had applied for. I was to bring the money back so the Capt. could pay everyone the prisoner owed money to.

So I strapped on the 45 and took the paper work and prisoner and drove to the HFC office. After he receive his loan and gave me the money I asked how he felt, he said he would like to have a shot of whiskey before going to the stockade. So I drove to a bar, took the gun belt off and rolled the gun up and stuck it under the seat and went into the bar with the prisoner. He had at least 3 shots of whiskey and then was ready to go.

Taking him in and turning him over to the Air Force MP's was very difficult for me. They treated him like dirt, I had to get the paper work signed and get out of there before I went to war with them. Mercy!