The First Okinawa Rock-n-Roll Brigade

Your ol' pal Wiggy was a young Jarhead in Okinawa, Japan in 1983. The USA brought over a strange brew to entertain us - parts of Kansas (the band, not the state), parts of Pablo Cruise, all of Cheap Trick, and the Happy Days TV show cast and crew (minus the Fonz and Ritchie). The Happy Days guys played exhibition baseball - Mrs. C pitched.

No, I'm not kidding, and no, I was not on drugs. This happened.

The bands, or parts thereof, put on a show in the Camp Foster Field House, which was across the street from our barracks. I was an MP (Military Police) at that time, part of the 3rd Force Service Support Group, 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade.

As an MP, it fell to ol' Wiggy (well, young Wiggy back then) to help provide security for the bands. I was not lucky enough to draw escort duty out in town - that would have been cool, I was told they visited music stores and just about bought everything in sight. I did get to provide security for the concert that night in the Field House (read - really big gymnasium).

I got into a fistfight with some body-builder who would not put out his cigarette (it was a wooden building, no smoking). I insisted he put the thing out - he bounced it off my chest, and it was on.

He stood up and I hit him with a straight shot from my nightstick - direct from the holder at my waist to his chin. Turfed him. He sat down like a sack of rocks.

I grinned and prepared to introduce him to my favorite song at the time - 'Five from the Sky'.

Then he rubbed his jaw and got up. Dang.

The monster got a hand full of my cammie blouse and lifted me off the deck. Urp. I wrapped my legs around him and proceeded to climb on his back. I stuck my nightstick under his chin and put the ol' Figure Four on him - usually knocks them out in under ten seconds. Didn't. Seemed to have kinda made him mad.

He tossed ol' Wiggy around like a matchstick - I was clinging to his back and massive neck while he just shook me around like a rag doll - we had to get our own MP bodybuilder, one Corporal Peese, to come out and put the Habeus Grabbus on the dude. My head felt like it was being used as a maracca.

I fell on the floor, shook my head to clear it, then realized that there was no music coming from the bandstand. I looked up.

Cheap Trick had stopped playing. Bun E. Carlos was staring at me and pointing at me with his drumsticks. The whole damned Field House erupted in laughter. I wuz humiliated! I had to go chase down my nightstick, badge, and etc that had gone skittering across the polished wooden floor whilst I was getting my comeupance.

I was humbled but proper. But Bunny came up to me after the show and told me over and over again how much he had enjoyed the show. I asked if he had seen my front tooth. He gave me his number and told me to look him up, but I never did.

Keep Yer Nightstick Shiny,

Wigwam Jones