That Little White Block

Most of my time working in the hydraulic shop was spent on the night shift for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to be up and awake if there were any unwanted airborne presents in the middle of the night. The other reason, was a desire to do as much flying as possible as a member of a flight crew.

My post flight routine was usually spent helping the crew chief ready his aircraft for the next flight. But, on this one particular recon extract, we came back with a bit more than the usual extra baggage

I was about to complete the policing in the rear of the aircraft,when I spotted a little, white block that was tucked up close to,the wall, under the seat between two fuselage stations. Thepackage that the recons had left for us, of course, was a foot-long stick of C4 plastic explosive, still in its clear wrapper.

My first reaction was of surprise at finding such a potent package just laying there. It's not something you just leave around, I thought to myself.

When I finished with the clean up, I decided to take the package back to the hanger where I would figure out what to do with the it. I stuffed the C4 and my flight gloves into my flight helmet, picked up (grunt! Ugh!) my fifty cal, and headed for the hanger.

Initially, my plan was to turn the package over to someone in operations. The only problem was that I just didn't know who. So,after checking the fifty in, I took the package back to the shop.

There, one of the guys showed me there were other uses for C4 that weren't in the manual. He proceeded to show me what he meant by cutting three small pieces off the end of the block, and then placing each of the pieces in separate c-ration cracker cans that were half full of sand. He then arranged the cans in a triangular pattern and placed an open can of pork & beans in the middle of the arrangement.

He was being very dramatic with all the preparations -- I guess to make sure I would get the full effect. He then lit each piece of C4, and to my amazement, instead of experiencing something explosive, I watched three little, white, hot burners reheating this can of pork & beans.

Now I've thought about that event from time to time in the past thirty years or so and I have to admit that it wasn't profound or earth shattering. But, it wasn't often that something other than going to the e-club for a few, could make me forget, even for a short time, what was going on all around us. And for that I'm very grateful, because its those little things that got me through those down times of my tour.

Semper Fi Marines

Steve Stanick (Cpl, 68-69 Hydraulics Shop)