Hi Lou,

I graduated from Photo A School in early July 1958, and received orders to report to the Photo Lab at Port Lyautey, with one of my class mates named Schroder.  But shortly after receiving the orders and before leaving the base I ran into a little trouble on a barracks security watch, not being alert for the four hours, and wound up in the brig.  My orders were canceled and new orders were issued sending me to the USS Wasp which was on her way to Lebanon to join the UN mission sent there to protect the incumbent government. I started my trip from Quonset Point, RI, to Norfolk, boarded a Flying Tiger Airline plane and with stops at Bermuda, and the Azores, we landed at Port Lyautey.  Our group was put in a transit unit and taken to the mess hall for lunch.  As I started down the serving line the first server saw my stripes with the Photo designator, and asked me if my name was O’Brien, when I said yes he called to the back of the kitchen, calling Schroder, he came out smiling and jumping like a kid on Christmas morning spotting his new bike under the tree.  He threw his white kitchen hat on my tray and was taking his apron off, while he told me that I was his relief, the chief at the lab told him that he would have to take the mess cook job till I arrived after my brig time was up then it would be my assignment.  I told him not so fast “I am just passing through, I’m on my way to the Wasp”, I’ll never forget the look on his face, He was shattered.  We went to the EM club that night and spent a few hours talking about happier times in school. The next day I drew a fence detail cleaning around the fence, and the next day I got on one of the VR-24 Planes and flew to Naples.  I only spent 3 days at Port Lyautey but I have always thought of it as one of my main stops in life.  I joined the Navy to go to sea and especially on a carrier, so actually the cancelling of my orders was more to what I really wanted, but if I had to get shore duty I would have loved to be part of the Port Lyautey family.