Name: Melvyn Lynn Davis

Place of Birth: Dallas, TX

Place of Recruitment: Dallas,TX

Branch of Service: U. S. Navy

Class: 3rd Class Petty Officer

Military Occupation: Boot Camp San Diego, California
Service at Camp Pendleton, California at U.S. Naval Hospital
Marine Corp Base Oceanside, California

Service History, Stateside or Abroad:
While stationed at the U. S. Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton Oceanside, California I had an interesting experience. One of my duties was as a Psychiatric Technician on a locked Psychiatric ward. Locked because the patient's had problems they weren't able to handle themselves and required Supervision. When we received a patient from other than Navy or Marine Corp they would be treated by doctor's but only until we could transfer them to their closest Military Hospital which in this case was Letterman Army Hospital that required a military flight. It took about 3 weeks to set things up. We were advised a general was flying in and that we would be able to, in this case put her, on the General's plane for the flight back. Yes this was a female Corporal 4'11" tall, but with some problems. We will call her G.I. Jane.

So two days later, the morning the General was to arrive, standard procedure is to give the patient a pill to relax them, with their normal medications. Then at plane time, put them in hand and ankle restraints on a stretcher, wrap them in a sheet and blanket and put them in a ambulance. No big deal, we had done this several times before. We got to the airfield on the base about 1/2 hour early. G.I. Jane seemed to be resting comfortably so since I was in back with her and was a smoker during part of my life, I got out of the back and went up front to stand by the driver's door to have a cigarette. In about 15 minutes we got word over the radio that the General's plane was circling for the approach.

I was turning to go to the back of the ambulance and all of a sudden both door's flew open and all I saw was a flash of a naked G.I. Jane running around the other side of the ambulance. Evidently she either tongued the sleeping medication or it just didn't work and being the tiny little thing she was had slipped out of the wrist and ankle cuffs and along with those pajamas and in the locked ward they are not given a bra. I yelled for the driver to go out his side and I continued on around the back of the ambulance. Well by the time I got around the back and started forward the driver had gotten out and into the chase, while looking back at us, tripped and fell which gave us the opportunity to catch up with her.

So, we both grabbed the little spit fire and hung on for dear life, because she wasn't very happy. Where is the General's plane? You guessed it. Aiming right at us coming in for the landing. Of course the pilot aborted the landing and pulled up to circle back around. So What did we see as we looked up, the General and his aide laughing their but's off, so my partner and I saluted and they were kind enough to salute back. We did get little G.I. Jane on the General's plane for the return trip. In her pajamas.

Present Location: Carrollton, TX