THEY\'RE NOT CELEBRITIES. THEY WALK PAST YOU ON THE STREET, BRING YOU YOUR FOOD AT A RESTAURANT, AND LIVE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THEY\'RE EVERYDAY PEOPLE. JUST LIKE YOU.
PRINT ISSUE #6: ROBERT BEHM
ROBERT BEHM IS THE KIND OF PERSON I\'VE ALWAYS ASPIRED TO BE LIKE, AND HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY. HE\'LL CONTINUE TO INSPIRE ME ALWAYS, BUT BEHIND THE MAN WITH A GREAT PAST IS AN ORDINARY MAN THAT I CALL GRANDPA. TODAY WE BOTH AVOID THE HEAT, PLAY SOME CRIBBAGE, AND TALK ABOUT THE LIFE HE\'S LED. MOST OF THESE STORIES I\'VE HEARD BEFORE, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO BRING A SMILE TO MY FACE EVERY TIME.
Eric Durrance: First off, where were you born?
Robert Behm: Elgin, Illinois in 1914. Saint Joseph’s Hospital.
ED: When did you enlist in the Navy?
RB: I joined the Navy at the end of 1945.
ED: And that was during World War II?
RB: Oh, yeah.
ED: And where were you first sent?
RB: China. I got on a ship in China.
ED: What was your duty on the ship?
RB: A fireman; electrician below deck.
ED: What experiences did you have in the Navy?
RB: Oh, we were all over the Pacific; went all over the Soviet Bay, Saipan, Guam, Okinawa, and all over the Hawaiian Islands. We worked out of the Hawaiian Islands and San Francisco. On one occasion, we actually brought Japanese planes back to the United States so they could be inspected before the final invasion on Okinawa.
ED: Now, what happens on the ship when you cross the equator? I\'ve heard some pretty crazy stuff.
RB: They beat you pretty bad when you cross the equator. I crossed it twice. The first time, (laughs) I got beat pretty bad. The second time we crossed, I couldn\'t do it. Those boys got radical. Oh, man. You sit down with your chief, and he says, \"Are you guilty, or are you innocent?\" And I say, \"I\'m innocent.\" And on the back of his shirt it says \"You\'re guilty as hell.\"
Both: (laugh)
RB: So then they turn around, and a crewman asks, \"Did you sleep with the captain\'s wife?\" And the captain is right there. I said, \"No, I did not.\" There were wires coming off a generator, and it’s attached to your wrists, and it shocked you all the way through. And then they asked again: \"Is it true that you screwed the captain\'s wife?\" And I said, \"No.\" (makes the noise of being shocked) \"Yes! Yes, I did!\"
ED: (laughs)
RB: And before they even started cranking the generator, everyone else said, \"I did, too!\"
Both: (laugh)
RB: Then there\'s this garbage thing you gotta go through. It was like a coffin filled with garbage. Kids would go in, and you just waited in line. The first couple of guys threw up. You get in the coffin with it [the vomit], and before you knew it, you were gagging.
ED: (laughs)
RB: And finally, they have a tank they put you in and dunk in the water. Now, you didn\'t wise up until you almost can\'t breathe, and they\'re dunkin\' you under. After that\'s over, you know, you\'ve crossed the equator. Once you\'ve gone you get to watch all the other ones. My lieutenant was right behind me, and he cried the whole way through it.
ED: (laughs)
RB: Oh, yeah! They take a canvas, fill it with sand, sew it up, and throw it overboard. After a day, they would bring it up and let it dry. After it dried it was hard, like a small baseball bat. I got knocked around a couple of times. A buddy of mine had to get stitches.
Both: (laugh)
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