During Basic Training we lived in wooden barracks that were built in 1935 with a five-year life expectancy. The bunk beds were made out of steel and set end to end down the length of the barracks. Each bunk had a lightbulb hanging above it. I occupied the upper bunk and my Oklahoma buddy occupied the lower bunk.

There isn't much time for reading. But I had come up with the idea of making a homemade shade so I could read at night and not be seen from outside.

Everything went well with my wash cloth wrapped around the exposed hanging bulb. Well, while I was reading, it started to get darker and darker. It was getting hard to see the page when a flame appeared over my head. I quickly took the book and closed it over the flaming wash cloth and the bulb.

Whew, it was all dark again, but someone at the other end of the barracks yelled fire. I grabbed the stub of a bulb and headed a few bunks down in the dark and reached up and traded that good bulb for my stub. I ran back to my bunk and put the good bulb in place and laid down to look asleep.

Then a drill sergeant that had heard the scream of fire came in to see what the commotion was. He turned on the lights that worked and found the broken bulb. Those guys in that bunk could not come up with any explanation.

I have laughed about this to myself but never told anyone before.