In the spring of 1953 I was in boot camp at the Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Md. It was night already and I was in the shower when the fire alarm sounded.
We had been told that because these old barracks would burn to the ground in seven minutes it was imperative that we exit quickly.
With nothing but my flip-flops and a towel wrapped around me I bounded down the stairs from the second floor. To get to the 'grinder' I had to cross the street where a car sat with the headlights on. Just as I was crossing the street, someone snatched my towel away. Well, I could only try to hide behind a sapling tree until my towel was returned.
The next morning when we mustered on the grinder, our company commander told us how many minutes it took our company to exit the barracks and that we needed to be faster.
Then, while looking directly at me, he said "Next time I hold a fire drill I won't bring my wife with me."

Jim Hanson, Mount Holly, N.C.