Made it through another week, I thank Him for that. The Sun is out here in Ohio, a Fall "nip" in the air, leaves are almost down, the new season is here.
I have music from the 40's on ....Alvino Rey is playing something. I remember him in the 50's,, as I recall he was married to one of the King Sisters, lived in LA, and we investigated some of his parties where some sailors would meet ......... well, anyway, I ended up discharging them. I attended a couple of his parties .... the Navy was concerned.
Reminds me of the time my Chief at SP Headquarters at the Tijuana Border, said, "C'mon, we're going in to Tijuana." And we did, a visit to the Mayors Office which was attended by the Chief of Police, I was given "marked" money and instructed to go downtown and purchase some "porno" from a store. I did, walked out, handed the police my receipt, I was taken to jail, thrown in a cell, a Tijuana Jail Cell .......... nuff said. A while later, my Chief, my boss, my friend, Ralph Blanco, came laughing in and got me out. A number of service people were getting in trouble buying porno and trying to get it across the border, so, they were able to close him up.
Turned out, it was a major operation, state wide, big business, I would have to testify, instead, they sent me to Seattle, on a ship, and that was the end of it. My "Sam Spade" experience was over. I was not cut out for that kind of work, anyway.
On SP duty there, we used to make the rounds of the Tijuana Jail each day to see who that nabbed the night before. We even hit town jails farther South at least once a week. They reluctantly let go of their American prisoners.
I remember one kid was involved in a car wreck in Ensanada, hurt pretty bad, Ralph pulled some strings and got him taken to a hospital in Tijuana, the Miguel Alemán Hospital. It was a wealthy, well known family, who were on vacation in the West somewhere, had a hard time finding them .... finally did an "exchange" at the border and got him to Balboa Hospital in San Diego. Many "palms were greased" to accomplish this. When they found out the family had money ... things changed.
Shore Patrol duty at the Mexican Border in those days was a "hoot." We had a Navy station wagon there. We occasionally would get a telephone call, I would drive into Tijuana, purchase a large order of "booze" .... they never checked the car coming through. Some officer in San Diego would be having a party. I even made a few "runs" for some Border Guards.
A lot different than it is today, I am sure ..... still a different world in Tijuana though ....
