Whatley: What was your rank when you entered and what was your rank when you left?
- Mr. Hitt: Well, let's see . . . Seaman 1st Class and I got up to, what was that rating [laughter]? But honestly, I do not recall. Seaman 1st, Seaman 1st Class. I guess that, I didn't become a petty officer which would be the next rank, but just a seaman.
Whatley: What were your duties?
Mr. Hitt: Oh, Lord! [laughs] I worked, worked, worked. We had divisions. We had, we were 1st division, I was. My twin was in the 2nd division. But we of course scrubbed floors, we cleaned ship, all everything that a swabby has to do. And then I got into ship service and I had it made [laughs]. I really did. That's, we, ship services was the canteens and so forth. So when I got into that I didn't have to go on any work detail. We really had it made when we got there!
Whatley: So what's a canteen?
Mr. Hitt: A canteen is where they buy their little candies and gifts, sort of like in a hospital. Oh, well, over at Bossier, at the Air Force, they have a canteen where our neighbor here goes. He was in the service. Well, I suppose anyone that served could go to the canteen. It's just a place where lot of times the ex-, say, oh, Air Force in his case, Army, and Navy, can go and buy your groceries and other things at a real, real inexpensive. They are very inexpensive [Laughs]. I've bought over at Shreveport at the Veteran's Hospital canteen. And you just, you can get them, see you don't have to pay taxes on that and we always tried to get that, and, of course, those who smoked, and I happened to be a smoker then, we'd get cigarettes without tax. It's just a store, like that sells these things.
Whatley: What was the name of your ship, the type of it, and how many men were aboard?
Mr. Hitt: I was on the U.S.S. Mississippi which is a man-of-war, which is a battleship.
Whatley: How many men were aboard?
- Mr. Hitt: Oh, I use to know, but I don't. 5,000 in all come to my mind.
It was always a lot of people. It was a big ship [laughter]. But, I 'm
maybe in error there because I can't recall, but, like I say, I have known,
but there were a lot of sailors. It was a big ship, you know, a battleship.
Well, all ships that you fight with are man-of-wars. But, ah ... Then I
served on the U.S.S. South Dakota after the U.S.S. Mississippi.
I don't remember how many years I was on each ship, but, most of my time
was spent on those two ships.
