Subic Bay

OK folks – I’m going to initiate something a little bit different here.  In a way, it’s the brain child of my best friend.  She’s been on me about this for years.  ‘That’s a really cool story’, she’d say – ‘Ya gotta write this shit down!’  So - I began reminiscing the other night, recalling certain experiences.  All of a sudden I’m looking at pages and pages of material.  Way too much to occupy a single post.  It would be like reading a series of short stories – and therein lay my idea.  I plan on serializing these posts – putting up a page or two every week.  Beginning with this one.  Now – I am going to start out with non-fiction – things that I’ve actually seen or done, places I’ve been and the people I’ve met.  At some point, I may start posting some of my fiction work – but - we’ll see how all this goes first.

Now – fair warning.  I do not intend smoothing out the rougher edges.  That would be editorializing my own life – and I won’t do it.  What you read will be what actually happened – a-buffo, as they say.  So strap yourselves in, my friends.  You are about to go on a very wild ride.

The P. I.  It’s what sailors call the Philippine Islands; specifically Subic Bay. Subic has been labeled one of the last true pirate ports in the world.  Now, of course, most of that is gone – closed down along with the rest of America’s harbor’s and bases in that part of the world.  But 20 years ago, Subic flourished (if you can call it that); jitneys and bars, hookers and drugs, raw beer and balut.  Mostly I remember the smell.  Just outside of the base ran a river, so polluted everyone referred to it as 'Shit River’.  You’d have to hold your nose till you crossed over the bridge into town.  The poverty was staggering.  Staggering.  I had never seen anything like it in my life before.  Children used to line up on the banks of the river to dive for coins thrown by sailors into that god-awful water.  The men thought it amusing, you see – little boys pulling feces out of their hair in order to collect a few pitiful coins.  The children would have to dive fast, or the refuse that collected underneath the bridge would swallow both them and the coins.  I was told some drowned, their bodies floating down river and into the sea, but I never saw that.

I flew in from Japan – landing at Clark air base. Clark isn’t even there any more – a volcano ate it about ten years ago.  But back in the 80’s, it handled tons of traffic.  Unless you came by sea, Clark was your first stop on the way to Subic.  From there you went overland – about 3 hours by bus.  The roads sucked – I mean fucking sucked - mostly dirt, huge holes - sometimes we would have to drive around really deep craters.  And everywhere you looked - gigantic billboards with Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos (always the both of them together) smiling out at nothing; absolutely nothing – we were right out in the middle of nowhere.  I have no idea what they were pushing, or to whom - but I could hazard a guess.  Twice, we drove past Philippine troops in WW II era jeeps - armed to the teeth.  What the hell were they going to shoot?  Water buffalo?  It was surreal.  I mean, there we were surrounded by miles and miles of empty land; with not a soul in sight except for these army guys.  Once they made us stop to check I.D.’s.  Even with the window open I could smell the marijuana.  Great – STONED guys with guns – what a wonderful combination.  I couldn’t wait to see the rest.

I was there because I had been invited to join my soon to be ex-husband for a few days while his ship put in for minor repairs.  In truth, Subic was a popular stop due to the prevalent sex trade.  Any excuse was used to make port – hell, sometimes the ship captains didn’t even bother with a cover.  It was a pussy party – plain and simple.  Leave was almost unlimited.  Sailors were encouraged to ‘make use of the facilities’.  Right!  That meant get drunk and get laid – both as often as possible.  Half of the clubs and bars in town were owned by retired Navy Chiefs – they aspired to it!  How many times had I heard ‘when I retire I’m gonna get me a bar in Subic.’  You see, American dollars went a long way in a place where the locals only averaged $5 - $10 per month – if that.  Lining up the hookers?  Easy – especially with families averaging 8 – 12 kids.  The money was good, and it was better than starving.  Squid owned bars packed them in – a real gold mine for the proprietor.  Navy issue health certificates would be posted above each clubs door certifying the hookers inside were ‘clean’.  On top of that, the girls themselves had to get a monthly check-up before they would even be allowed a spot.  That examination wasn’t free, either.  The Navy charged – both money and sex.  That’s the way it was in P. I.  Just another way of supporting a culture and a regime that should never have existed in the first place.

Every bar boasted a stable of hookers, or ‘hooks’ as they were known.  Some of those girls were as young as 13.  Younger than that was available, but you’d have to travel inland to Angel City for that.  Ah - Angel City – man; that place had a rep as far away as Macao.  Anything was available there – absolutely anything - children, animals (it cost $10 to see a woman having sex with a donkey), fetishes - if it could be conceived of by the mind of man, it could be bought on the cheap in Angel City.  It was one giant undulating porno movie – women would walk up, pull down a guys pants, and engage in oral sex – right there on the street – just to advertise their bar.  Even I was offered hard cash to shill for one of the bigger clubs.  Some man just walked up to me out of the clear blue sky and asked me if I would be interested.  Evidently tall red-heads were at a premium.  It was crazy!  You couldn’t turn around and not have that kind of shit shoved in your face.  Live sex shows could be had at every bar – lesbian was the most popular - that and bottle-fucking. Then there was a game that just about every guy played – kind of like a rite of passage.  It was called ‘smiles’.  A group of men would sit around a large table, popping shots back like water.  Underneath the table were the women, servicing them.  The first man to smile lost the bet, and had to buy the table a fresh round.  Not very original, maybe - but incredibly popular. 

Some of the sailors actually married their hooks, and that mostly futile hope was what fueled Subic’s entire economy - the dream of getting out from under the crushing thumb of Marcos family greed.  Strains of ‘someday my prince will come’, but with condoms.  That’s why butterflying was not allowed.  Butterflying was what the hooks called moving from girl to girl – not taking time to develop any kind of relationship – just sex.  Just sex was frowned upon.  Very few girls would even fuck until names were exchanged, and you bought them several drinks.  This code was strictly enforced by the hooks.  Once you picked your woman, you were expected to stay with her and only her the entire time in port.  First question a girl usually asked when she met a sailor was, ‘are you seeing anyone?’  If you were caught flitting around, God help you!  Each hook carried a rather nifty little knife that could fillet a guy in two seconds flat.  It was called, funnily enough, a ‘butterfly knife’.  Double bladed, easy to deploy with a single flick of the wrist.  By-by sailor.  And it did happen.  More often then you might think.  And not just with sharp objects.  One Commander I knew managed to get himself shot in the ass by one supremely pissed off hooker who evidently was carrying more than just her knife that night.

This was P. I. – Subic Bay.  It made Bangkok look like Vegas on family night.  Have any of you seen the HBO series Deadwood?  OK – now you have some idea of what I’m talking about (sans the carnivorous pigs).  Why in hell have wives there at all, you may ask? Oh please!  Didn’t you know the Navy was a family institution?  Reagan was president, God Damn It!  There had to at least be a veneer of respectability.  I mean, what would mom and pop back at the old homestead think if they knew junior was getting his roto routered in some dingy bar by a skinny 13 year old girl with hopeless eyes?  Not to mention being strung out on crystal meth or amyl nitrate, as well.  So the powers that be made a point of shipping families in – by the plane load.  Most MAC flights would cost $10; but P. I. – P. I. was free.  A garden paradise, they said.  Lovely blue ocean.  Marvelous shopping.  Not one word about poverty, hookers and filth.  Then there were the snakes and bugs.  Big fuckers – eat you alive in a heartbeat.  And the humidity!  Jesus Christ!  You know – P. I. is the only place I’ve ever been where it rained out of a clear blue sky.  No lie – hot rain; it got so humid, the air would have to shed water.  Imagine 100 degrees with 110% humidity.  Like living inside a pressure cooker. 

And so we end chapter one. Don't forget to tune in next week when our heroine goes on an unexpected adventure. Further adventures: Subic part II Subic part III Subic Finale

Comments

[Debby]

Absolutely incredible writing and experience. You have a real talent for telling a tale. I remember seeing a "donkey show" in Tijuana once when my hubby and I were down there. It was, hmmmm, an unforgettable experience in itself. Didn't see by choice either, stumbled into it by accident, but you don't pass that by once you are there. Can't wait for the next installment.

[oldwhitelady]

Eye-opening! Sad for the girls. Sad for the children diving for coins. Ugh! I, too, will tune in for the next installment.

[Kevin Hayden]

The thing I've never understood is why anyone older than 15 would even want to have sex with a 13 year old.

Great storytelling, but I find it a sad comment on the guys that'd do that, and the brass that promoted it.

[GRUMPY OLD MAN]

Beautiful! Great writing about something I knew all about but had forgotten. I grew up on the West Coast, part of the time spent in Bremerton which was a Navy town so everybody had been there or at least knew someone or had a family member that had been there.

And later,in the 50's, I was stationed in El Paso just across the river from Jaurez, Mex. and it was pretty much the same. Yes sir, spreding democracy the American way was our "Mission!"

[RODREKO]

A very well written account on an interesting subject. I was stationed at Subic from '81-'82. Most of your points are accurate although somewhat exaggerated. What I really enjoyed is that the Filipino people as a whole are some of friendliest and kindest people in the world. And I have been to many, many countries. Out in the Barrio, away from town, out a dirt road to a nipa hut with no electricity... I had some of the most wonderfull times of my life, and that is what I remember best.

[Charles Harding]

I was a Fleet Sailor in the 70's who visited Subic. It was like the Vikings going ashore. Hi! I'm Charlie- Ugly American.

Great writing- captures the corruption, pathos, and steam beutifully. Thanks.

[Gene Williamson]

story well told, I experienced Po town at the very young age of 18, raised in a small country town.. what a eye brow raiser! I was in Heaven, having been a virgin till up to then.. As for the people.. most friendly and for the most part, honest people Ive met.. was there in the 70s and aboard Uss Ranger during Veitnam, was a home away from home.. Good job.

[Ronnie Moore]

I spent some great times over there back in 1974-1976 I was on the USS Sacramento AOE1 (sac}. I seen some things over there that was unreal. Would love to do it again. Every man should spend some time there.If you ever been there you know what Im saying.So if I HAD ONE WISH IN MY LIFE IT WOULD BE TO GO BACK AND LIVE 74-76 AGAIN

[R.E.W.]

Been there, Done that. I was 19-24. I am not proud of all the stuff I did. But I never understood what guys saw in the little girls. Towards the end I just hung out with one girl and didn't even have sex with her. She was pregnant by another sailor off another ship. I married a Filina I met here in the states. I have been back to PI a couple times since my Navy days. For those of you who can't believe this stuff went on I can attest it did and even more. It was unreal.

[The Fat Lady Sings]

Thanks’ for commenting, R.E.W. Seeing the exploitation of those children really upset me too. I was doubly angry at the military's complicity in it all. Do you remember when they closed Clark and Subic down? After that volcano exploded? There were some ex-prostitutes who tried to get the military to step up and help out - prostitutes who rightly claimed that they had been exploited. The Philippine economy really tanked when the military left; and anyone who was a prostitute (especially those who’d had American sailor’s and soldiers children) was being ostracized. These women wanted to come to America – they needed help for their kids. I remember seeing a contingent of them on the Donohue show back in the early 90's. The military was disclaiming any complicity in promoting prostitution in P.I. Called the women liars and whores. I was so angry. The military needed to step up and do what was right. I guess they didn't want it known that they had fostered a climate were child prostitution was condoned.

[Staff Seargent Manolo, USN, retired]

While some of the story may be true, such as the diving for coins, and the girls, many of the points are extremely exagerated. Further, since it is posted by a "lady", how would she know the actual details?

The way I experienced it is more accurately described at this link:

http://filipinawives.com/memorial.html

So at least allow both sides of the story to be told, including the details of how many of the people were brought out of that miserable existence, and now have extremely happy lives, that they could never have had otherwise.

Also, the area is completely cleaned up now that the bases are closed. The polution is gone, no public sex ever occurs, and Las Vegas has 10 times worse prostitution than could be found in the entire PI country now that the USA is no longer in charge.

Don't believe it? Try going there.

[Jekyl]

I was there in '89-90 as a US Marine. I was 19 when I arrived. The policy at my command was that you had to wait at least 1 week before being allowed to go out in town, and then with someone who'd been there a while.

During that week, I heard tales I couldn't believe. Then before we left, our senior enlisted man gave us the speech, best summarized as "When in Rome, do as the Romans do; when in the Philippines, do the Philippinas.

As another poster said, I am not proud of all my activities there, but I can confirm 'smiles' and seeing the 'peso shows' were a right of passage. I never got the whole young girl thing either... In my time, for the most part the younger girls were kept out of the bars. I had a regular woman I saw for most of my time there and she was probably 10 years older then I was. She taught me things that I doubt another 19 year old in the world knew.

But as the original post said, there was nothing beyond the reach of someone with a twisted mind and the cash to pay for it.

The conditions were bad for many of the girls there. Some came from small farms to try to feed their families. Some were there because it afforded them a lifestyle of wealth. I remember going to one womans house to see my company commanders dog tags hanging on her wall of fame. She had, literally; hundreds of sets of dog tags.

Overall, pretty accurate descriptions though. The roads, the bugs, (we called the roaches B-52's because when they flew by your head, it sounded like a plane overhead) and the humidity. 5 minutes outside and you were soaked, rain or shine!

Keep up the good work, I enjoyed your post.

[david]

It wasn't just butterfly knives. I was stationed at the hospital 82-84 and saw one instance where a hook stabbed her cheating boyfriend with a bamboo barbaque skewer and hit 3 major organs.

What you say is mostly true.

[Tom]

my first visit was 4-67 thru clark afb. sure sounds like the subic I knew. sick on bad san miguel. monkey meat on a stick. The transit barracks were along the shit river. I loaded aircraft at cubi point 24 on 24 off. C130s full of beer for Viet Nam we also sorted mail for the different ships. Pulled in many times till 11-68 on CVS-20always had a great time when in subic. The donkey act was on stage where the street had a bend to the right. Cigarettes in machines in town were knock offs in american wrappers. drove a local guy nuts we asked him for a duncan yoyo. He had 20 watches but know yoyo.

[J.A.]

Greetings; The best stories R shared with a name, a toast & a smile...& yes it happened.

[Howard MIelcarski]

I was on the USS Contellation in 1974 CVA 64 back then. I don't really know why but I have been missing the PI. And yes most of the story is true, altrough I never went to Angel City. Does any one remember the 3rd Eye Bar. I had the best time of my life there. I will always remember it. I wish I could go back.

[Chief JD Long]

Your story is a little exagerated and sounds like a second hand story. Also, none of the bars were owned by Chiefs as foreigners cannot own property there. I do not recall it like you do.

[DAVE RICE]

I WAS THERE FROM NOVEMBER OF 1957 TILL OCTOBER OF 1959, STATIONED AT CUBI POINT NAS. THE STORY HAS SOME RING OF TRUTH FROM MY TIME BUT IS MOSTLY EXAGGERATED BEYOND BELIEF AND INACCURATE IN MANY RESPECTS. THE BUTTERFLY KNIFE HAS ONLY ONE BLADE, BUT A SPLIT HANDLE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO "FLIP" IT OPEN. AMERICANS COULD NOT OWN PROPERTY IN THE P.I. UNLESS MARRIED TO A FILIPINA AND THEN ONLY SHE COULD HAVE PROPERTY IN HER NAME. THERE WERE NO ANIMAL ACTS IN ANY OF THE BARS IN OLONGAPO. IT WASN'T ANGEL CITY, IT WAS ANGELES CITY JUST OUTSIDE CLARK AFB. IT SEEMS THE AUTHOR IS REPEATING STORIES TOLD AND EMBELLISHING THEM TO A GREAT DEGREE....BUT.......I HAVE SEEN PHOTOS OF THE AREA FROM THE 'NAM ERA AND IT DOES LOOK LIKE IT DEGENERATED A LOT INTO MOSTLY "SEX IN THE CITY".

[jack leroy knight]

I was on the valley forge 64 to 67. I know for a fact that i could smell Subic Bay 2 days out . Thats no joke guys But in the evening when the sun went down all I could smell was honeysuckel flowers , beer , monky on a stick . Now if I ever get lonely for that smell I just pull in to the local truckstop . Its waiting thar fo yee

[jack leroy knight]

IVE GOTTA FEELING THERS A LOT OF OLE SWABBYS OUT THERE THAT HAS ALOT UNDER THERE HAT . THAT JUST NO WAY IN HELLS GONA TELL THEM OLD OLONGAPOO STORYS . WHY IF OLE GRAMAW KNEW WHAT GRAMPAW WAS UP TO BACK THEN WHY SHEED CUT EEMM OFF . NOW I MEAN CUT HIM OFF BUDDY . FRED WOULD NO LONGER LIVE, GET IT ? NOW MY FIRST WIFE WAS JUST THAT WAY SO I GOT RID OF HER . MY SECOND WIFE WELL SHE COULD SMOKE MORN I MADE SO I GOT RID OF HER . NOW MY THERD WIFE JUST LAUGHS ALL THE TIME SO WE GET ALONG FINE WITH THE OLE SUBIC BAY MEMORIES . SO YOU OLD SALTS MITE WANNA TRADE THAT MODEL A IN FOR A NEW PORSH YAA BABY . LITE UM UP......FATJAX

[jack leroy knight]

BACK DURING THE VIET NAM THING OF THE 60S I REMEMBER OUR SHIP BEING LOADED OFF SHORE IN LONG BEACH CALIF. NOW FOR ALMOST THREE WEEKS THIS WENT ON WITH AMO , STORES , FUEL AND BBLS OF AGENT ORANGE . NOW WHEN WE FINELY GOT TO SUBIC BAY THEY STARTED UNLOADING ALL THAT I SAID . THEN THE NEXT DAY THEY STARTED LOADING IT ALL BACK UP AGEN . I ASK A CHIEF BOATS NEXT TO ME WHAT GIVES ? HE SAID BECAUSE IF WE WENT DIRECTLY TO VIETNAM IT WOULD BE A ACT OF WAR . NOW FROM WHAT I SAW OF THAT MESS IT WASENT NO TEA PARTY . I GESS IM SLOW ...FATJAX

[jack knight]

IM GETTEN TARD OF WATEN ON ALL YALL TA SEND IN A YAHOO . SO HERE MY FAT ASS IS AGEN. NOW IVE SAID MY THANG ON SUBIC . BUT YA KNOW NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT . I COULD SMELL LONG BEACH & SAN DIEGO 2 DAYS OUT ; SO I GESS IT ANT NO BIG THANG . COME ON ALL YOU JAKAZZEZ BARK A LITTLE BET LET US KNOW YOUR STILL KICKEN GUYS & GALS ................FATJAX

[jack knight]

did some one die ? what happend to this site ? fatjax

[Deborah]

OMG, I lived in the PI's for three years. I remember The Third Eye, The Nipa Hut, opening a random bar door downtown, just to see a naked woman dancing right in front of the door. I was a 21 yr old wife. My ex was all over the base, and was in charge of Ladies Night at the NCO Club. He was a stripper himself. Boy the PI's destroyed my marriage. That was 25 yrs ago. My two boys were born there, and they are now grown. The Philippines was an experience I will never forget.

[cass rodriguez]

i was in subic from 1951=1953.just a hand full of sailors then,and nothing like this went on.all no ships ever came to subic except merchant ships once in a long while.i was on a ytb [yard tugboat] and when a ship came in to port we would take a pilot to that ship to guide it in the bay.things started to change after we brought in the troop transport with the seabees to commence on the airfield.[cass rodriguez ]