My father, William Durward Rhodes, was a Draftsman's Mate First Class at Commander, Western Sea Frontier at the federal building occupied by Commandant, 12th Naval District on Market Street just east of the Civic Auditorium and Civic Center. He left the U.S. Navy on 15 November 1945 and died of a heart attack at age 48 years in August 1963.
During WW II we resided at 211 Blythdale Avenue, Sunnyvale Federal Housing Project within sight of the Cow Palace where an overflow U.S. Army tent encampment was established after April 1943 to house troops awaiting transshipment to Pacific Theater amphibious objectives. It was named Bayshore Pavilion by some wag. We were awakended by a cannon firing at sunup seven days weekly. How well I recall seeing the truck convoys enroute to gray Navy and Coast Guard troop transports along the Embarcadero, shephered by darting Army MP jeeps with whip antennas. God help the poor civilian who violated a convoy!
On several Saturday mornings we travelled via Dad's four-door Ford Model T to the Ferry Building to board a car ferry to Treasure Island. There we visited a Navy commissary but I have no clue as to its exact location. On a few occassions my step-mother, adopted sister and I travelled to nearby Hunters Point Naval Shipyard to shop at another Navy commissary standing on the slope of a hill overlooking the shipyard with several gravings drydocks filled with ships.
In April 1957 as HM1 enroute to Navy Medical Unit, Tripler U.S. Army Hospital, Honolulu, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, I spent several days in a Treasure Island Receiving Barracks awaiting air transportation via an U.S. Air Farce C-121 Constellation to Hickam Air Force Base just west of Honolulu. All transient hands in the barracks were, of course, required to stand some stupid watches, I suppose to help pass the time awaiting the bus ride to an Air Force Base. When I was assigned to a Shore Patrol watch along with another White Hat, I objected, explaining that the Geneva Conventions forbade "protected persons" such as U.S. Navy hospital corpsman from participating in such non-medical duties. The retort was that I could just damn well stand a 2400-0400 fire watch in the barracks otherwise! Boatswain's Mates did not comprehend Geneva Conventions!
Dusty Rhodes
LCDR MSC USN (Ret.)
Clarkston, Georgia