The book opens up the year Bobby Earl Perkins, the sailor in
the story, arrives in the Philippines—1967. Looking at the historical framework
of the 1960s, it is the era of radical perspective and subversive events. Most readers have prior knowledge of the 1960s, either textbook knowledge or experiential knowledge. Who can forget that in
1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech “I Have a Dream” in Washington,
DC? And the following years, Pres. Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Again the 1960s is the landmark for civil
rights movements. However, the struggle
for equality at that time was not an isolated case in America. There were military service members stationed
in a foreign country advocating for their constitutional rights. One specific scenario happened in the Philippines.
Subic Bay Naval Base, Olongapo City, Philippines—some of the
US Navy and Marine veterans may be familiar with this military installation. Historically, after more than 300 years of
Spanish rule, Spain relinquished all rights in the Philippines to the US, and under
Pres. Roosevelt’s Executive Order, the waters of Subic were reserved for naval
purposes. The naval station was widened, and Olongapo City grew directly
proportion to the growth of the naval base. Since the Navy offered employment, more
Filipinos live in Olongapo—many worked in the shipyard and others joined the Navy.
Subic became the homeport for the 7th
Fleet, a warship composed of 70 ships, 300 aircrafts, and 40,000 navy and
marine personnel ready for deployment. Subic was visited by more than 200 ships
per month as Vietnam activity peaked in 1967.
The story is narrated by Bobby Earl Perkins. It is Bobby’s point of view that entertains
our thoughts and captures our understanding of what’s going on in Subic. It is written in a military tone as I tried to
capture Bobby’s military bearing. At
that time Bobby was only 23, an E4, a cook, and from Montgomery, AL. Growing up from the south, Bobby knew
firsthand some of the discrimination and segregation issues and the racial
tensions between blacks and whites. He joined the military to possibly get away
from all of it, and only to find himself in the middle of it again. But as a Christian, his faith remained intact
throughout his struggles.
In 1933, the Navy did not allow black sailors to receive any ratings other than a mess-man believing that if they advance in rank they would not become effective leaders over the whites; thus, many blacks were cooks or steward
mates in the Navy. And even though the
blacks achieved the rank of chief steward, they had no authority over the
whites who were lower in rank. Also, the
Navy preferred to recruit Blacks from the South because they were likely
bringing in unspoiled young Negroes, while those from the North were likely
become educated and independent.
The structure of the story is like a diary format covering
almost two years of Bobby’s duty tour. It
will take the reader in a journey with Bobby, like the reader is just next to
him getting a glimpse of his experiences, as well as in the experiences of
other Black sailors stationed in Subic. The book is short and straightforward making
it a quick and easy read. There’s a
slight profanity and racial slur in its diction to depict reality. To the best of his memory, Bobby recollects
those events that impacted him personally; however—painful and hurtful, they
need to be told.
There’s a piece of history shrouded in the story of Subic. It mirrors the Civil Rights movements of the
1960s in a subtle way. When Martin
Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, his death became a platform for
racial outbreak and riots inside Subic. The
book is written for many reasons. Yet,
the prevalent ones are obvious: to share that justice prevailed—the book is a
celebration; to inform or remind us that discrimination only exists if we allow
it to happen and that doing anything less about it is contrary to our
democratic principles; to honor those unsung heroes who fought for their rights
and paved the way for others; to show that faith in God provides comfort and
consolation during trying times; and to express the need for transformational
healing, not only for Bobby himself but also for others who may have been
scarred by their horrid past, whether they were the oppressor or the oppressed.
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| PO2 Bobby Earl Perkins Subic Bay, Philippines 1967 |
Bobby’s military experiences aboard Subic Bay Naval Base seem all
about discrimination, racism, prejudice, and unfair treatment. You bet his journey was one heck of a plight—but
that’s not how I want it to project in the book. In discrimination, people are
categorized, and yet that’s when we learn to reach out and form an alliance and
brotherhood. In racism, we segregate
ourselves based on our skin color, and yet we learn to trust beyond our genetic
pigments—we do have a black president now. As victims of prejudice, we learn to maintain
our faith in ourselves, in the justice system, and in God that in the end of
the day, we will be vindicated, and when we are treated unfairly, we prove them
otherwise because we learn to become self-sufficient and successful. You see, out of something bad, something
beautiful also happens.
This is the story of Subic.
