In Their Own Words - Ghost Ship
Harm Mac Bud Harriet Mark Falcon
Lieutenant (j.g.) Bud Roberts
By Anne (annetaul@home.com)
When the admiral first told us about the body found in the hull of the USS Hornet, lights went off in my mind. All kinds of stories came flooding back about sailors killed in accidents who had been entombed in their ships and haunted the passages and compartments. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it in the briefing, but I couldn’t help it. Admiral Chegwidden didn’t seem amused. I guess he’s just one of those people who doesn’t believe in stuff like that. I do, though. Actually, I don’t think all ships are haunted or anything, but some strange things do go on.
Having a case in San Francisco was very exciting. I immediately thought about all the great things that you can do there. I think Major MacKenzie was happy, too, so I was disappointed when Commander Rabb said that I wouldn’t be going. Oh, well, I know that the research on this one is very important, what with the death occurring 30 years ago and all. I’m actually honored that Commander Rabb trusts me to handle this crucial task.
It’s going to be a long weekend, though, doing all this research. The Naval Archive is a huge place! I’m glad Harriet wasn’t mad when I had to break our date. She’s so great, and she’s even going to help me with the research. Since I have to be here anyway, it’s a good chance for us to spend some time together.
I couldn’t have been more embarrassed when the archivist, Millie, called me ‘Buddy’ and Harriet thought I was seeing her or something. Millie’s a nice enough girl and all – I just never really thought of her that way. I mean, I only ever see her when I go to do research. Besides, Harriet is special. I really want this to work out with her. There’s nobody else I’d rather be with. I hope she knows that.
While I was working late at the office, Mr. Webb brought me dinner – an El Nino pizza (my favorite). I kind of wonder why he really did that – he’s so hard to figure out sometimes. He had information for Commander Rabb about the Vietnamese spy who had been aboard the Hornet when the murder was committed. It was strange, but a lot of strange stuff seems to have happened in Vietnam.
Later, when I couldn’t get hold of Commander Rabb, I told Major MacKenzie about the spy’s plane being hijacked while he was carrying information about American POWs in Vietnam being taken to Russia. Apparently the CIA has been aware of this for years but hasn’t been able to verify it. Mr. Webb would never have told us now, except that the KGB is following Commander Rabb and Major MacKenzie’s investigation. It sounded awfully dangerous. With Mr. Webb’s information, the Commander and the Major were able to figure out what must’ve happened and that the list was still on the Hornet. They even found it.
That’s when the strangest thing of all happened, according to Major MacKenzie. Commander Rabb found his father’s name listed in the book. He’s been looking for his dad since he was a little boy. Unfortunately, they lost the book when the homicide detective they were working with turned out to be a KGB agent and stole it away. Isn't that too weird! Now that he finally has a clue about what happened to his father, I wonder if Commander Rabb will ever find out where his father really is.
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Thanks to Packrat for the beta
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Disclaimer: While based on the JAG episode, this is for entertainment purposes only and no profit is being made.