“Who Remembers Lt. Mano … ‘Mighty Mouse’?”

Time: August/September 1948 - Saturday night just after taps. Batt 5. Lt. Mano had the duty. Lights had not been out for more than five minutes when someone down the passageway hollered out, “Where's Mighty Mouse?” Another voice, from across the passageway, answered, "Feed Mighty Mouse some cheese.” Not more than a microsecond later, the lights came on in our room and there stood Lt. Mano.

He looked at all four of us and said, "Which one of youse guys said that?" To which we answered in rapid succession, "Not I, sir." He stepped out into the passageway and shouted out in a loud voice and said, "I want the guys that said that to step out into the passageway.” Of course no one stepped out - proving that midshipmen were not THAT stupid. He waited for a minute or two and ordered all of us in the second deck of the east wing to get dressed and fall into formation in front of the building. There were about 50 or 60 of us in formation. He kept us out there for a long time· I'm guessing for well over an hour. (Some of the guys had been to town and had a couple of beers .... OUCH!) Still no one owned up. He finally dismissed us and back to bed we went. I understand that he got royally chewed out the next Monday by the C.O. of NAS P'cola.

Class: 
Pensacola Preflight Class 15-48