The Captain's Stateroom

Clyde "Tex" Reed, EMCSS USN-Retired

I had the priviledge of serving under Paul E. Loustaunau, Commander, US Navy,
Commanding Officer USS Spinax SSR 489 during both of the trips to Europe in
1949 and 1950.
The "Captains Stateroom" aka the "One Man Stateroom" was shared a great deal
of the time by myself, Clyde "Tex" Reed EM3SS and the skipper, Capt.
Loustaunau.
As a youngster and leading the full life of a sailor which means I was in
trouble a great deal of the time. The captain and I would have our little
chats in his room, sometimes we would keep the Executive and Enginerering
Officer standing around outside the door while we were having
our discussions. I'm not sure if they were bored, curious or just wanting to
be the first to know what was being said in that small room.
Not all the meetings in that room were detrimental to me even though sometime
I wondered how he was able to keep his composure in some of those times. One
of those times was after I came back to the boat from a five day trip to Paris.
While in Paris I met a tin can sailor that was married and on his way back to
the States when he was drafted for duty at the American Embassy in Paris
because of his ability to speak French. He was moaning and crying in his beer
about the horrible situation he was in and I started to cry with him because
it was not me being stationed in that wonderful land of cheap booze,
beautiful women and French purfume.
On returning to the boat, being the sly, devious and intellegent person that
I was, a plan was formed in my mind. I submitted a chit for transfer to
Embassy or Attache duty in Paris, France and included in my request was the
fact that I spoke French fluently. (It never occured to me the national
origin of the name Loustaunau.) The Captain being a vary considerate man
received my request and summoned me for a chat in the stateroom that we had
often shared before.
His opening comment was that he did not know that I spoke French. I had been
to France the year before and again now and thought I knew the language as
well as anyone. The the Captain said something to me in French. And not being
at a loss for words but yet a thinking man, I was sure he would know how to
order Congac and soda from a bartender, so I answered with my "other" phrase.
"Oui, oui mon Capitaine. Vous le vous couche avex moi si soire." The
Captains facial expression changed completely and very vehemently with a
raised voice he said " get out of my state-room, out of my sight and NO, I
will not go to bed with you." I did not get my transfer and I stayed away
from him as much as possible after that.
Captain Loustaunau was and is a fine leader, a retired four stripper living
in Virginia and he sent me a check to buy a round for the "Old Guard" when we
were in Reno.