Snippets: Down the Up Escalator: Navy Story

USS Kitty Hawk anchored off the shores of Perth Australia. As an assigned tour guide, I led a group of about twenty Australians onboard the huge aircraft carrier.

Over a thousand feet long, with a crew of five thousand, I was allowed to show them only five of the fifteen decks.

I thought a five-story escalator would be fun for these eager Aussies. I had forgotten that while in port the escalator wasn’t operational. They wanted to climb the stairs.

The next thing I failed to take into account was that after having enough people on a shut-off escalator it would run backwards.

Put twenty people on a shut-off escalator that’s running backwards and the tendency is to run faster.

The group ascended and descended faster than a Bunge jumper. The faster backwards it went the faster forward we ran. Like a hamster on a spinning wheel, we made quite a spectacle. I made it to the top and viewed the scene: A huge pile up at the bottom.

We discovered that a powerless escalator had only one way up –one-by-one. I thought I would be in huge trouble, but the smiles of the Australians melted any fear. I suspect they’ve told the story many times over like I’m telling the story right now.

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Randy Tramp

Amazon Review:

It's a military thriller with a heart. Commander Mark Steele has an exciting job in Special Forces. Though it's dangerous, he knows his work is critically important. But that job separates him from his wife and child. When an injury brings him home, his wife is glad to have him back. But other issues cause struggles within the family, leading to distrust and hurt. Steele takes dangerous risks in his new work. The thriller plot thickens, as he seeks to save a life. But can he save his family?

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