While I was a flight engineer on C-141's, we went to Midway once a week to deliver all their essentials. Wellllll, one time during a take off from Midway, and our takeoff run, we ingested one of the occupants (Gooney Bird) of Midway into #4 engine. The engine exploded with a small fire. We taxied back, made some calls, and found that we were going to stay for a while. 

Somehow we found something to "drink." One of our younger troops decided he would drink more than he should. He passed out early and we put him to bed. At this time there was still a couple of the old barracks left over from WWII. There was no glass in the windows and most of the doors wouldn't close.  Anyway we put him in one of the rooms that the door would close.

Sometime during the night, we decided our young friend needed some company. Being drunk ourselves, we caught some of the gooney birds and put them in the kid’s room.

I don't know how many of you have tried to catch a gooney, but it's not easy. They don't take kindly to being caught. I was told all you have to do was catch him by the beak and hang on. Well the damned thing bit me three times. I finally "caught" him or her (whatever it was). I had it by the beak, while it tried to fly away. They have a wingspan greater than 6 feet and sh#t more than any bird I ever saw. We caught four of them and put them in the kid's room. 

Nothing happened and we finally went to sleep ourselves. Very early after daybreak, we heard the strangest noises coming from one of the old buildings. We had forgotten about the birds. The kid came running out of the room and down the beach going who knew where. Before we could get started he was long gone. There was a formal search party formed and they found him about 4hours latter.  The Navy tried to conduct a formal inquiry, but no one could remember anything anyway.

Upon arrival, back to Travis, our young friend decided to change his occupation. Some people just don’t know how to have fun.

 by Gary Walker EM2(SS) / MSgt USAF