BIRTH #2 - Russell Keith

by Danna Shirley

Kristen was five and I was twenty-eight and the yearnings for another child were shouting to me.  Although I had become pregnant with Kristen about ten minutes after getting off the “pill,” this time it took six months. Ron and I were living in Port Orchard, Washington and had just moved for a short stay to Long Beach, California when I found out that our second child would be born in early February, 1977. We soon learned that we would be stationed in the Philippines for the birth.

My pregnancy was not the best and Ron was working long hours. If he could not make it back to San Miguel where we lived before curfew, then he had to spend the night on the base. San Miguel, which was an hour from Subic, was the temporary housing community for new arrivals while they waited for permanent quarters.

Knowing my condition and the demand on all the husbands, the other Navy wives “mothered” me through my pregnancy. There were two Lindas who befriended me and stepped in when I needed help.  Linda Griggs was my neighbor and a registered nurse, who taught me Lamaze breathing techniques which I had not used when I had my daughter six years earlier. Linda Grasser just stepped in! Navy wives learn to lean on each other when our husbands are gone so much of the time. I felt like I was in good hands.

Ron had developed another series of vascular headaches (another story) and was in excruciating pain on a daily basis. The medical community has nicknamed these suicide headaches. He continued to do his job although he could only handle the pain for so long. Trips to the infirmary were frequent and the Navy finally decided to send him to Clark Air Force Base, about five hours north of Subic, for evaluation.

If the inevitable happened, the two Lindas had it under control. Vickie, my maid, would stay with Kristen. Their maids would do the same while they took me to the hospital. Unfortunately, I chose to go into labor on a Monday, the maid’s day off for all Filipinos, so Linda Grasser’s husband, Commander Grasser of the United States Navy, stayed home and babysat all the children.

Ron was called and began the process of getting released from the hospital. The drive would have taken too long so he caught a hop that made one stop in Manila before going on to Subic Bay. The plane blew a tire while landing and was grounded for several hours. Next he started scrambling for a ride by car. When he finally arrived at the hospital, he knew it was all over but the shouting. On February 7, 1977, I presented him with Russell, 7 pounds, 8 ½ ounces, my blond-haired, blue-eyed Filipino. 

Russ was not too long in this world before he developed a skin rash on his face that looked almost like acne. After several trips to the pediatrician and trying different salves, nothing seemed to clear it up. The doctor said he had done everything he could think of and Russ might have this condition until puberty. “What!” I cried.  “I can’t take much more of this!” 

Of course there was more when a power pole jumped out of the ground and catapulted to the top of my car, shattering all the glass windows while my two children and I were inside. 

We didn’t have to wait long before the decision to return to the U. S. was made for us. The Navy decided to send Ron stateside for an evaluation of his headaches. The return trip was in the cargo hold of an airplane which had been converted to carry medivac patients. We made one overnight stop at Clark Air Force Base where I experienced my first earthquake and then on to California. 

Russ’ little face cleared up the minute we landed on U. S. soil! When we were finally settled in at Ron’s parent’s home in Montgomery, Alabama, I breathed a sigh of relief to have the whole Philippine experience behind me. Even though we seemed to have one crisis after another while there, I did walk away with a beautiful baby boy and new friends that I have kept in touch with for many years.

(Footnote:  When Ron was out of the Navy and we were living on the MS Gulf Coast (1982), I was in K-Mart one day and glanced across the aisle to see someone very familiar.  I went over to her and screamed with delight—she screamed and we hugged and laughed and cried.  It was Linda Grasser from the P.I. Her husband was now stationed in Pascagoula. I learned she lived just a few houses down from me on the same street!  It’s a small, small world!)