My First Bicycle

   As a kid, I never had my own Tricycle, Wagon, or Bicycle. We were a family with eight kids, and we were poor. Food, a roof over our head, and then clothing was the order of importance back then. Christmas was always skimpy back then. One or two toys and the rest clothes. You could always count on Grandma Cray for socks though.

I bought my first bicycle in Iwakuni, Japan when I was 21 years old (1967) for 1,800 Yen ($5.00). I was in the U.S. Navy at the time and just starting a two-year sea duty deployment on a Marine base. My outfit, Naval Air Support Unit (NASU) was a 2nd tier Maintenance facility for Communications and Intelligence Aircraft in the Western Pacific.

The Bicycle was a major means of transportation for most people stationed there as well as the people that lived there. Some of the Americans had Motorcycles and a few had their own cars, but the Bike was King. Everywhere you went on base and off, you had a bike rack with a hundred bikes in them. All bikes were registered and had Tags on them. For all of the Bikes, you would never see a Lock. You never worried about your Bike being stolen. The Japanese didn't steal. On occasion a drunk (American) would take the wrong Bike back to his Barracks, but it would be found a day or so later. Base security would check the Bike Racks almost on a daily basis.

Special Services (run by the Marine/Navy) had a Bicycle Repair Facility. It was basically like a big garage with stalls that you could rent to work on your Bike. You could buy parts, upgrades and modify your Bike anyway you wanted. All tools were free. I bought and installed running lights for mine. A small generator ran off the front wheel which powered a nice headlight and a small red taillight. Total cost was around $4.00.

I rode that bike without any problems for almost two years, winter and summer. When it came time to leave Japan and head back to the land of the Big PX (Shopping Center), I sold it to a new guy for 36,000 Yen ($10.00).

   I believe that I got my money's worth out of that Bike. That was the only Bike that I have ever owned.