Tonight’s “Buzz’s Bedtime Story” is a continuation, sort of, of yesterday’s tale about flying in Africa. Let’s call it “Monkey Burgers.” It’s a lighthearted look at military service. If you didn’t catch yesterday’s Buzz Cut, please do! This is part of that tale. Pour a tall one, and please just don’t eat anything monkey or goat. Get comfy.
READ MORE: Buzz’s Bedtime Stories: Goats, Blood, and War
When I was a young Air Force pilot, aircraft commander, and flying C-141s around the globe, I was once tasked with flying a U.S. Embassy support trip around Africa. Mostly, we were carrying our diplomats, secret classified correspondence, and fun treats like American whiskey and steaks.
Our mission was to fly from Charleston AFB, South Carolina, to Bermuda, Senegal, Liberia, Zaire, and Kenya. Then, after three or four long days, we’d head back to the U.S. During a long first day, after Bermuda and Senegal, we flew to Monrovia, Liberia, to deplane passengers, offload cargo, get some gas, grab a bite to eat, and then head on to Kinshasa, Zaire, for some crew rest.
Monrovia is named after former US president James Monroe. Monroe was a big proponent of the colonization of Liberia for slaves as he worked with an organization called the American Colonization Society, who were created to repatriate slaves to Africa.
We landed in Monrovia and taxied to the ramp. It was super hot and muggy. The humidity steamed up our cockpit. Palm trees and huts as far as you could see. While the ground crew was gassing up the jet, I asked the ramper if there was a convenient place to get something to eat. We were famished and hadn’t had a chance to eat since we took off out of Bermuda. He spoke English and said, “Sure.” We all crawled into the bed of his pickup truck and drove to the airport terminal restaurant.
So, eight sweaty American dudes in flight suits sit down to eat in the Monrovia, Liberia, airport terminal restaurant. It wasn’t a spectacular facility, to say the least. It was quite the sight. The menu was weird, but we all recognized “hamburger,” so we all ordered that. We couldn’t understand anything else, so we threw down on the American go-to. Shortly thereafter, we all received our “hamburgers” and some really weird-looking French fries. Greasy, oddly grey, and cold. I didn’t even try.
After a few bites of mine (and I was really hungry), I set it back down on my plate and contemplated. I looked at my crew, and it was like we were mind-melding. “You know, guys, this seems awfully gamey,” I said. And, oh by the way, military guys and girls can eat literally anything. They all nodded and put theirs down too. I called the server over and asked, “Is this beef?” He said, “Oh no, sir. We don’t have beef here. That is monkey.” And he laughed.
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The table fell silent. We all exchanged blank stares. “Could we get our check, and could you call our guy to get back to get a ride back to the jet?” I asked. He walked away chuckling.
We got back to our aircraft, ran our checklists, and launched for Kinshasa, Zaire for the night. Now, we were all super stoked for our next culinary adventure! Yummy!
As mentioned above, please see yesterday’s piece entitled “Goats, Blood, and War,” and it will all come together. See you again soon for yet another “Buzz’s Bedtime Stories!”
Sleep well!
