I have a vivid recollection of same. I was in the U.S. Navy, stationed
at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. I was 18 years old and was "standing"
the midnight to 4:00 a.m. watch on election night 1948. Using a battery
type radio, I listened, and listened, and listened to the election
returns.
When it got to 3:30 a.m., I was supposed to wake up my replacement.
The election night commentary was so exciting that I decided not to
wake up my replacement. I would "stand" the 4:00-8:00 a.m.
watch and continue to listen to the radio.
The guy woke up about 6:30 a.m., looked at the clock, and thought
he was going to be court-martialed for missing his watch. He was in
a state of panic.
Election night 1948 is fixed in my mind --- more so than any other
political event of my lifetime.
Regards,
Thomas F. Eagleton
