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One of the biggest complaints from junior Sailors serving on board ships in Japan are liberty cards. Upon reporting to their new command, E-4 (rank) and below Sailors are assigned a liberty card that defines certain limitations they have in regards to their liberty, or off duty time. For instance, those with a “green card” are required to be back on base and their ship at certain times of the night, while those who have a “blue card” are able to stay overnight in a hotel or somewhere else off the ship. Initially all junior sailors are given a green card upon reporting and eventually have to earn their blue card by getting certain shipboard qualifications, as well as showing the command that they can be trusted out on liberty, by not getting into any trouble. If a blue card holder does get into trouble, they can always be brought back down to a green card until they show improvement in their liberty behavior. In some cases, they can be dropped down to the dreaded white card, which requires them to be on the ship even earlier, and I think prevents them from drinking at all. Personally, I think it’s a lame program. Not so much in that it doesn’t benefit junior Sailors, but it’s ridiculous to those who join the military when they’re older, and end up as a 30 year old seaman who can’t be trusted to be out in town by himself.

Anyway, a big misconception is that the liberty card program is part of the newer, more sensitive (see: sissy) Navy. Through my lame hobby of collecting vintage Navy photographs and postcards, I’m here to burst that bubble. The picture below is an old Sailor’s liberty card that hadn’t been filled out yet. From the looks of his spiffy haircut, it might be from somewhere around the 1940s. If anyone were to ask me what I considered “Old Navy,” then it’s definitely the decades between WWII to Vietnam. This just goes to show that even back then, while Squids were boozing and whoring, they still had to follow certain rules we have today. Still, I’m sure they were a little more liberal with their policies back then.