ADJ3 Steve Weaver, U.S. Navy (1972-1976)

“The Green Parrot”
My Favorite Bar in Key West, Florida

The Navy was in the process of closing several bases around the country, and my first duty station at NAS Albany, Georgia, was on the list to be disestablished in 1974.  The whole Vigilante Community Air Wing was to be transferred to NAS Boca Chica in Key West, Florida, the southernmost point in the United States.

RVAH-6, my squadron, had left NAS Albany in March 1974 for our third carrier quals aboard USS Forrestal, CVA-59.  We operated off the Atlantic coast, qualifying our pilots in preparation for our upcoming seven-month Mediterranean deployment.  The ship pulled into Ft. Lauderdale, where the squadron disembarked and was bussed down to Key West for a short stand-down period.  There were no available barracks at NAS Boca Chica, so the majority of squadron personnel were housed in the old Navy Diver’s School building located at Truman Annex near the “Old Town” of Key West.

Just a short walking distance from the gate at the base was a little watering hole that I was attracted to called “The Green Parrot,” a quaint local establishment that had been around since the 1890s.  Some of my buddies and I enjoyed eating freshly made tuna fish subs or fried shrimp and drinking cold beer in the open-air saloon.  The balmy tropical weather was made more enjoyable with open hurricane shutters and overhead fans creating a soothing breeze, as well as jukebox music playing the latest hits or an occasional live band for entertainment.

We walked all over Old Town Key West, checking out the scenery and local places of interest, such as Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Mallory Square, Ernest Hemingway, and John James Audubon’s houses.  But I always came back to The Green Parrot, an old Navy hangout which was also a haven for hippies, bikers, vagabonds, and free spirits of all kinds.  For every sailor who frequented the place, there was a nomad or hipster sitting on the next barstool.  It was a place for travelers and military alike to meet and mingle with a cast of Bohemian local characters. 

This was also Jimmy Buffett’s country, and his music could be heard playing all over town.  I became a big fan, and with his recent passing brought to mind those bygone days for me of hanging out in the cool anonymity of  The Green Parrot Bar and listening to his classic ballad “Come Monday.””  The landmark bar still exists today at the corner of Southard Street and Whitehead Street, aka US-1.

Steve Weaver, US Navy Veteran

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