Page 97 - The Jazzsipper Novel

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THE JAZZ SIPPER

over 120 USO Centers around the world. USO Europe consisted of Italy,
Germany, France, Spain, Turkey, Greece, Hungary, and England. Vance ship
would pull into Naples at least five times during a six-month deployment,
staying at least three to five days each time. It was on their first port visit into
Naples, Italy that Vance and Larry met Francesca.

Francesca was of Black and Italian ethnicity. Her mother was a Black
female from Chicago and had moved over to Europe in the 60’s to pursue a
modeling career. Her father was an Italian guy from Naples who owned a
string of Leather Specialty Boutiques name Beninati. The flagship boutique
was located in Naples at 5 Via Della Cavallerizza; the Boutique carried a wide
selection of leather goods and many different styles of bags and cases for
both women and men. Francesca was about 5’ 11’’ with a slim built, she had
a sun tan complexion with slightly large auburn colored eyes, which matched
her dark tinted auburn hair which was shoulder length, and she wore it pulled
back. Their first meeting was a little comical. Vance and Larry had went to the
USO Naples office to get their gig assignment for the port of call period, they
were told by Francesca that they would be playing at the NSA Naples base
club for two nights since their port of call was going to be five days.

The Naval Support Activity Base U.S. community in the Naples area
included service people and their families from each branch of the US Armed
Forces. The total community population was around 10,000. The bulk of the
US community in the Naples area is Navy, with Air Force personnel second
in number, followed by the Army, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, US civilians,
Department of Defense or State employees and family members rounded
out the community.