Cosby kept cracking jokes as he had shoulder boards pinned on and was outfitted in an officer’s uniform. “I hope these are not years of service that I owe,” said Cosby, looking down at the stripes on his arms.
From 1956 to 1960, Cosby served as a hospital corpsman in Quantico, Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland and at the Bethesda Naval Hospital. Discussing his service, Cosby joked, “I think I took some great X-rays of people, I think I was fantastic at draining blood, I think I was painless at shots.”
Echoing remarks that he made at the Lone Sailor Awards Dinner in September, Cosby told the crowd why he joined the Navy instead of another branch of the military.
“I based it on how I wanted to die,” said Cosby of his choice. “I don’t want to go in the Army cause I’ll die in a foxhole in dirt. You have to eat out of cans. They always give you a cigarette before you die. Don’t want to be in the Air Force because you’re up in the air and people are shooting at you. ... you get holes in the plane, and it gets rattly. Don’t want to be in the Marine Corps because you die before you even get out of there. I want to be in the Navy because when you die, you’re in the middle of the ocean, and it will wash your underpants. That’ll make your mother very happy.”
The comedian mentioned the women in his life a few times during the ceremony. “I thought the wrong person was up here. My wife is a magnificent chief,” said Cosby. “I’ve learned a lot from living with two women: a mother who saves everything you’ve ever done and a wife who throws it all away.”
He may have learned a lot from the women in his life, but he learned how to clean a ship deck from his fellow Navy men. Cosby did some mock mopping on stage, making fun of the way civilians clean. As he whooshed across the stage, he said, “As you can see, I’m becoming more comfortable in my uniform.”
