Old Weird Ward
Unless otherwise noted, that which is posted here is opinion, which is protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution. If you don't like my opinions, go somewhere else. Nobody is forcing you to actually read this drivel.
The presumption exists that you can read at all.
That may be a large assumption.
Blog Roll
|
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
Well, it's been a week (note to self: do this more often, dippo!)
Here's what's happened recently, along with a thought or two about the apparantly impending "war" in Iraq
- - - - - Car Crisis - - - - -
On Sunday, some blasted free-lance socialist decided to redistribute the wealth a little, in his/her favor. While we were having dinner, the nasty little creep smashed the window in our car and stole my wife's purse, which she'd left in the car, well hidden, whilst she, our two daughters, and me were feeding at the local steak-house.
"Shucks, and other comments." (see Starship Troopers, R.A. Heinlein. What? You're not familiar with the works of Mr. Heinlein? You silly person!)
The resultant confusion and necessary recovery activities screwed up my travel plans, cost us some serious loot (look, Bubba, anything more than $10 constitutes "serious loot" in my book - especially if I have to spend it cleaning up after some low-life, no-good, semi-literate, amoral, wretched....well, you get the idea!), including a day's lost wages for me! See previous paragraph above. If, by some chance, I should ever catch this alleged person, he/she is going to be one sorry puppy. And then, if I'm feeling generous, I might call the cops to pick up the left-overs. Or, I might the leave the left-overs where they lie, moaning.
- - - - - On the Road Again - - - - -
After shifting my schedule around due to the activities of the Free-Lance Socialist (see above), I'm on the road again, from San Jose to Seattle to Anchorage (that's Alaska, folks). Brrr.....for a California boy, it's coooolllllddd up here! I'm scheduled to do an upgrade at Elmendorf AFB. The guy I've been talking to swears that rumors of Polar Bears on the runways of Elmendorf are gross exaggerations put out by the tricksters to scare the credulous tenderfeet.
OK, I'll buy that, I think. I'm still afraid I'm gonna end up in penguin poop up to my ears!
The actual temp is +29 F right now (9:30PM, +9 GMT)
After I'm done at Elmendorf, it's back to Seattle to hit two hospitals in the Puget Sound area. I'll be staying with my Dad, which will be very cool. Which brings up....
- - - - - Veteran's Day - - - - -
Yesterday was Veteran's Day.
I'm sometimes a little uncomfortable with that. I'm a Vet (USN, 1969-1973), yet I don't think that I deserve any great thanks for what I did, which wasn't really all that much. On the other hand....
My Dad went in to France at D-day + 3, went all the way to Germany with the Big Red One as an infantry man. He got shot up a couple of times, then came home and built a family. He never talked to me about his war until after I came back from my war (Viet Nam). And he didn't talk much then - and I didn't and will not push him on it, either.
A few years ago, Dad came to visit us in San Jose. He and another older gentleman got to talking about their experiences in WW2. The other Older Gent was in the Navy - joined up in 1940, and was on the USS Lexington (aircraft carrier) when she was sunk at the Battle of the Coral Sea, served on a cruiser after that, and was in Tokyo Bay when the surrender took place in 1945.
They agreed with each other - "Man, the war that YOU had woulda scared me spitless!".
Both of those Old Gents scared ME spitless!
I got news for you, folks. I learned more about my Dad's War from listening to him and the other Old Gent for ten minutes than Dad ever mentioned to me in my entire 53 years. And these guys don't think they did anything special.
So....."Thanks" to all the Old Gents that are out there, who carried the load for us all. If you know a WW2 vet, you might pass that "Thanks" on to them. They're leaving us now, and the time to say "Thanks" is upon us.
To get a taste of what is was like for them, I commend to your attention "Up Front" by Bill Mauldin. Joe and Willie went through the War with Dad, and one of the things that he did say about Mauldin's book is that he mostly got it right.
The Old Gents were, and are, giants.
|
|
