A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”?
2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, “Knowing is the easy part; saying it out loud is the hard part.”?
3. In what song (and who made it famous) did we hear the following:
   Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin’ for a train
   When I’s feelin’ near as faded as my jeans
   Bobby thumbed a diesel down just before it rained
   And rode us all the way into New Orleans

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Thanks to those who commented on my previous blog, #104—After Weeks at Sea, Finally… PI Liberty: Party Time. Several comments were spot on and reminded me of things I’d forgotten. Here’s a few more shared “memories:”

• “Ahhh, you no butterfly.”
• “There’s drunk… and there’s NAVY drunk. Trust me, there’s a big difference!”
• “I remember in ‘68 there were 4 CVAs with their support ships in port due to a typhoon. Prices went sky high in Olongapo!”
• “Magsaysay Street… I can neither confirm nor deny said street. But whatever may have happened there, stayed there.”
• “I for one HATED that port. Medical got slammed there. Over 20% came down with STDs.”
• “To this day, when I tell people what PI was like, most think I’m crazy. Ah, those were the days.”
• “I remember pulling in after an extended stay in the Gulf. Went through the gate & heard my 1st Beatles song: “Hard Day’s Night.” Those PI bands were great!”

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I’ll turn 67 years old next month. Not really a major milestone, but I’m at “that age” where I’m a little more opinionated than in years past. I don’t have as much patience as before, and one thing that sticks in my mind from the Navy days: “Hurry Up & Wait.” Oh yeah, I wrote a blog post about that earlier.

I say that somewhat jokingly, but it’s true. I’ve also noticed that as I’ve gotten older—and… retired—I seem to be busier now than ever. My days are filled with a plethora of things to do, plus—perhaps most important—I’m trying to take better care of myself. With my wife’s encouragement and setting our priorities, we’re making that happen, by exercising more and eating healthier.

With age… comes widsom!

Growing Up in a College Town

I live in a college town (Gainesville: University of Florida). Fact is, I was born and raised here and aside from my four years in the Navy and a stint of working for several companies around the country in the 80s, we ended up back here. Even though our kids were born elsewhere, they, like me, were also raised here in Gainesville.

The college town experience is nothing new. But as I get older, I tend to remember some of the things my parents said when I was growing up. No, I’m not becoming my parents, though some of their personalities (i.e., idiosyncrasies) are apparent in me.

But when you’ve lived in the same town for many years and you’ve seen it grow, both in square miles and in population (not to mention student populations), you tend to notice when the students are back in town: longer lines at the grocery stores, more traffic, and you find that a lot of the younger drivers are new to the city and don’t seem to know where they’re going. That, or they’re distracted by “gadgets.”

I try to be patient at the beginning of the Fall semester… I really do.

After the Navy

When I first moved back to Gainesville in 1977 after the Navy, I joined the Gainesville Fire Department. It was a natural for me since I was an ABH (Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Handler) Crash firefighter. Plus, it allowed me to return to college full-time while working full-time as a firefighter (we worked 24 hours on & 48 off).

I drove a 1976 Chevy pickup; I’d named her the “Chet Mobile.” Three on a tree, 350 cubic inches, and 300+ horsepower. All for under $5,000.

I did what the Fire Chief at NAS Agana, Guam once told me to do when talking about our fleet of Crash trucks. “Take care of her and she’ll take care of you.”

He was right. I was a shade-tree mechanic in my Uncle Walter’s gas station during high school, and I knew a thing or two about engines. This, of course, was before it became impossible to work on your cars with fuel-injection, computer-based crap, and dozens of fancy gizmos that seem to go awry or break the day after your car’s warranty is up.

Please… NO phone calls about extending my car warranty. I get 3-4 of those a week already.

The point I’m trying to make here is that when I came home and before I met Becky, I drove my truck around town, squealing tires, and making more noise than I should have, all the while trying to impress others. Did I mention the Thrush glass packs I had installed while in Bremerton, Washington?

After all, I was a proud US Navy veteran with a cool truck. I mean, why not?

See You at the Red Light

But now, today’s college kids seem to drive a little more reckless than back in my day. But I often ask myself, “is that really true or is it that I simply forgot how reckless I drove at that age?“

Just last week, I was cruising down a main road near the university going the posted speed limit (I still drive a pickup, but not “fixed up” like the Chet Mobile), and this young kid came up on my tail, honked his horn, then passed me (it was three lanes), making a hand gesture…

Let me pause here and tell you that I no longer “return the gesture” or say anything extemporaneous out loud. At this point in my life, it’s simply not worth it. I just repeat what my dad used to say, “See you at the red light.” And nine times out of ten, I pull up alongside him or her, and simply smile.

But “on the inside,” I say to myself: “Got you way up there didn’t it, you yahoo!”

There was that one time, however—not too long ago—during fall football season and cool enough to ride around with my truck windows down.

Similar situation: a young little turd with loud mufflers zoomed passed me, his radio blaring. I just kept cruising down the road and when I pulled up next to him, I turned and commented, “Nice car, but your engine’s skipping. The timing is retarded by about 5 degrees. Might want to have it checked out.”

The kid didn’t know how to respond, but I musta given him something to think about because he said with a puzzled look, “Thanks, I think,” then slowly pulled out when the light turned.

Shade tree mechanics rock!

That won’t be the last time I use that line, either.

Where Has the Time Gone?

I mentioned earlier than I’ll be 67 next month. My mind still feel like I’m in my 20s, but my body reminds me DAILY that I can’t do many of those things I did back then. That’s okay… no complaining. I’m happy to be able to stay active and healthy.

One of my favorite movie quotes comes from Deep Blue Sea (1999), where “Preacher” (the cook, LL Cool J) explains to the physicist with two PhDs, “Tom Scoggins” (Michael Rapaport) his own theory of relativity:

“Einstein’s theory of relativity. Grab hold of a hot pan, a second can seem like an hour. Put your hands on a hot woman, an hour can seem like a second. It’s all relative.”

And as I’ve mentioned before in earlier blogs, my wife & I often joke about the new “definition” of life as you get older.

“When you first break out a new roll of toilet paper, it unravels slowly. But as you near the end of the roll, it seems to unravel much faster. Sort of like how time seems to fly when you get older.”

One More… Thanksgiving

I don’t know about you, but Thanksgiving last year was a blur. In fact, it just wasn’t Thanksgiving… it was the whole friggin’ COVID year.

I remember sitting down to write my blog for Thanksgiving a year ago: “Nuggets of Normalcy” – Thanksgiving Style. Somehow, the “Zoom Thanksgiving” thing, while appropriate at the time, just didn’t do it for us. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the technology and the ability to visit with family & friends; it just wasn’t the same; far from it.

But this year is different. We’ve both gotten our vaccinations and our boosters. And yes, while we are venturing out more and more to church, eating out, and visiting friends, we’re still trying to be cognizant of where we are and what we do.

For us, Thanksgiving this year will be spent with family—a first in quite a while. We’ll still enjoy the “4-Fs:” Family, Friends, Food, & Fellowship… 5 if you watch Football.

And as a favor to me…

… as you and your family & friends sit down to feast this Thanksgiving holiday, take a moment to not only be thankful for your blessings, but also thank a veteran and our active duty service men and women. Many of them are not “at home” with their families, though they may enjoy time with their “families away from home.”

I wish you and yours a warm, “huggable,” and blessed Thanksgiving.

Until we meet again,
Andy

Answers

1. George Burns.  
2. The Horse Whisperer (1998), Tom Booker (Robert Redford).
3. Me and Bobby McGee (1967), Janis Joplin; written by Kris Kristofferson & Fred Foster.

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Previous blogs mentioned in this post:

• #104 – After Weeks at Sea, Finally… PI Liberty (Part 2)
• #100 – Milestones
• #24 – Hurry Up and Wait!
• #58 – “Nuggets of Normalcy” – Thanksgiving Style