On this 11TH day of the 11TH month we salute our military veterans – about 25 million of us living today – who served our country during a time of war or conflict.
Some of us were ordered to go to war by our superiours, and some enthusiastically volunteered to serve. Some of us were overwhelmed and celebrated by our fellow Americans when we returned stateside, and some were ignored, abandoned, disrespected, and hated. Some of us were proud of our challenging work overseas, and some were ashamed of it. Some of us have good memories of our experiences abroad, and some never recovered from the hell on earth that they lived through. Some of us returned back home again to our friends and family armed with vivid war stories, and some returned back home lifeless in a casket.
On this day – and every day of the year – we should never forget our veterans. We are the reason why this free nation – The United States Of America – exists today. You may not agree with our reasons to be at war, but you should never take out your disagreement with national policy on those who served – on those who fought for your freedom to disagree. Let us always honor all who served. Let that honor be expressed in more than mere words.
Chris M. Day, USAF
Veteran, Operation Desert Shield & Operation Desert Storm
Tent W-23, Al Kharj Air Base, Saudi Arabia
05 January 1991 – 09 March 1991
Saturday November 06TH 2010
Volume 3 / Number 9 / Edition 106
25 years ago this weekend I flew on an overnight flight from Northern Virginia to London England to arrive at my new home for the next two years – my first permanent duty assignment as a young 18-year-old USAF Airman. I took British Rail from London Heathrow Airport to Reading – and then from Reading to Swindon further west. From Swindon I hired a cab to take me to my new home and workplace at RAF Fairford. During that cab ride on that sunny and cold morning of Sunday November 10TH 1985 I heard the chilling song “Road To Nowhere” by The Talking Heads on the radio. How appropriate.
My first couple of months at RAF Fairford were mostly spent on base either working at the office (as an aircraft maintenance systems analyst / statistician), or living in the dormitory. I lived in the old-style dorm buildings on base – small ones strategically built in a series of rows shortly after World War II. There were no bathrooms in any of the dorm rooms. They were down the hallway – community-style. Our ‘Day Room’ was where we hung out after work to socialize and watch TV and play card games – mostly Uno. There were some fun all-night sessions in that room. Good times and good memories with good buddies at the time. I can still see us all sitting around that big round table in the corner laughing and carrying on at 3 AM in the dead of the British winter. It made it easier for me during that first Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holiday season away from home in a foreign land.
Shortly after 1986 arrived I got to upgrade to my own 2ND floor room in ‘the new dorm’ – with shared bathrooms in-between each dorm room. I also made my way out of the dorm and began exploring the vast U.K. countryside and historic European continent.
But my U.K. experience all began during those first two memorable months of November and December of 1985. One of the top pop / rock hits on both sides of the Atlantic during those early days and weeks at my new home was this comeback smash from Starship. Here’s “We Built This City” – the # 1 smash on the Billboard Hot 100 exactly 25 years ago this month – and one of my favourite songs of all-time !
WEEKEND GRAB BAG O’ THOUGHT:
25 years ago today a young 18-year-old version of me woke up bright and early a couple of hours before daybreak, checked-out of my dorm room, packed up my first car – a beige 1980 Chevy Citation – and embarked on the longest road-trip of my life (at that point). It was a 700+ mile trip eastbound along I-70 from Chanute AFB Illinois (next to Rantoul) through Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia to my destination – McLean Virginia. It was a long-awaited homecoming for me after being away for 4½ months at USAF Basic Training and Tech School. It was great to see my family (including my lovable cat Fluffy) after being away for such a long time for the first time in my entire life. I got to celebrate Halloween with my 10-year-old little brother at the time. I walked with him as he went trick-or-treating all throughout our neighbourhood – visiting many of my former customers from my newspaper carrier years. After 4½ months I was all grown up and in the Air Force. My military leave was short-lived though. 10 days later I was on my way overseas to my first permanent duty station in Great Britain. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year would all be celebrated in a foreign land away from home.
BEST LUNCH OF THE WEEK AWARD: Longhorn Steakhouse wins this week’s award (yet again). I enjoyed another spectacular Lunch there today. Coming in 2ND place for the week is a brand new joint that me and some coworker friends discovered for the first time on Thursday. We enjoyed a nice Mexican Lunch at El Santo Coyote – located on U.S. 1 in Princeton at theoretical SW 261ST Street. They made their own homemade salsa right there at our table as we watched. I ordered one of their combination plates consisting of a taco, a burrito, and an enchilada with golden rice and refried beans. It was all delicious, but service was a bit on the slow side. I still recommend it though, and I’ll go back again when I’m not in a hurry to get back to work.
FORTUNE COOKIE MESSAGE OF THE WEEK CLUB:
– Plan a vacation with loved ones.
TAYLOR LESLEY DAY MEASUREMENTS OF THE MONTH CLUB:
My gorgeous niece turned 6-months-old last week. She now weighs in at over 17 pounds, and she’s 26 inches in length. I last saw her about 4 months ago, and I get to see her again in just 20 days ! She smiles a lot because she’s happy ! 😀
THOSE SCARY SCARY CATS:
BLATANT PROMOTION:
Tomorrow night on the blog it’s another fresh new edition of my venerable ‘Saturday Night Retro’ as I flashback to Halloween nights of the past. I’ll also feature the Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett classic from 48 years ago – “The Monster Mash”. Then on Sunday the treats continue with another new blog post – ‘Halloween Night Shenanigans’. Be sure to check that one out after you’re all done trick-or-treating. In-between all of the blogs it’s all of my tweets @majorhitwaves. Have a wonderful weekend my friends. Have fun. Be safe.
Saturday October 09TH 2010
Volume 3 / Number 5 / Edition 102
I lived in the Great U.K. for 2 years and 1 week from November 1985 to November 1987. It was a wonderful (and quite memorable) time during my young life. I remember distinct details of those two years more than any other two year period in my life. There are many great memories – as well as a bunch of not so great memories. One of my best friends back then is now my longest-running friend. We still keep in touch with each other after more than 24 years even though it’s been nearly 23 years since we last saw each other. I wish I still had contact with my other friends back then, but I did some things that I’m really not too proud of. I was young and immature at the time (like we all were). It resulted in the end of friendships that should have continued on through the years. The past can’t be changed. History can’t be rewritten. I can only move forward into the future, and do the right things at the right times.
Thank You my friends for those two wonderful years of working, living, and playing in that foreign country that we once called home. Thank You for those 17 music concerts that we enjoyed together in London, Oxford, and Birmingham. Thank You for partying with me. Good Times indeed.
CountUp 