Category: Military

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1990

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date July 24, 2020

Every 2ND, 3RD, and 4TH Friday of the month I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 20, or 30 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 30 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday July 22ND 1990:

“Don’t Go Away Mad … Just Go Away” – Motley Crue
“The Cradle Of Love” – Billy Idol
“Possession” – Bad English
“She Ain’t Worth It” – Glenn Medeiros With Bobby Brown
“King Of Wishful Thinking” – Go West

30 years ago this past week I completed a 2-week TDY. In military lingo a TDY is a temporary duty assignment that’s physically located somewhere away from your home station – usually for the purpose of training or deployment. I spent 2 weeks at Tyndall AFB near Panama City Florida. It was the wildest and craziest 2 weeks of the active duty portion of my military career.

I arrived on Saturday July 07TH 1990. 2 weeks / 10 days of training (related to my job) began on Monday July 09TH 1990 and ended on Friday July 20TH 1990. I returned home on Saturday July 21ST 1990. I drove a total of 1,687 miles from start to finish in my red 1989 Geo Spectrum. (Even back then I kept track of road-trip mileage.)

Me and one of my classmates (same age) discovered and explored (for the first time) Panama City Beach during the weekend break. We partied hard like it was 1990 and we were 23 years young. We hit up Spinnaker and Club La Vela. They were the hottest nightclubs on the beach for many years – located right next to each other. We went there both days / nights that weekend.

It was a rockin’ and rowdy weekend that I looked back at fondly for many years – until salvation began 16 summers later in 2006. That’s when I stopped celebrating it. That’s when I started repenting it.

But that wasn’t enough. I returned to Panama City Beach for 2 days and 2 nights leading up to Christmas Eve in 2010. The beach was cold and deserted. I was bundled up. I was back at the scene of the crimes. I walked the beach alone. I admired God’s beauty. I repented of my sins and I asked for forgiveness as I paced back-and-forth. I listened for God’s voice. Once I departed the beach on the morning of Christmas Eve I felt that I had finally closed that chapter of my life.

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and He will again send you Jesus – your appointed Messiah. For He must remain in Heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through His holy prophets. (Acts 3:19-21 NLT)

I observe that weekend in July of 1990, but I don’t celebrate it anymore. I thank God for rescuing and saving me from destruction some 16 years later. That’s what I celebrate nowadays – especially each summertime. Next month I’ll celebrate 14 years of salvation.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

Tags 1990, Music, Panama City Beach, Radio, Top 40

Career Driving Military Travel

The Chris M. Day Retirement Highway

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date July 23, 2020

There’s a stretch of highway that begins at the northern city limits of Homestead Florida (my home and workplace for almost 33 years). It continues north-northwestward for about 212 miles along Florida State Road 997 and U.S. Route 27. It’s affectionately known as “The Chris M. Day Retirement Highway” – or the #CMDRH for short. (Chris M. Day is my name – in case you haven’t figured that out by now.)

When I drive the #CMDRH as I sing along loudly and proudly to the hottest Christian hits on the radio I picture imaginary signs along the side of the road spaced about 2 miles apart from each other that identify it as “The Chris M. Day Retirement Highway” / #CMDRH. The signs have a dark blue background with bright white lettering with the year 2023 at the bottom of the sign. (What an imagination I have !)

The #CMDRH includes a pivotal 54-mile stretch at the northern end that extends from Florida State Road 60 (to the north) to Florida State Road 70 (to the south). Somewhere within a mile of that 54-mile stretch is where I plan to move and retire in less than 3½ years. I’ve actually narrowed it down even further to the southernmost half of that 54-mile stretch. So it’s somewhere within a 27-mile stretch of U.S. Route 27 that I call “The Retirement Zone”. Sebring Florida is at the epicenter of it. (I plan to retire in Sebring.)

Sebring is a slow-growth military retirement town of about 10,600 residents within its city limits. Its population has only doubled over the past 70 years. It’s actually the urban commercial center (and seat) of its county (Highlands), and the county itself has just under 110,000 residents. It’s been an incorporated city for 107 years. It’s got a very low cost-of-living compared with much of the state of Florida. That makes it very attractive for retirees.

Nearly every road-trip vacation northward includes a trip along the #CMDRH and “The Retirement Zone”. The first 212 and last 212 miles of my recent 1,690-mile road-trip was through the #CMDRH – a week and a day apart. Once I’m in “The Retirement Zone” I drive a little slower, I look around a little longer, and I dream of a new chapter of my life that’s not too far into the future. I wonder what my life will be like when I live there in that area following the conclusion of my 38½-year U.S. Military and Government career.

Animals Christian Church Driving Food God History Military Photography Travel

Fort Morgan

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date July 9, 2020

This past Sunday I wrote all about my fun adventures just outside the big city of Mobile Alabama. I praised, worshipped, and celebrated Christ at my friends’ church. I enjoyed a delicious Thai Lunch. I walked a family farm with goats. Sunday was my fun day away from my family on this family vacation.

The next day – Monday – was supposed to be a fun family visit to the local zoo in Gulf Shores. I had planned on this day for many weeks. I was really looking forward to it. I soon realized that (aside from myself) nobody else was really interested in going to the zoo – not even my two nieces (ages 10 and 7). I was a little bit heartbroken about that.

I decided to simply go to the zoo by myself. As I was looking for a coupon to the zoo in a tourist magazine I stumbled across a full-page color ad for a place I had never heard of before – Fort Morgan. It’s an old war fort at the far-western tip of the barrier island that Orange Beach and Gulf Shores are located on about 30 miles away. It sits at the mouth of Mobile Bay where it meets the Gulf Of Mexico. It’s an Alabama State Historic Site and a U.S. National Historic Landmark. It’s on the U.S. National Register Of Historic Places. The brave soldiers that served at this site protected our nation during the War Of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War 1, and World War 2.

In lieu of the zoo I went to the fort by myself early last Tuesday morning. When I arrived at the entrance gate I was immediately greeted and recognized as a Veteran. I was admitted for free. That was a nice surprise. I spent a couple of hours touring the site. It was bigger and better than I expected. I took 44 photos of the 200+ years of history all around me. I’ve already posted over a dozen of these photos on my Flickr site, and you can also see the last 5 photos posted here on my blog site. Here’s one I haven’t posted yet:

This visit – planned just hours in advance – turned out to be one of the highlights of my recent 9-day / 2-state / 1,690-mile road-trip vacation. I’m glad I discovered it in a tourist magazine. I’ll be talking about this place for years to come.

Tags Alabama, Fort Morgan

Blogging Career Home Life Military

Anniversaries

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 11, 2020

It’s Thursday June 11TH 2020, and weekends begin on Thursdays here at #CountUp. This is the start of another weekend of blogging for me. Tomorrow (Friday) it’s RETRO, and I’ll check-out my life and times via music from this weekend 15 years ago in 2005.

I’m observing a series of personal anniversaries during this first-half of June. I graduated from high school 35 years ago last weekend. I attended all 4 years (1981-1985) at Langley High School. YES – That’s the same Langley that is also the home of the Central Intelligence Agency. Many of my classmates were sons and daughters of CIA agents, and many others were sons and daughters of senators and congresspersons. I was an odd one out there. I wasn’t rich. I wasn’t cool. Nobody remembers me from high school – aside from perhaps my Spanish 1 teacher from 1981-1982. I actually follow him on Facebook, and he sends me “Happy Birthday” greetings each year. I wonder if he really remembers me ?

35 years ago tomorrow is my official 35TH Anniversary in the United States Air Force. It’s the day that I left home for a new life and adventure. It unexpectedly became my career. It’s been a pretty good career. There were some bad years including a 13-year pit of despair (1994-2007). But that’s been followed by a 13-year peak (2007-2020) that I hope continues on until the day that I retire and move away from here.

Speaking of moving away from here – I moved in to my current home 25 years ago this Saturday (June 13TH). It’s the longest I’ve ever lived in a single home in my entire life, and it’s not even close. I previously lived in the same home for 5 years and 9 months (1975-1980) as a kid in Lanham Maryland. I moved in to my current home as a 28-year-old who had never set foot in or even knew of this neighborhood’s existence until a few days before I actually moved in. A local Real Estate agent showed me this home, and she didn’t have to show me any other. I accepted it. It’s one of the best decisions of my life. I rented it for 6 years, and then I bought it.

So that’s where I am during this 2ND week of June of 2020. I hope that you’re having a better June than was your March, April, and May. We’re getting back to normal after an unexpected season in hibernation. Let’s root for each other. Let’s cheer each other on. Let’s be nice to each other. Let’s love our neighbor.

Tags Blog, Christian