White Christmas - I Wish I was Back in the Army

With the serious observation of Veterans Day behind, and Christmas not far ahead, I'll post a  scene from my favorite Christmas movie. It sort of reminds me of myself in the mid-late sixties.

I left active duty in May of 1963, before any serious fighting began in Southeast Asia. When the shooting began, I tried to reenlist, but the Air Force recruiters were swamped with draft-avoiding applicants who had no desire to serve in the infantry. With all those eager-beavers hoping to get into Air Force and Navy technical jobs, the AF wasn't taking prior service vets unless they were already qualified in the combat career fields. To top it off,  they weren't even letting those guys retain the rank they held previously. I had been on a tactical  missile combat crew, but my missile was being phased out, so I couldn't even get my old job back.

Since I was married with two kids, there was no way I could afford losing a stripe in any situation. Military pay really sucked in those days, and promotions were very slow. I even considered joining the Army, but would have had to start all over by going through basic training again as a private E-2! Despite being on the AF recruiter's list in two states, it was 1972 before I was able to reenlist as an Active Reservist, but I retained my old rank. It all worked out well in the long run, and I spent another nineteen years having a job I loved.

Getting things  around here ready for winter has brought car restoration to a screeching  halt. When I do get a few minutes of my own, I work on wiring hook-up charts, but have hardly picked up a tool recently.

Winter has already arrived with a blast. From hot and rainy a few days ago, to heavy-coat weather the last week. Tonight we are expecting our first snow flakes to arrive, but nothing serious...with the exception of a cold north wind! My remaining tomato plants survived the first freeze when I covered them last week, but I doubt they will make it when the temps hit the low twenties tonight.

It looks like it will be early December before I can get back to the Plymouth, as my wife will be traveling to Las Vegas to spend the holidays with her son and his family. One dog and I will take care of things around here while she's gone, and the dog won't have a list of things she wants done every day! Besides, she only weighs ten pounds, so I'm still her boss.