Hi Mates
ET will remember, as well as some of the others.
I was a very lucky kid, I was in grammar (elementary school) during WWII at Pensacola, FL. Dad was in charge of advanced air training (Capt) and took me flying in everything they had including PBY, PBM, SNJ, Stearman, SBD, Kingfisher, and some others. What a blast. Got me hooked on flying.
Anyway, we went home to Memphis in 1946. Back then coke came in a bottle for a nickle, gay meant happy and fun, weed was something you dug up in the front yard.
Security at our house was the hook on the screen door, everyone left the keys in the cars in the driveways and on saturdays, we went to the movies that cost me a quarter. 15 cents to get in, a nickle each for popcorn and a coke. Double feature with 10 cartoons, plus Buck Rogers serials. Left my bike out front with no locks. Summers were hot, how did we live with just the attic fan. When the polio vaccine came out they gave it to us at school on a sugar cube. No one got sick. No one sued the school board.
The family retired to the sunroom after dinner to listen to the radio shows mentioned above. I recall our first TV we got in 1952. Had about a 11 inch screen. We used to watch the test pattern and then the static to see if we could see something else. I got my first color TV when I was in the Army in 1964. By the way, everyone served their country back then. You did two years either after high school or after college. Everybody was a veteran. Did my time during the sixties over there, nobody ever spit on me though.
No problems with the Plege of Allegiance, hand over heart for the National Anthem, a little prayer before class in school. Also, no problem with the principal giving you a little taste of a canoe paddle if you really screwed up.
Talk about memories coming back. Now with 6 grand children, three children, one of whom, my son, is a Major in the Army (Blackhawk driver), having done Afganistan and Iraq. A Long time has past but I know I have been a very lucky person to have lived during the very best times in the USA.
Being disabled, if has been my pleasure to participate with all these young furballers since back in 1996 in Warbirds and coming over to AH with the beta. Made some good friends up here. Met a bunch of my squaddies in England, and we get together over there from time to time. I fly with the Brits as we can get together in the afternoon. I go to bed early these days.
Not much good in AH, but I do have a good time. Hats off to all you young whippersnappers (does that mean something bad now, please don't call the ACLU). Some of the things you say and do literally crack me up. Keep it up.
Cheers and check six all the time.
Majors
249 RAF
Oldest Yank in the RAF
