RICHMOND —
Veteran’s Day (Remembrance Day in Canada and Great Britain) is upon us once again, and my mind goes back to my own military service. I trust you will indulge me in this reminiscence.
Many Madison Countians went to the Army in 1951. I was one of them. I held a newly presented ROTC second lieutenant’s commission and with the Korean War heating up, I was called to active duty in August of 1951. Theodore Dunn, a friend from Cal East,was called up at the same time. Through an unusual turn of events, we two Madison County boys served together in the same battalion for our entire two years of service.
We were fortunate in that our field artillery battalion was sent to Germany for occupation duty (V Corp, 7th Army) rather than to Korea. We were assigned to fill out an 8-inch self-propelled field artillery battalion, and part of a reserve unit from Pittsburgh (lots of polkas and steel industry people) that had been called to active duty. Theodore and I were in Germany for 17 months. We were very lucky young men; the Russians never came west, and we never heard a shot fired in anger.
In August of 1952, I took a leave and went for a tour of the British Isles. Across the English Channel by ferry, I enjoyed England and then went by train to Edinburgh, Scotland. The first day there, I was persuaded by an Australian naval commander to go out on the town. I met this beautiful girl with long red hair. My tour effectively ended then and there, and I never did get on to Ireland or the northern isles of Scotland. Instead, I waited every afternoon at the bottom of the Mound in Edinburgh.
Down the hill would eventually appear a tram (streetcar) and off it would come the most beautiful girl in the world, Mary Jean Gladstone Purves. She is still the most beautiful girl in the world to me some 58 years later. She worked at the Royal Infirmary in the old town. Our time together often was spent in front of a coal-burning grated fire at number 80 Bonaly Road, Edinburgh. Although World War II had been over for six years, food and material rationing was still the law in Britain, and austerity never was far away.
I had to have the Army’s permission to marry a non-U.S. citizen. After what seemed forever, forms were filled out, inquiries were made, permission was granted and I headed for Britain from my post in Germany in my 1951 Chevrolet (purchased brand new for $1,890 in northern Kentucky before my posting). At this point, I had two major problems related to driving an American car in Britain (the left side of the road). First, the driver cannot see around the car he is trying to pass on narrow, winding, two-lane roads. Second, at night, U.S. cars don’t really dim their lights; they flip the beams off to the side, down and to the right. This shines them right into oncoming British cars.
On May 25, 1953, we were married in the Central Hall Methodist Church in Edinburgh, with the Rev. Levi Dawson officiating. There were two ladies on my side of the church — my landladies at the Randolph Crescent Hotel where I stayed. My parents, being good Kentucky Southern Baptists, were not sure if all this Methodist ceremony was legal. Apparently it was, and it has lasted over 58 years so far.
On our honeymoon, I took Mary to London and Paris — you cannot beat that. It just happened these cities were on the way back to my base in Germany.
Back at our post, an old, traditional field artillery ceremony took place. We were driven around the base riding on the back of a caisson (as in the old song “the caissons keep rolling along”) with a procession of cars and jeeps behind with horns blowing. What an introduction to American life!
We were told by the Army that we were stationed in Germany to keep the Russians out of Western Europe. They never came, so I guess we accomplished our mission. It is probably a good thing they did not come as the battle hardened units all ended up in Korea.
So this Veterans Day reminiscence may be a history lesson or a love story — you decide. Either way, I still think I am married to the most beautiful girl in Madison County.
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Looking at various things
During my eight years away from home (Richmond and Madison County) the post office tower was a beacon welcoming me home.
Today, the the stone edifice completed in the 1892 as a post office and federal courthouse is the Madison Hall of Justice. -
Things are different than when we were young
I was just thinking the other day about how confused we seniors are most of the time. Things are so different than when we were young. We find it hard to understand much of what we are confronted with.
Some things like this happen to us frequently. We begin a conversation with, “In my day.” We look so old we are followed around by archeologists. We tell our kids that old age causes us to become wiser and they tell us, “Then you must be a genius.” We no longer look forward to a wild evening out, but look forward to a dull evening in. -
We are heirs and joint-heirs to His kingdom
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. — Rom 8:14-19 -
How little exercise is necessary for good health?
How little exercise is necessary for good health?
That question was the subject of a recent investigation by a team of exercise scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and the answer seems to be a lot less than we might think, as long as we’re willing to put in the effort. -
A mother’s love never stops
A mothers love will always be there. Even when everyone else stops to rest, her love for her family continues. She is always working, carring and sharing what she has with her children, even if she has to do without for herself.
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Start planting your hot weather vegetables now
Hopefully, the unusual spate of unseasonably warm weather we had earlier this spring did not fool you, and you’ve been patiently waiting to get your hot weather veggies, such as tomatoes and peppers, into your summer vegetable garden.Now is a good time to start planting these delectable goodies.
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Rethinking the benefits of crunches
I’ve been doing crunches all my adult life and it may be one of the reasons I have back problems. Research from the University of Waterloo in Ontario has found that repeated bending of the spine, such as occurs when doing crunches, can contribute over time to damage of spinal discs. The results are presented — along with a lot of other useful information — in the book, “Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance” by Stuart McGill.
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Is 401(k) good for America?
Internal Revenue Code section 401(k) is the only section of the US tax code that average people can cite.
They know it has something to do with whether or not they can retire with dignity. Or retire at all. -
He is there when you need Him
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. — Psalm 139:7-10 -
It’s tough to be old
I was just thinking the other day about how tough it is to be old. We seniors have so many things to contend with. One of the first things is our memory, or perhaps I should say our lack of memory. I’ve often thought it is easier for us to remember things that happened to us when we were kids than to remember what we had for lunch yesterday. Names are hard to recall. It is embarrassing to meet someone who is familiar and we are certain we should know them, but simply cannot remember their name. In a conversation with a friend, to talk about a former friend but neither of you are able to recall their name.
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