Boot Camp

Today Groover Fence Company did some repairs here. They put up our fence over 40 years ago. We talked about his first cousin, 5 brothers. Anyway, after he left I thought about his cousin Parks. I have know Parks since grammar school. After high School Parks went into the Air Force. There he was taught surveying. Surveying he had the adventure of a life time, surveying areas in and near New Zealand. Then he was transferred near Orlando and was able to come home often. He bough some kind of eccentric/classical car that had something like a straight 12 engine. In 1962, I joined the Naval Reserve. I was to go to a 2 week bootcamp at NAS Atlanta and go on 2 year active duty in July. The bootcamp was, I suppose, like a bootcamp was suppose to be: Everybody hopping and snapping to, taking every thing deadly seriously, and responding to questions loud and nervously short. This whar I was getting to: One night, after lights out, near midnight I think, the night guard and my group leader me up. They told me an Air Force Officer came to see me. He was in the Head waiting. I went to the head hurriedly, not taking the time to put my pants on, I only had skivvies on, like underwear. I opened the bathroom door and there stood Parks in an dressed Air Force uniform with officer bars on his shoulders. He burst out laughing. He told them he was an officer with Dobbins Airs Force and he was there to tell me personally that one of my grandparents had died. I forgot which one. Then he pulled out a whisky flask and both had a swig. Then he left. The group leader wanted to know what he wanted and I said it was personal. I’m surprised they didn’t say anything about my whiskey breath. Maybe Parks gave me a mint to chase it with.