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september 3rd, 1963... remembering
3 Sep 2006 22:24:41 GMT alt.fiftyplus
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david...
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looking back...
Dalin and I had been married for 33 months, 18 of which I had been Jean B....
stationed overseas... we were anxious to rebuild our lives together... on Monday, sept 1st, I had flown from Iraklion, Crete, to Athens. The flight was commercial, on an aging DC-4. I felt that I was on the wings of angels. I was going home to dalin. Arriving in Athens, I was totally lost. fortunately, a friendly sergeant and his family welcomed me to share their cab to a local hotel... (no, I had never thought of getting a room reservation... I recall a small room with a bathtub with a seat - no shower... and when i went for breakfast, no one understood 'bacon and eggs and orange juice'.. attempted to appear cosmopolitan by taking my paperback novel, "The Cardinal", to the lobby to read... I don't think I fooled anyone.. :) I recall a frightening cab ride to the airport... and after sitting for what seemed like hours, our flight was ready... what startled me most was that, after 18 months in Greece, as soon as my feet stepped into the TWA 707, I was in the U.S. - home, emotionally. Just a startling experience. Yes, we stopped in Rome and a few other cities, but I was home. As the plane landed at Idlewild airport, the background music in the plane was "Tara's Theme." I was home and felt this was a personal message. Dalin and I had fond memories of "Gone with the Wind" and, to Jean B....
me, this was a positive signal. This day, september 3rd, was a stressful day. It was a day of paperwork at McGuire air force base in new jersey. Any error in paperwork, any mistake in any issued clothing not returned, could cause a week or more delay in discharge. I had prepped for weeks prior to this and was rewarded by having no errors in the paperwork. Persons with paperwork errors were assigned to various chores, from mowing grass, KP duty, painting rocks, whatever... I was blessed... :) On Thursday morning, September 4th, I would board a bus to Hartford to rejoin Dalin. the seconds seemed like decades... :) I arrived in NYC at the huge terminal and paced for several hours until my bus was called. Sitting in that bus, watching it leave the big city, was one of my happiest moments - I have never liked big cities and to leave this one was a real joy!!! arriving in Hartford in late evening, I took a cab to Weathersfield... and to Dalin. :) that trip, each event, and finally reaching Dalin, will forever be chiseled in my memory to remind me of how blessed I now am. Sue...
and I am... :) JD Cooper...
Jean B....
Joy...
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