- I am a retired soldier with many medals, awards and decorations. I have a Bronze Star for serving in Vietnam and an Army Commendation medal with a "V" device for Valor for doing something incredibly stupid and yet brave. With a very short time left in Vietnam I went out to the guns (155mm Howitzers) and traded shots with a recoilless rocket from a hill top on the opposite side of a valley. I should have stayed in the bunker and let the Chief of Smoke direct the fire but just couldn't. Everyone in the para pit where we were firing from was wounded but me. Our scout team said the hillside opposite us was covered with blood from where I wounded the shooter(s) but all the bodies were carried off.
- I was awarded one of the highest peacetime medals you can be awarded, "the Legion of Merit". It was for retiring without totally getting fired or embarrassing my boss as I left. In fact I had to hunt to remember exactly what it was.
- I have been ambushed, shot at, mortared, fired at with both a 122mm rocket and a recoilless rifle. I have never been wounded. Well, my dad did nail me to a box one time but that's a whole different story.
- I never cease to be amazed how little we know about the many people we all know in common. Here in Tecumseh, almost everyone "knows" everyone else but really don't know all the facts, only the public face of the people. I describe it as a mile wide and an inch deep. (Thank God)
- After 30 years in the Military I can hardly think without swearing. Because of my public face as a Substitute teacher I have to work hard to keep from saying things totally inappropriate. Well, Fuck that, I'm not going to work there any fucking more!
- I tell everyone that I hate cats and yet I have an outside kitty that I sit with and pet. I feed him and check him for ticks and am concerned when he doesn't show up for a day or two. It is the most verbal cat I have ever seen. He meows to me almost constantly. He doesn't stop until I feed or pet him. We sit in the sun and just chill out - a lot.
- I really care for people but the ADD side of me can make people think of me as the most thoughtless person alive. Believe me when I say that I have to work hard to remember to do nice things. If I forget something that is important to you it is probably just because it was one of the thousand of things I forgot that week. If it is important I try to write it down but even then, I forget to read what I wrote a lot. Thank god for my Franklin Planner. It has my brains and my passport. When I make a list of things to do I can get a lot done. When I am not working a list I can spend more time doing nothing than anyone I know.
- If I were to win the lottery, I would turn into Jay Leno and have more old cars than I should. I would have to hire a good mechanic but I would do my best to drive them as often as I can.
- In spite of our reputation of saving almost every dollar we can, I buy lottery tickets. It is a whole bunch less than I wasted on beer and pipe tobacco but yes, I know it is a stupid bet.
- I had to change the spots to numbers to keep track of how many things I posted. My attention to detail is only compensated for by the fact I know so much stuff it is scary. I listen to Jeopardy and know a lot of the answers if I am working on the computer. Somehow I can focus on that if I am distracted by something else. It was kind of the same way in school. I would listen to music as I studied. For some reason classical music was the best for me.
5/03/2007
TAG, I'm It
I was tagged and asked to post 10 things most people don't know about me. This creates a problem in that I'm almost transparent and most people that know me don't want to know any more. Oh well, here goes:
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I have to use lists... and I have a zillion... and no ADD. If that's any consolation.
ReplyDeleteAll those medals.. pretty cool, MUD!!