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Praetorium Honoris

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Out of Stories?

Cochem, Germany
(Source)
During most of the last decade of the 20th Century I was assigned to the E-3A Component of the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force (NAEW&C Force) based at Geilenkirchen, Germany. Situated as we were on the border near the Netherlands, and not all that far from Belgium, travel opportunities abounded.

Google Maps
As I recall, though it be long ago, every fall my unit would arrange a bus trip to the Moselle (Mosel, auf deutsch) wine making region of Germany. Also, as I recall, The Missus Herself and Your Humble Scribe went along on more than one of these trips. So let me tell you...

What? Are you sure?

Apparently I've already told that story.

I really thought that I had never told stories of those trips here at The Chant. There I was (not the start of a war story) all set to regale you with tales of wine drinking when a quick search revealed, AH HA!! I actually had told that tale before. Damn it, now what do I write about?

Oh wait, I know, there was this time I had to pull guard duty...

Nope, told that one already.

How about the IG complaint I had to...

Nope, told that one as well.

So it appears that of the seven plus years I spent in Germany, I've already told all of the really cool (well, I thought they were cool) stories. So now what the heck do I write about?


I well remember one of Lex's posts where he bemoaned the fact that he was running out of stories to tell of his days in the sea service. I'm not saying that I've reached that point, fact is, I don't know if I've reached that point. I'm pretty sure there has to be a story or two left from my days in Uncle Sam's Aerial Follies that I haven't related here, yet. Then again, maybe I have. (As one gets older, or so I've been told, one begins to tell the same stories over and over again. My kids claim this to be the case. I don't know where they get that.)

There's my F-111 vs B-52 story, but I told that one already. It's quite possible that I have told all of my good stories.

Time to perhaps tell the crappy ones, but...

Which does remind me of a story, albeit a short one...


So Sunday last was the anniversary of me winning the lottery, i.e. having wed The Missus Herself, some 42 years ago, in Korea. Said fact was brought up in church by the lady who does all of the announcements (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).

She attributed the longevity of our wedding to me knowing the two words all successful husbands know, to wit...

"Yes dear."

To which I, being in a rather contrary mood, replied...

"Oh, I thought you meant,

"Not today!"

The looks of shock and horror upon the faces of the female members of the congregation were a sight to behold. I swear, nearly all of the men giggled. And paid dearly for that.

Yeah, I like skating close to the edge, and yeah, The Missus Herself hit me. Hard.




22 comments:

  1. I need to visit Ypres. My Great Grandpa Wambeke came to the USA from there.

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    1. BTDT. Somber place Glenn. They've got (had in 97) a trench exhibit using an actual trench from the battle. Overlooking that was a Regimental cemetary. You might guess the relationship. That having been said, I'm glad I visited. You can read about something all you want, but until you walk the battlefield...

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  2. Happy anniversary! 42? That's the answer to the universe, life, and everything! Nice job.

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  3. Old stories and memories. Nearby your station is the Hurtgen Forest. Twice a year we 12B Combat Engineers who were further trained in mine warfare were taken there as a training exercise. The ground was still quite dangerous then (1964-1966). My respect for the WWII vets (including my oldest uncle) who had to fight there is boundless.

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    1. I visited there to snap some pictures for my own great-uncle who was with the 4th ID there in '44. He was WIA, survived the war, I still have his helmet, which has a bullet hole through the top which scored the liner as well, an inch lower and I would not have met him.

      It was a beautiful sunny day when we visited, completely unlike when he was there which was cold and wet.

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  4. Skating on the edge... as it should be.
    Every risk has its rewards.

    It’s those oft repeated tales that get better as they are refined.

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    1. Yes, that's it, I'm refining the stories, not repeating them because I forgot I told them already. 😉

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  5. Cochem? We hosted an exchange student from there. Which reminds me of a story! Thanks, Sarge.

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  6. You're not out of stories. You're out of easily accessible and allowable to tell stories. There are stories still in you, just either you can't talk about them or they haven't bubbled up yet.

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    1. I like the way you look at things Beans. That will be my story going forward, POCIR.

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    2. I know, I know! Let's do a code. Like "a" can be the numeral 1, and so forth. No one will ever know.

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  7. The answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42. The question is, did TMH hit you in church?

    Beans' comment made me wonder if my story about the young sailorette trying to get out of Sunday Duty on the strength of a case of impact pharyngitis is an allowable to tell story. Over at my place of course! Methinks 42 is not the answer to that one.

    Anyway, congrats to you and TMH, and thanks for providing such good reading while I was waiting for Mom's car to be worked on today.

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    1. She did indeed smack me in church. I think the Good Lord allowed it though, I did kinda deserve it.

      🙄

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  8. Enjoy the wife of your youth, the mother of your children. Let her tease you and task you. Love her now like you did then. There is nothing better than that.
    Jeanie 'n me are still doing those things, although the Hilton has become a condo and fabulous meals now come from Chik-Fil-A. Flowers still bloom and they have a great greeting card section at the Dollar General.
    If you thought spooling up was hard, wait 'til the spooling down starts.

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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