Well maybe not kicking but still alive. Has been a rough few months, no need to go into detail, just take my word for it. Don't mean to be melancholy or morbid but there comes a time when you finally realize your not invincible anymore and actually never were. On my last visit (vacation at the VA) I was told absolutely no alcoholic beverages. On the way home I asked Marge to pull into the Beverage House, bought a case of beer and a case of wine, bottle of Maker's Mark, Jameson and Bombay Gin. Came home had two fingers of Maker's Mark followed by two beers, had a double Martini before dinner and a glass of wine with dinner had two fingers of Jameson as a nightcap. Best I slept in the past two years. I keep on telling Marge to buy me some good cigars and a pouch of Redman when she is out and about, seems to be falling on deaf ears!
Keep safe out there and have fun well you still can - cuz it ain't going to last forever.
I was wondering where you had been just the other day Mr. JohnP. Good to know you're still kicking. Take care.
Pat
Great hearing from you John.
John,
Thanks for the update and I am glad that you are sleeping better. If I had that much in one day I wouldn't be able to find my bed. :biggrin:
Jerry
Yes Sir Mr. John
Thanks for the update, like you I finally realised I am not 25 years old and have to slow down a little bit and it sounds like you have found a solution to solve some of the problems. Good for you. Your friend cc
Good to hear from you John. Been wondering how you have been doing. Hope the coming days find you and Marge enjoying what life has to offer. It's all about simple pleasures.
Dave
Great to hear you're back home Mr. John!! I too am pleased to see you are enjoying life to the fullest!! Hope to hear from you more often again!!
BTW-- What would be your most humorous coyote hunt story & your most "DAMMIT !@*&^%#)(&*!!!" coyote hunt if you don't mind me asking these questions??
You're a lucky man to have Miss Marge!! I know Diane would do the same thing for me on my way home too!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
No Doctors going to tell you what to do lol :nono:
Good to hear from you my friend. Keep it comin :wink:
Good hearing from you again, John. I sure hope your VA is one of the better ones.
Everyone dies but not everyone dies well. A person should go out on their own terms I say. But, like you, I'm trying to put that off for as long as possible. :wink:
Yes, good to hear and a good update it was. I've ben thinking of you and wondering how you were doing. I like KySongDog's comment to continue on your terms.
Glad to see your post John, but sorry to hear you're not feeling well.
You remind me a lot of my dad. He always used to say he'd rather live one day like a lion than a thousand like a lamb!
I'm praying for your better health
Best part about aging is. You can rip one off & blame the dog.
Quote from: HaMeR on September 12, 2016, 01:41:11 PM
Great to hear you're back home Mr. John!! I too am pleased to see you are enjoying life to the fullest!! Hope to hear from you more often again!!
BTW-- What would be your most humorous coyote hunt story & your most "DAMMIT !@*&^%#)(&*!!!" coyote hunt if you don't mind me asking these questions??
You're a lucky man to have Miss Marge!! I know Diane would do the same thing for me on my way home too!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
Glen I think one of the best was some years ago up north in the high country. Had an old Fox Pro 16 I think it was playing jack in distress. About two minutes into the call we had three coyotes coming in at a dead run. We decided to have a bit of fun as they got within about 10 yards of the the caller we switched to a lone wolf howl. The lead coyote tried to turn around but was going so fast he turned and started to tumble, the second one ran smack into him and also did the tumbling act while the third one just sat there as if to say "what just happened".
Dammit - Again up north calling. Found a nice spot up underneath some low hanging pine branches had the caller out about fifty yards in front. Turned the caller on and sat there for about 10/15 minutes without and response what so ever. Got up to fetch the caller, heard a grunt behind me, turned and saw Mr. BIG Black bear who was no more than five feet behind me. He growled, popped his teeth a time or two ---- I screamed at him ---- he turned and ran away, as did I. Picked up the caller, went into town, stopped at the first saloon and spent the rest of the day there.
Mandy is working on a series of short stories about her dad, she calls it "Soldier, Cowboy, Hunter but mostly Dad"
Quote from: KySongDog on September 12, 2016, 08:49:42 PM
Good hearing from you again, John. I sure hope your VA is one of the better ones.
Everyone dies but not everyone dies well. A person should go out on their own terms I say. But, like you, I'm trying to put that off for as long as possible. :wink:
We do have a good VA, once you get past all the bureaucratic bull. Doctor's are great, nurse's pretty and young and very respectful. I know not all VA hospitals are a quality facility but I think the one in Tucson is.
Quote from: JohnP on September 20, 2016, 11:40:44 PM
Quote from: HaMeR on September 12, 2016, 01:41:11 PM
Great to hear you're back home Mr. John!! I too am pleased to see you are enjoying life to the fullest!! Hope to hear from you more often again!!
BTW-- What would be your most humorous coyote hunt story & your most "DAMMIT !@*&^%#)(&*!!!" coyote hunt if you don't mind me asking these questions??
You're a lucky man to have Miss Marge!! I know Diane would do the same thing for me on my way home too!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
Glen I think one of the best was some years ago up north in the high country. Had an old Fox Pro 16 I think it was playing jack in distress. About two minutes into the call we had three coyotes coming in at a dead run. We decided to have a bit of fun as they got within about 10 yards of the the caller we switched to a lone wolf howl. The lead coyote tried to turn around but was going so fast he turned and started to tumble, the second one ran smack into him and also did the tumbling act while the third one just sat there as if to say "what just happened".
Dammit - Again up north calling. Found a nice spot up underneath some low hanging pine branches had the caller out about fifty yards in front. Turned the caller on and sat there for about 10/15 minutes without and response what so ever. Got up to fetch the caller, heard a grunt behind me, turned and saw Mr. BIG Black bear who was no more than five feet behind me. He growled, popped his teeth a time or two ---- I screamed at him ---- he turned and ran away, as did I. Picked up the caller, went into town, stopped at the first saloon and spent the rest of the day there.
Mandy is working on a series of short stories about her dad, she calls it "Soldier, Cowboy, Hunter but mostly Dad"
Good stories, and I like the title of Mandy's book enough to pre-order!
Thank You Mr John!! Not sure which I liked more tho!! Those 2 coyotes bowling one another over or the bear looking for that free meal!! Good thing you got up when you did!! :whew: :whew:
2 coyotes all balled up & one going :hahaha: :hahaha: :alscalls: :alscalls:
1 hunter going :holdon: :holdon: :sad3: :sad3: & where's the "running for your life" smilie Jim!!!!
:wink:
John,
I am eagerly awaiting the release of the stories.
Jerry
I just want to let you guys know that it took me a little over an hour to type that and that is why I don't post very much anymore, but I do check in and read almost every day.
I certainly appreciate your taking the time to post those Mr. John!! I was entertained by that post very much!! I would love to read the stories you are having written up as well.
LMAO @ Jim!! :alscalls: :alscalls:
Did I ever post the story about Juan, Jose and the Feral Cat or Gin & Apple Juice, both are just little snippets that she is "trying" to put together in one small journal. Pat and Johnny might appreciate The Cobra Makes Beautiful Music.
Lets hear it
Isn't it nice that John drops in and gives us 'just a hint' of what we might get to read? No it isn't. He needs to have his daughter do a cut and paste and get this out here so we can read more about it. Come on John, we are waiting. :biggrin:
Jerry
Sounds like you're still living life to the fullest John...Doctors orders. Ha...I'd do the exact opposite of what my doctor says to, but he truly is a quack. I refuse to visit him at all.
Anyway...we're waiting pateintly for the Juan, Jose and the Feral Cat or Gin & Apple Juice stories. :biggrin:
Steve
Quote from: Hawks Feather on October 27, 2016, 08:35:49 AM
Isn't it nice that John drops in and gives us 'just a hint' of what we might get to read? No it isn't. He needs to have his daughter do a cut and paste and get this out here so we can read more about it. Come on John, we are waiting. :biggrin:
Jerry
:confused: I hope those little snippets you're requesting don't hurt his book sales Jerry!!!!! :eyebrownod: :eyebrownod:
Quote from: HaMeR on October 27, 2016, 04:10:53 PM
Quote from: Hawks Feather on October 27, 2016, 08:35:49 AM
Isn't it nice that John drops in and gives us 'just a hint' of what we might get to read? No it isn't. He needs to have his daughter do a cut and paste and get this out here so we can read more about it. Come on John, we are waiting. :biggrin:
Jerry
:confused: I hope those little snippets you're requesting don't hurt his book sales Jerry!!!!! :eyebrownod: :eyebrownod:
I am sure that they will just convince all of us to buy the full set of 7 books. Or was it 8?
Jerry
Yeah you're prolly right Jerry!!
AGAIN!!! :eyebrownod: :eyebrownod:
You guys sure are hard on a handicapped old man. Mandy will be here today so I promise she will post one of the short stories.
Quote from: JohnP on October 28, 2016, 10:40:31 AM
handicapped old man.
John,
You can say what you want but we know you could probably still kick our backsides if you want to.
Jerry
I was going to post about Juan, Jose and the Feral Cat but "he" said no, let's do one of the soldier tales. Keep in mind that this was in the early 60's and the civil rights act was just kicking in and he was in the south.
We had just finished a grueling 6 week survival training course in the swamps of Georgia, one young officer and eleven enlisted men. We had earned our Green Berets a few short months ago and this little exercise was the beginning of forming us into a team and learning how to work together as an "A" Team. We finished up on a Wednesday and didn't have to be back until the following Monday. We decided to take our time in returning and would only drive a few hours a day and enjoy the time-off after six weeks without a break living 24 hours a day in a swamp. While still in Georgia one of the guys suggested that we stop at the next motel, enjoy the pool then go for a few beers and have a good dinner. Sweet talking SOB that he was we all agreed and pulled into a motel just a few more miles up the road. After we settled in got cleaned up a bit we drove around until we found a nice, or so we thought, saloon. Did I mention that one of the team members was a man of color? As we entered the saloon all eyes turned and focused on us. We moved two tables together, drug some chairs around and all twelve of us settled in for some good cold brews, some pool playing and of course some story telling. Our waitress came over to the table to take our order, the Captain, being the senior guy at the table said: "we'll all have a beer, whatever you have on tap." She returned shortly with one beer and sat it down in front of the man of color. Then we heard from the guy behind the bar: "We now have a law that says I have to serve the "N", but we ain't got no law that says I have to serve the white trash that came in with him." We learned more about ourselves in the next few minutes than we had in the past six weeks, and it really was a team building experience. It cost us two nights in jail, and about $1,500 in fines and damages, a lot of money at the time, especially on a soldiers wages, but money well spent. We made it back to our home base a day late and we all had to report to the Group Commander in the morning. We thought the worse and knew our careers in the Special Forces was over, we would be returning to a regular army unit. The Group Sergeant Major had us all standing at attention when the Group Commander came in and started his tongue lashing, it must have lasted 5 to 10 minutes and he never stopped not once, screaming hollering and just plain cussing us out. Then with a smile on his face he said: "Job well done." reached over to his desk and handed our Captain a rather hefty envelope. Inside that envelope was about $2,000, a collection from the officers and men of the Command instigated by the Sergeant Major after the incident was reported. After we all got our share of what we paid we had about $500 left, which paid for a few kegs, and some burgers and dogs for all the men of our organization the following weekend. We later learned that the collection effort was the idea of the Sergeant Major and he personally collected from the enlisted men and the CO personally collected from the officers
Our young Captain went on to make full Colonel and was awarded the Medal of Honor, as was two of our Sergeants, unfortunately one was awarded posthumously.
It's all about teamwork!! Great read Mr. John!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
Great story John! I also know my father would have enjoyed reading it. He was army.
Take care of yourself.
Dave
Loved it John!
Thanks Mandy for typing it up!
John,
You were a Green Beret and I sincerely thank you for your service. Did you ever think that some of that service might be the reason you are not moving as fast now as you did then? :wink: Thanks for the story and also to Mandy for getting it ready for all of us to read. Have you ever thought of getting a recorder and getting some of your stories recorded so that Mandy or someone else could get it preserved as a word document? My dad was in Germany in WWII and he finally after me asking talked a little bit about his time there - usually only highlights like the towns they saw etc. I told him once that he needed to take the tape recorder and record these memories so that I could share them with his grandkids, etc. He said that it was a great idea but he never got around to actually doing it.
Thanks again for your service and story,
Jerry
Great story. Made my day. Fun read on the surface and deeply powerful. Thank you for the effort that took to post it for us.
Never thought of asking for donations for my indiscretions. :innocentwhistle:
Great story.
Quote from: Hawks Feather on October 28, 2016, 04:06:36 PM
Quote from: JohnP on October 28, 2016, 10:40:31 AM
handicapped old man.
John,
You can say what you want but we know you could probably still kick our backsides if you want to.
Jerry
Yeah and don't think I haven't thought about it.
Jerry - ALL of my health problems are service connected, three Purple Hearts tend to have a little impact on a persons body as does a parachuting accident and motorcycle incident. I have told the kids anything they ask about, with little exception. I started to tell Mandy about death on the Congo but could't finish it, maybe one day. Suffice to say I was in the Congo when Idi Amin Dada was in power in Uganda. I also have a 50cal rifle that seen and done things nobody should have to see or do. I have tried to tell my son about it but again couldn't finish it. I wrote a brief story about it, rolled it up and put it in the barrel, I promised that rifle to his son, so one of these days he will know about it. There is a lot more to that story as I did go into some things about one of the Sgt's and our young Captain.
Anyhow I would not trade a day of my military service for anything, and if I could I would do it again.
Thanks John not just for the story's but for all you gave to all of us. Your a true hero! Along with others on this site and in the world.
Sent from my BLU STUDIO 5.0 C HD using Tapatalk
Quote from: JohnP on October 29, 2016, 12:02:26 PM
Quote from: Hawks Feather on October 28, 2016, 04:06:36 PM
Quote from: JohnP on October 28, 2016, 10:40:31 AM
handicapped old man.
John,
You can say what you want but we know you could probably still kick our backsides if you want to.
Jerry
Yeah and don't think I haven't thought about it.
:yoyo: LOL!
Thanks Mr. JohnP, you were, and still are The Man. :bowingsmilie: :bowingsmilie:
Pat