I’m wondering how many of you folks who are in that retired category have cursed at your computer, laptop, or even “SMART” phone! I know that I am not the only one that feels this way at times. This week is a little different in the manner of attitudes toward “modern conveniences.” I have not only reconnected with an old friend from Ft. Bragg but have been able to contact two men that I had not had conversation with for over 45 years! And for those that will lecture me on Ft. Bragg, now being named “Ft. Liberty,” sorry, IT IS WHAT IT IS! I HAD BEEN “SURFING THE WEB” ON Facebook the other day when I happened to see a friend’s name pop up. It was a nice surprise for not only me but him as well. Now, I mentioned part of this happening two weeks ago (in my story titled, “The Legacy that You Leave.” It turns out that from speaking with this one “brother in arms,” I was able to get some information concerning another military friend as well.
This friend had lived in the same town as I did (while growing up through grade school). When I met him up at Bragg, I found out that not only was he a Florida Boy, but he was also a beach bum from Ft. Lauderdale (or, as many of the college kids call it, “Ft. Liquordale”)! Those two men “timed out” of the service about the same time as I did, but apart from seeing both of them only one other time (soon) after our service days, that was it (until last month). It turned out that as I again let my fingers do the walking through the land of FACEBOOK, this “Ft. Lauderdale fella” was dern near a neighbor again! I soon figured out that in the many years that I was hauling fuels around the southeast United States and Inverness (in Citrus County), I was going right by his neighborhood, and sometimes TWICE A WEEK! I do have to say that of the many times I had carried around this little Kodak “110” pocket camera when I ran with the guys in the “82nd” (Airborne Div.), I didn’t realize that the memories that I captured in time would play such an important part of what transpired these last few weeks.
When I sent him the note on “Messinger,” I included this picture (supplied) and got a rather instantaneous reply! Now, thinking back on those days up at Ft. Bragg (and as the picture shows civilian skydiving outfits), our adventures were not limited to the base. This picture was taken just before I was dumped out of a Cessna plane over the (then small) airport in Clinton, North Carolina. As a fitting side note to this story, the man I have been writing about is also the one with a cast on his leg, from a previous skydiving “adventure.” Being as he was not jumping that day, he was the one that “jumpmastered” me out over the airport grounds. It turned out that after I exited the tiny step (on the strut of the plane), the winds shifted just enough to put me over the main part of the airport (and then onto a farmer’s side property filled with rusty tractor implements). (My guardian angel worked overtime on that day!)
Getting back to the present day, I had a nice conversation with him, and as he was trying to describe the part of the town he lived in, I had to tell him, “I know where you’re at. I’ve been by there many, many times!” We were both amazed at how close we ended up living (near each other). It took the internet to finally make the meeting happen!
I hope that you all have a blessed week! (By the way, I’m the one in red).
Steve Goodwin is a recently retired Christian conservative veteran (of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division), who still feels that “duty to country” did not end when the military uniform got hung up. He and his wife Cecelia live on the edge of a beautifully wooded tract of land just south of the bypass, and are involved in not only church activities, but also attend school board meetings and local community action events as well.
