Ah September, I have some friends who were born in September and I wish them a happy birthday. There are two important dates for me in September. One is the fourth; it is my anniversary of enlisting into the navy, 59 years ago! Where did my life go? Many of the people I know aren’t even 59 years old.
There were several of us that raised our hands and were sworn in at the downtown courthouse. Then we got onto the train headed for Chicago with the final destination being Great Lakes naval training center. We arrived at the Chicago train station about 11PM and then got on a bus from there to the training center. We were hustled into an old WW-2 gymnasium that had perhaps a hundred bunk beds in it. Lights went out at 12:30 AM and as I drifted off to sleep I wondered, what am I doing here?
At 5:30 AM the lights went on and a crusty old navy chief was banging on an empty steel trash can with a nightstick. Now I knew what I had done and I was sure that I had made a big mistake. The great unknown had taken hold of me and I was frightened by not having a clue as to what would come next. In the next few days I was thinking I would not make it through boot camp. That’s when Charley Rose came into my life. He was born and raised about a mile away from where I was raised. He took me under his wing and piloted me through boot camp. He told me that I didn’t have to be the best there, but just a little better than the worst because those were the guys who would take the brunt of punishment during training. He showed me how to do everything I needed to do to make my way through training. I am forever grateful for all he did for me.
The second anniversary in September comes on the fourteenth of the month. That is when Joyce passed away. That will be a sad day this year and every September for the rest of my life. I have learned a lot in this last year. I had never lived alone in my lifetime until this last year. I’ve dealt with the worst grief of my life. I’ve learned how to cook for myself, how to talk to myself so my vocal cords would keep functioning, how to go to bed alone with no one to talk to at bedtime. how to keep house and do laundry, all things I never had to do by myself. I have learned to appreciate the life I have now. It’s not the best life I have had, but it’s the life I have and I am grateful for it.
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