I had a busy year that year in 1989. After my family reunion in Casper, Wyoming I had to go to Norfolk, Virginia on July 29, 1989, for the commissioning of the ship that my brother Fred was going to be on...The U.S.S. WASP (LHD 1) 
It was a good feeling watching those sailors go into the ship for the first time now that it was commissioned. It was an interesting ship. It looked like an aircraft carrier, but only held helicopters, troops and the navy HELCATS. It did carry the Marine harrier jets, that could take off vertically. We went aboard her after the ceremony and looked at some of the Marine helicopters that were on deck and went below deck for a tour, which my brother gave us. He was a plank owner on this ship. Here is a picture of him helping someone off a helicopter. 
I asked my brother Fred later on if he liked the ship and he said no, because it was too big, he liked the smaller ones. When he first went into the Navy he was aboard the USS Coral Sea during the sixties. He was a Hall Tech. Here are some more pictures of the ship at commissioning time. 
On August 2, 1992 I went to Charleston, W.Va. to go to a Vet group sponsored picnic down in that area. 
Everyone belonged to different Vet groups. These Vet groups were sponsored by the VA. The groups were for Vets troubled by PTSD. We had alot of fun. It was family oriented. They had the special forces repelling from a helicopter, and also parachuting from one. 
We had a regular picnic, associating with one another for one day. We have local get togethers where I live also. We meet at someone’s house to be with each other and visit.
In September 1992, I was invited by a friend to go to Kokomo, Indiana to the annual Vietnam Veterans Reunion there. Here I am sitting with two of my friends. I’m the second one from left. 
It was hosted by about three hotels near Kokomo. Every type of veteran's display you could imagine was there. Helicopters from the local guard units and artillery pieces too. 
There were guys present from every branch of the service that served in the War. Several vets camped on the grounds in tents or campers. 
It lasted for three days, with special speakers and entertainers. 
The Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall was there that year. 
It's gotten so big now, that they have it at the local fair grounds.
Over the past several years, I have gone to Virginia Beach, to see my brother when he was stationed at Norfolk. On one occasion, he invited me down to go on a one day cruise on his ship before they pulled out to go to sea. They planned a cook out on the flight deck and all the eats you wanted. When we were out to sea a little ways, they had touch and go flights by a Marine helicopter 
and a demonstration of a Hellcat at work in the water. 
That was a very interesting sight. Today's Navy is something else. They work hand in hand with the Marines. Here is a picture of my brother, Fred, Me, my son Scott on board the ship. 
On February 14, 1997, my brother Fred retired from the Navy. I drove down to St. Marys, Georgia for his retirement. My brother Tom flew in from Lincoln, Nebraska. He had his retirement in the base chapel. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal at his retirement. 
In Grand Navy tradition, he was piped off of his enlistment, and the bells were rang. 
After the retirement ceremony, he had a reception, where the Captain of the base helped him cut his cake. 
Fred had served 22 years in the Navy. He had served on six different Naval ships during his Navy career. He was stationed on a submarine base at the time of his retirement. He took us to the base exchange to buy some things. We had a cousin from Florida that came up to his retirement. He was from my mom’s side of the family. This picture is of the three brothers that were there. Me, Fred and Tom. 
Fred went into truck driving after his retirement.
On other visits to Virginia Beach, to see my brother, he would take me over to the beach area, we would walk along the beach picking up seashells. 
It was in December and hardly no one was on the beach. Only a few daring souls in the water with wet suits on. When he was transferred to St. Marys Sub base, I would go down there and he took me through the sub museum at St. Marys. I went down there one time when they had their annual shrimp feast. He would take me to the flea markets in Florida, and I would spend hours in one of them, or we would go visit one of the cousins in Florida. Then we would go out to eat somewhere.
In May 1998, I went to Washington D.C. with a few friends that I met on the internet. We stayed at the Comfort Inn, the same one that I stayed at before. One little lady, her name was Cindy, wanted to go to the Wall on Friday, the day I got there. I had only been at the hotel for about 15 minutes when I met her. I met her at the elevator trying to get someone to go down to the Wall with her. I had talked to her on the internet, and knew that she was coming. She was anxious to get to the Wall and see the name of one of her childhood friends on it. She had some letters that she wanted to leave at the wall, so we took the metro down to the wall. It stopped in downtown D.C. and we had to walk several blocks to the Wall. She found his name on the Wall and sat there just studying it and then cried some. 
She made a good reflection in the Wall. 
The one that was killed in Vietnam was in her fathers cub scout troop and she knew him while growing up. It shocked the family when he was killed in Vietnam. We both then walked around the Park, looking at the Nurses Memorial, since she was a nurse herself. 
Then we walked over to the Korean Memorial, and looked at it. It was awesome, foot soldiers on a patrol. 
It reminded me of how we did it in Vietnam sometimes. We also visited the three Vietnam Grunts Memorial. 
It was getting toward late afternoon, so we boarded the metro back to the hotel. Well we boarded the wrong one, and had to take two different ones to get to the right place. I wasn’t used to the under ground subways. The people seemed friendly on them and they helped us catch the right one back to the hotel. I met a group of Vietnam vets at the hotel that called themselves The Few. 
They consisted of just a group of Vets who served with the Marine Corps or were attached to them by being a Navy Corpsman. They were a wild bunch of guys, and they really enjoyed each others company. Friday night we went to the Marine Barracks at 8th and I and watched the Twilight parade by the Marines. After the parade Cindy had to pick up another Vietnam Vet at the airport, so she took a taxi there to pick him up. I never saw her after she left. The Few and I went to the Wall Saturday, both in the day time and again at night, so that some of the guys, that had never been to the Wall could go and remember some of their lost buddies. It was hard for some of them, but they managed. Cindy has a good site for Vietnam Vets. She is an American that is married to a Canadian and lives in Canada. She keeps a journal of what she does each day. Interesting!! Click on her name Jausten for her website.
After a family reunion in June of 1998, I left Reno, Nevada, and drove down through Las Vegas, Nevada, and from there down to Phoenix, Arizona. Then I drove the 300 miles up to Page, AZ. I wanted to go back to one of my old growing up places. I wanted to go back to Page, Arizona and see how it had changed since I left the area in the summer of 1963 after my 9th grade. They were building the Glen Canyon Dam when I was there. 
They started from bedrock and up, first putting the bridge across the canyon. 
I went back to my old High School that I had attended. It was about the same but they had added some more buildings to it. The church row was still the same. The apartments that I once lived in, were made into small motels. 
Each unit was a separate motel. I went toward Walweap, which is a Marina at the Lake. Well, they had installed a toll booth there and you had to pay to get down to the Lodge area. I toured the dam and went to the bottom of it. I saw the big turbines that were installed to provide electricity for Page and other areas in Arizona. These turbines were installed after I left Page. I walked down to the lakes edge, where it used to be a canyon when I was there, 700 feet down. There were buildings and stores in Page, where there was just a desert field that I use to walk out into. Page had turned into a tourist town. There were a couple of hotels that were just built and not opened yet. I went down to the access tunnel where dad had his guard shack, and the scenery was the same, but they had a fence up where the access tunnel was. I drove over to a sight, about 35 miles north of Page, called Parrie Townsite. This townsite was in the State of Utah. We used to go there all of the time. It has an old western movie set, just before you get to the townsite. The buildings were run down now, and some of them were missing. There is also a camping site next to the movie set. The townsite itself used to have buildings also, 
but they moved them because the area flooded, and ruined the buildings. It was an old settlement town in the mid 1800's, along the Colorado River area. It has an old grave yard dating back to the mid 1800's. The landscape around Page never changed, it's still the same as it was when I was living there. 
Page has a Police Department now and a Volunteer Fire Department, which it didn’t have when I was living there. Somedays I wish I had gone back to Page to find work after I left the service. It's still part of my life.
In July 1998, I went on a 3 hour stern wheel ride with the Johns Manville quarter century club members. This is the plant that I work for. You are inducted into this club after twenty five years of service with the company. We went down the river a few miles and then returned. They had a meal catered, so we ate aboard the boat. I have been on many stern wheel rides around here locally. It's a common thing to do here. A few years ago I went with the local VFW group on one. You can watch the different scenery along the Ohio river here as you go up the river.
In mid August 1998 I went to see LeAnn Rimes at the Ohio State Fair. 
She did a marvalous job in performing. She has a beautiful voice, and only 16 years of age. She has won several country music awards. Bryan White performed just before LeAnn came on.
These were my fun pursuits in the past. I do not know what the future will bring. None of us do. So I will just live for today, enjoying another day that the Lord has given to me.
Let the sun always rise and shine on your new day. Because today might be a better day for you.
