In the USAF about two years and still an E-3, low man on the totem pole. I was assigned to the 790th Radar Squadron in Kirksville, MO.
The trip was eventful. We left 8o degree weather in Biloxi and met 13 below zero in Kirksville. This was after getting snowed in in Kentucky and stuck on Ice in the Cape Girardeau area of Missouri.
Missouri was a wonderful duty assignment. It was a small radar site of 70 men. Ideal duty. Here we lived in our 42x8 Mobile home in Downing Trailer Park. Kirksville is known as the home of Osteopathy. Our neighbor in the trailer park, Mrs. Wilson was the head nurse in the Osteopath Hospital. I will admit to not knowing what Osteopath was until moving to Kirksville. I had never heard of it.
Hippies were beginning to be seen in the USA during the late 50’s early 60’s. One was a student of Osteopathy and in our trailer park. I was washing my car once and he walked up. Looked as me funny and said, “He man, is this where you always wash your animal?” They visited us a couple times and never sat in a chair, but on the floor. It made me smile.
(This is Shirl’s old home place, son Jack shot the picture a few weeks ago)
My job at the Kirksville, AFB was classified at the time. I was a repairman on the ANFST-2 computer built by the Burroughs's Corp. We were part of the nation wide radar coverage all which fed to the super secret mountain home of SAC. (Strategic Air Command).
The T-2 was an amazing computer at the time. Using vacuum tubes the computer took up at least 1000 sqft of floor space and another 1000 sqft for the Air conditioning. It kept the track and height of all air craft within 250 miles.
While here Jack was awarded Airman of the Year and showered with many gifts from the local merchants, but still no promotion.
During this time we were still active in church. WE met some wonderful people, some who are to this day VERY close friends. Our favorite families the ‘Conrads’ and the ‘Guffees’ were a breath of fresh air.
The trailer park owner allowed space for each tenant to have a garden. That was our first. We enjoyed the fresh veggies. Being a real Farmer I had 80 tomato plants from seeds. And a bunch of Turnips. (You read that right 80 plants, after all we loved tomatoes and there were 3 of us!)
I was feeling a change of direction in my life again, this time toward the ministry(Yeah, that is right another change). The local church ‘set me forth’ and recommended me for license. I started to study the scripture more diligently. Even having a packet of scripture on my steering column, so any time I was driving, was a few more minutes with the scripture.
I am not sure how it happened, but Sherry became pregnant again….
(I needed to do some serious studying on cause and effect.)
Nite Shipslog
PS:
This time she was all smiles. Looking for that little Girl.
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a $380.00 paint job. (38000 pennies)
All pennies glued to the car to give it the Copper car.
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11 comments:
But we know the rest of the story in that she got another boy :)
That had to be a change to go so drastic in weather to frigid from warm!
betty
Snow tonight....but, by midweek we'll be in the 70's....hope it last..!
Does that copper car say "Please TOUCH the car"??
I hope the glue holds; a lot of us still pick up pennies. ;-)
bonnie k.
That Burroughs computer was high-tech for its time!
It's amazing what we can do on our iPhones now. The iPhone can do things computers couldn't not long ago. Then there's the computing power of your basic desktop or laptop now - so much computing power in such little space - and no vacuum tubes! :-)
So Shirl still has snow. I love the picture of her home and the beautiful flowers. Then boy number two is coming. You are a busy guy!
Both boys born and raised and we still worry about our kids, right?
It's a parents job.
So you's a computer genius...brilliant, so much more so than the lightbulbs running our country...perhaps they could use those the petty change from that penny car...I LOVE that. I can imagine how much that weighs those wheels down? Phew
80 tomato plants? WOW. now that could make plenty of sauce and tomato sandwiches...
love from up north...we're having a heatwave getting up to 42 today.
It's m e l t i n g!!!
You must have had enough tomatoes to eat, give, and sell. Kind of bigger then mine is going to be. lol One plant in a cattle feed bucket. I like the car with the pennies all over.
That is a lot of tomatoes. We have a lot of osteopaths here. I didn't know Kirksville is known as the home of Osteopathy.
PS: Have you heard of the veg.
square that is the way I spelled
squash. My spelling is getting bad.
I tried to delete my comment but
will not delete it. My computer is
slow it may delete it later.
Will never forget my visit to Kirksville when you mustered out of the Air Force, so much fun! Looking after Jack, Jr. and changing Mark's diaperS. And Sherry thought it was a "burden", HELLO! I was used to dealing with seven younger siblings at that point ~ that was before the icy, January that David Luke Conrad arrived. Remember you driving down to our house, putting our very pregnant Mom in your car to take her to the Moberly parsonage where you could take her to the hospital when the time came for his birth. She extolls the care and attention Sherry showered her with, the room that was cozy and inviting. YOU.TWO.ARE.AS.AWESOME.AS.EVER.
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