Our OWN home, and Fred ‘n Frances!

Okay, we are about 20 years old. We are paying rent on a small apartment, and having nothing lasting to show in return.  While home on leave We spotted a 28’x8’ trailer. We had loved the trailer at Camp Geiger, and had no problem living in it. We wanted something that was going to be ours.
WE looked checked on the loan and payments. The payments were going to be less or about the same as the apartment, but it would be ours. We somehow got the loan and returned to Mississippi to find a place for it.  Daddy, always the helpful one said, “I will finish up the paper work here. When you find a spot, Dick and I will bring it to Mississippi for you. His DeSota  will tow this little thing fine.

(Jackie, closer to a year old, that was our trailer, yep, just an old silver aluminum trailer, but it was ours. I am the skinny kid in uniform)
Remembering this brings a great feeling to me. You cannot imagine how I felt. I felt like we were buying a 3BR 2 Bath house. I know it was ‘Just a trailer’ to some, but to us it was going to be OUR home.
We located an older mom & pop trailer park across the Biloxi Bay Bridge in Ocean Springs. The price was right, $12 a month plus utilities. WE notified our Land Lord, called Dad and he said they could have it down on Tuesday of the next week.
We parked in a sorta open spot, but the owner said we could move soon, a spot was coming open under a shade tree. Of course we needed that with no A/C. After a few weeks we moved and settled for the ‘rest’ of our tour.

(This was a little later, Dad Came down bringing the oldest Grandson, Howard to meet the Youngest Grandson, Jackie)
There was something I did not know, Sherry was in a depression, and driving the bridge across the bay gave her attacks of panic sometimes. It was ideal for me, I worked just across the bridge at Point Cadet, the home of the Crash Boats.
A lot came open right beside us and a Coast Guard Petty Officer named Fred Alton Brannen and his beautiful smiling wife move in next door, they had a daughter, Frankie, 3 months older than Jackie Jr.
We were to become life long friends. They are still some of the dearest people we know.

This was taken inside Fred and Francis’s trailer, their trailer was bigger than ours, I think was 30’.



(Fred & Francis, 1959-now after close to 50 years on the mission’s field)
Fred actually worked within a 100 yards of where I worked on Point Cadet.  He worked as an electronic tech on the LORAN navigations systems.
Sherry and Francis became VERY CLOSE friends.  That friendship was part of Sherry’s therapy.
What a wonderful feeling, super neighbors and we were buying our HOME!  Maybe I will be able to give my girl all I had promised.
Thanks for coming by the log.
Nite Shipslog
PS:
Life was good, Life was simple. There was no extra money for a lot of recreation, but WE WERE STILL our entertainment. Our social life was friends at church.
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