Category: Jack

My husband is a Vietnam Veteran. You know, the unpopular war. Wait, most wars are unpopular, but the Vietnam War found many young Americans treating the returning military abominably. So it was with Hubby.

He served his Country proudly. he made many sacrifices. He was out of the country for over a year. His plane was shot at. He had friends that died. It was a tough time, but he did it because he believes in our Country. As did the men and women, so many of them that did not come home.

I was not married to him then. I was just a wee bairn. I am grateful I did not know him then. I am not sure I could have taken him being there at that time. During the Vietnam War, there was no Skype, just Ham Radio Operators who occasionally put a call through Stateside.

He did come home, to a country of hostile people. But thank you to God, for bringing him back.

Now he is having health problems directly related to his service in Vietnam. The VA is evaluating him and I hope they can help with his healthcare.

My point today is to always appreciate the military that serve our country. They are your fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, mothers, sisters, daughters and aunts.

May this Memorial Day be a day of reflection, when one considers the sacrifices made by these men and women in service to our country.

To those who came home, and to those who did not.

God bless them all.

Happy Birthday to my dearest husband. You have made my life full and happy, and you have always been there for me! You truly are, my lover and my best friend!!!

I hope today is special for you and the year ahead full of happiness and joy! I love you!!!

Hubby went off to a doctor’s appointment today and he offered to do the grocery shopping on his way home. So, I prepared a typed, detailed list, complete with coupons, of everything we needed.

Living up here in the wilds of New Hampshire, means our closest discounted grocery store is about 30 miles from our home. Getting reasonably priced groceries is not that easy.

He called at 4 pm and told me he was done with the doctors, and on his way back. Not too much time passed before I got another call and he told me he was just arriving at the grocery store.

I started to calculate when he would get home, I guessed probably about 6:30 pm. 7 o’clock arrived, then 7:30 and no Hubby. I wanted to call, but I worried about calling his cell phone when he is driving in the dark.

Finally at 8 o’clock he called. I figured he was on his way home by then, but he was still in the last store.

What a long day for him, and I am so grateful. Although I am so much better I’m still not up to being out and about in the world.

I have leftover lasagna for his dinner, or almost anything else he could want (except a steak). At this time of the night I’ll be putting away the groceries and then going to bed!

As many of you know, Hubby was once an Airline Pilot. When I packed his bag and sent him off, I never really thought too much about ‘if’ he would would come home, just when.

I really had a lot of confidence in his ability to fly an airplane, and having flown with him all over the Americas and Europe, I just never gave it any thought, that perhaps the plane might crash. I knew how well trained he was, and how serious he was about his work.

Oh there was one day in the early years of our marriage when I was out doing errands and Hubby was off on a trip. I was listening to WBZ Radio and they did a typical news tease…”Pan Am Flight Crashes…Details In A Moment”.

My heart skipped several beats (Hubby was off on a trip) and I drove home as quickly as I could. I raced into our house, put on the big satellite dish we had back then and there is was, a 747, blown to bits in Lockerbee, Scotland.

Hubby called me to let me know that things were crazy in New York and he was staying down there for the night, but he was fine.

We did lose a few people that we knew, and it was a bad time for many Pan Am families.

A little bit later Hubby was flying out of Barbados when there was a problem with an engine. He and another pilot we know very well, turned back, landed safely and waited until the next day until the plane part from New York arrived and all was well.

Meanwhile, Hubby called me to tell me he was fine, and in this case going wind surfing. When he returned home, he had the sunburn to prove it!

Hubby said the closest call he had was flying over Germany back in the 1970’s. He was sitting in the Engineers seat, and had turned to speak to a cockpit pass rider. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught site of another large aircraft. He hollered at the Captain, who put the plane in a nose dive, but Hubby said he held his breath, as he was sure the tail of the plane was gone. Thankfully it wasn’t.

I guess things happen. All you can do is hope that on that day, when something like this happens, that it is not your day to go and meet your maker.

Meanwhile, at this point, I’m happy that Hubby has retired and is home with me. When something like this happens, I have my own airline expert to give me his personal opinion.

Happy Birthday to my dearest husband. You have made my life full and happy, and you have always been there for me! You truly are, my lover and my best friend!!!

I hope today is special for you and the year ahead full of happiness and joy! I love you!!!