Repost: (OT) A Fun Phone Call

This post doesn't appear to have shown up. Other than goofy cat and kitten
antics, I can use all the laughs I can get.


I ran across a letter yesterday afternoon. It was sent to my mother last
May, from Walt & Rita, offering condolences about my father's death. I know
she read it but she never replied to it. The return address stated USMC.
Oh, this was one of Dad's military buds. I looked the name up online and
called. (Don't ask me why, I just feel a need to do stuff like this.) I
wanted to let them know Mom died, too.

The man who answered the phone said, "Max's daughter? Have you got a
minute? I have a story to tell you!" Sure, I have a minute.

Turns out they were stationed together in Hawaii. (This was before I was
born; I completely missed out on Hawaii, dammit.) Dad came down with
hepatitis (I'd heard about that) and was in the hospital. His buddy, Walt,
came to visit him. The night shift nurses (according to Walt) were all
"two-ton Nellies with grey hair and bad attitudes". And Walt was on the
lookout for a bride. LOL Only in the 1950's could that actually work.

He said my dad told him all the cute nurses were on the day shift. So he
made a point of coming to visit my dad during the day shift.
This nurse popped her head in the door to say he'd visited long enough. Dad
and Walt were watching a Clark Gable movie on the TV in his room. She
started to leave and he said my dad called her back in and introduced them.
Walt started talking to her. Her name was Rita. They made a date. You can
guess the rest... yes, Dad introduced Walt to his bride. Isn't that cute?

He and Walt met up again years later in Vietnam. They were trying to hold a
line in the DMZ. He said Dad used up all the firepower of some sort of
grenade that exploded like fireworks above the ground. Didn't actually kill
people but lit up the area so they could see what they were up against. Dad
ran out of the grenades. After a time a helicopter came in to evacuate the
wounded and as many of the men as possible. Walt was evac'd out of there
along with many others. My father (then a Lt. Colonel) stayed
on the ground with a few men, holding down fire. Walt yelled across the
chopper to the Major, "The Lt. Col down there introduced me to my wife!" LOL

Walt & Rita have been married for 50 years now. I asked him if he could
write all this down and mail it to me. He said sure! I think it's a
fantastic memory to have of my father.

Jill

jmcquown wrote:
This post doesn't appear to have shown up. Other than goofy cat and
kitten antics, I can use all the laughs I can get.

That's strange, I saw the original and some replies to it.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy, Bagheera & Shadow)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk