I had only planned on staying the afternoon, just to catch up with fellow Vietnam Sky Cops Sam Lewis and Tom McCandles...but they planned leaving time around 6pm came along, I was already convinced to stay the night, with a little help of some good conversation and a few drops of white lightning. And I'm glad I did.
Also met up with Phil Savage, another Air Force SP and Dog Handler in Nam...and we met another, Herb Johnson from Indiana, who wasn't even aware of the VSPA...we swapped information between sips, and hopefully have recruited another member.
Music throughout the weekend, swap meets, sales, free food, and by tonight some 40,000 Veterans of Vietnam, friends, family, and descendants, will be on hand....I had a blast for 24 hours...I made it until about Midnight, somewhere about half passed Drunk-30, when I hit the sack...or should say, passed out in the back seat of my car. It took Tom and Sam awhile to find me, wondering just where the Hell I had gone....I was gone all right, this old beer drinker isn't used to that hard stuff.
I got home before Noon yesterday, headed north to Wayne Trace to do a Junior High football game, and got home to a good nights sleep...tonight I head to Toledo for the City League game between Rogers and Whitmer...another long night, especially with a JV game at Spencerville tomorrow morning.
I plan on taking it easy, other than football officiating and watching, this weekend....and I'm trying to figure out how next year, I can pace myself if I decide to spend 3 or 4 days at Kokomo. Photo descriptions below: Double Click for large versions....
Photos-top left...Sam Lewis, Me, and Tom McCandles...along with "Sweet Pig" the Boar's Head....next is our new found Vietnam SP and potential VSPA Member Herb Johnson...for the life of me I forget where he was at and when...might have been the "shine" and a few other things I had partaken in by this time. Next is Sam, Tom, along with VSPA Dog Handler Phil Savage from Michigan, and Wendy, and daughter of a Marine and long time attendee of this event who passed away a few years ago. Our numbers are growing smaller by the day...The excellent painting on the back of Phil's pick-up saluting his dog and honoring his and our time in Vietnam. The other photos, of new and old found friends and the grounds outside Kokomo, as the crowd was growing...hopefully I can make it back for a longer stay next year...
Back Later>>>>>
7 comments:
i am thinking what a great day that must have been.
So glad you enjoyed it. We pass there on our way to Indy. The drive is not too bad. My only brother and only sibling was in Nam for about 2 years. He passed away about 6 years ago from cancer. I sure miss him and wish he could have been there. God Bless America
Wow, that's one hell of an annual party you guys have got going down there! I'm glad you had a great time, and still made it home again all in one piece!
Thanks gang...now all I have to do is survive the rest of this weekend and the football officiating. Takes a few days to recover, to be young again? :)
Ha! Me too. I don't officiate, but am playing in a band all weekend!! A total of 9 shows! First three are in. The night is mine. Age is a state of mind.
Looks/sounds like a fun time for comrades-in-arms, Pat. Noticed the camo tarp in the one photo. Were you guys expecting a raid from the Indiana Air National Guard?
Hey Larry...those were to catch the Jack Daniels and Moonshine bottles being dropped in CARE packages...
:)
Post a Comment