Forgiving Vietnam


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I was so embarrassed when I returned home from my tour of duty in Vietnam that I did all I could do to avoid being recognized as a Marine. I had seen so much yet I could tell so little. I liken it to what happens when you come upon a...

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  2637 Hits

My First Serious Relationship


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I had a grand total of one relationship before I found my true love in life, my wife Christine. I needed to give her as much love in this prelude as possible so I can mitigate the potential wrath that could come my way after writing the rest. I LOVE YOU...

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  2263 Hits

Playing with Fire


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I just read another member's story about playing "alligator" in the red mud and digging holes in the dirt to play marbles as a kid. It inspired me to share one of my favorite "boys will be boys" stories. Me and Jerry Feldman were best of friends at 10 years old....

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  3278 Hits

If Only I Was Educated


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We were a blue collar family through and through. From my great grandfather who was a logger in Nova Scotia to my Grandfather and then my father, who both farmed to live

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  1872 Hits

Coach Bennett Teaches Me a Lesson


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I knew I was caught but I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. And then the giant head turned around and...

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  2621 Hits

It Hit Me In Stride


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Mum was and still is a fantastic singer. She sang like Billy and Ella during her teens. Dad was all about Country music and sang like Ferlin, George and Hank. With 10 kids in the house they played music all the time, Mum on the piano and Dad on the guitar....

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  2229 Hits

Studebaker Lark- My Teenage Identity


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For whatever reason I have no memory of how I came to own a Studebaker Lark. It was my very first personally-owned vehicle. I'm sure it didn't run well because I would've had very little money to support it in high school. What I do remember is that the front seats...

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  1665 Hits

Childhood Chores Taught Me Plenty


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Trying to get 10 kids to do chores was like herding cats...

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  2039 Hits

Jimmy and Me- Part1


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I was fortunate to have a unique relationship with all 9 of my siblings. In the coming stories I hope to share memories with all. Jimmy was the oldest and I was next. So, I spent more time with Jimmy than any of the others. I looked up to him as...

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  1969 Hits

My Martin Guitar


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    This old guitar has taken me to many unusual places. It's one of the most special keepsakes I own.

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  2277 Hits

Session-5 Life After Discharge


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It's been quite a journey since returning hone and being discharged. Like any life story there is too much to include in any one story. The highlights are, among other things, my 10 year career in a rock band with my brothers in the 70's. To see a slide show of...

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  1981 Hits

A Pile of Dirt!!


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A pile of dirt! That's all my brothers and I needed to create weeks and months of amazing entertainment. Dad was one of the most creative fathers ever. He would dump a pick-up truck full of topsoil right in the middle of the back yard. With a 99 cent bag of...

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  1773 Hits

9-11 Reflections


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Today is the 9th anniversary of the tragic 9-11 attack and I found myself watching the minute by minute replay on NBC this morning. I'm surprised at how emotional I got and in many ways I'm glad I was able to re-experience it as it happened. I remember the day it...

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  2398 Hits

My First Job


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My family consisted of 10 kids. It wasn't easy for my parents to offer allowances. But, they did whenever they could. So, I would take out trash or rake leaves or things like that to earn my 25 cents a week. Does that count as a first job? Or, I suppose...

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  1968 Hits

Session-3 Viet Nam to R&R


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Boys will be boys. We worked hard and we played hard whenever we could. R&R was in Tapei. It was a real eye opener for me. Here is a card from the Asia Hotel where I stayed. And below a card I got from one of the night clubs.    ...

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  1766 Hits

Session-4 Coming Home


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  This audio contains reflections of life after discharge and my career since Viet Nam. When I came home I could hardly recognize my parents. They were like aliens to me. I couldn't wait to shed the uniform. Here's the picture of my mother's greeting me, secretly whispering in my ear,...

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  1954 Hits

Session-2 Viet Nam-A


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  This recording talks about every day life like what we ate, how we got through our typical day etc. Here I am standing in front of the ammo dump at our command base in An Hoa. Three days after this photo, incoming rockets blew it into oblivion.   Whenever we...

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  1285 Hits

Session-1 Military Bio


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These recorded sessions were conducted by my Christine and I as part of the Library of Congress' Veteran History Project. To comply with their standards the interview was broken into 5 sessions. This recording includes some biographical information as well as some stories of the early part of my military service....

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  2032 Hits

Tom's Roast Part-2


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  This segment is all about roasts and tributes. Terry gives a hilarious account of one of my "mixed race" golf outings. I love him and his brothers because we can have as much fun as we want with each other with regards to race jokes and fun. The truth is...

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  1071 Hits

Tom's Roast Part-1


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IT'S MY PARTY!!! It was an incredible night to remember. Before we started taping the show there was an incredible Italian buffet and everyone pigged out big time. During the dining hour we played a continuous playlist of songs recorded in the 70's by my old band, Brothers Kingdom. As a...

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  1971 Hits