"Bell bottom trousers, coats of navy blue, He'll climb the riggin' like his daddy used to do! If you have a daughter, bounce her on your knee, but if you have a son send that "fella" out to sea!"
He was on the USS Proteus which was a sub tender. That meant it was his job to make sure the submarines were all in tip top shape. He was stationed at Pearl Harbor and that was a long time after the bombing there. His time ran out just as Vietnam was becoming a way of life and he did not "reup". I am glad he did not because Vietnam was not pretty and he would not have become the man he was had he gone there.
I have tried to think what it would be like to be submerged beneath the ocean for days or weeks on end and being the claustrophobic that I am, I can not even imagine life beneath the waves. Anthony and all his shipmates had to be a special kind of person. I think Irene told me that their father was also in the navy. I think it takes a special kind of person to join the Navy.
My father was in World War I. He had a scar on his upper arm where a horse had bitten him. He was in the cavalry apparently. His sons were in World War II as I recall. Richard was in the Navy, Gene was Army, and not sure if Earl was in at all. There seems to be some sort of code they all follow, something I never understood. Jake was Army and was in Germany, but it was peace time. Kenneth was Marine and he was in Korea.
There is one thing I know and that is when a man came home from the service, they were always clean shaven. They kept their shoes polished and always seemed to be alert to their surroundings. My son was in ROTC when he was in high school and I still keep the little awards he received. I am glad he did not go into the service because I like him just the way he is!
Anthony was younger than me, but that never seemed to bother either one of us. I remember when I was in high school and how I lusted after the sailors in their little tight white pants before I was even old enough to know what lust was. To think I had to wait 50 years to finally get my sailor is kind of sad, but it was worth the wait! Anthony stood straighter then most men. He rarely got rattled and he understood my sense of humor. Few men can measure up to my expectations, but he did. He has only been gone for three months, but it seems like forever.
He was only in my life for a few years, but he has left a mark on my soul like no other man before him. It is as if time has stopped and the world is standing still.
I wonder if I will ever awaken from this dream?
