We had dinner for his birthday this weekend, and all but two families were represented (we missed the other two families, but so much appreciate their military careers and the protection they are providing our country). As I looked around the room, I thought about all the things that brought him to this point in his life, surrounded by people that love him dearly. There are so many stories that I am sure he could tell. And thankfully, my mother-in-law put together a collection of stories he retold recently as a way to remember them in the years to come.
He tells an interesting story of how he chose the Navy over the Marines back in 1943:
"I was going to join the Marines but when I got to the recruiting office the recruiter was closing the office because he had a date and told me to come back the next day. The Navy recruiter said, 'I'll sign you up.' So I signed up."
Later, after getting out of the Navy, he worked as an Alabama state trooper and saw many interesting things, like the civil rights riots in Birmingham. He also got to work at the governor's mansion guarding Governor Gordon Person's daughter.
He also tells of his encounter with Minnie Pearl:
"One day Minnie Pearl come to town to do a show. She told me
she had always wanted to ride a motorcycle. I told her to hop on; she grabbed up
her dress and I took her for a ride."
His love for family is very evident in the stories, as he recalls how the grandchildren came to visit and go fishing and hunting, or how they buried tools hoping for a tool tree to grow.
His health isn't what it used to be, but he still drives and is a regular at Julia's Restaurant in Troy. He's still full of spunk, and I'm sure if you asked him he'd tell you all about being the oldest of six boys, cane-pole fishing, finding a bootlegger's rum stash, and how families are forever.
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