It's Christmas Time Again...

Discussion in 'Holidays & Traditions' started by Thomas Stillhere, Dec 12, 2022.

  1. Thomas Stillhere

    Thomas Stillhere Very Well-Known Member
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    There was a time I made new cards every year to give to all the men I flew with a a lot more than I didn't fly with. I always included any unit that ask for one, the HAL(3) Navy gunships were our neighbors and I know quite a few of them over the years. They only had about 5000 men served in HAL(3) the few years they were in Viet Nam. Both my units I served with had the new HAL(3) unit pilots to give them a short familiarization training. Their units were all over the Delta with their own missions and that of course was with the River Forces or Brown Water Navy as people tagged it. I believe it was Task Force 16 was the commanding headquarters. So that is why I always made a card for my friends. My 336th came from Fort Campbell as a unit and arrived by ship. The 121st came from Fort Carson Colorado, it was the 93rd Transportation first on scene and they flew those dual rotor Pawnees, not exactly designed for muddy landings. So once the 121st was there and in business the 93rd had a stand down and not many of those early guys are still with us. Anyway I hope all of you have a great Christmas and New Year.

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  2. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Merry Christmas to you and your furballs, Thomas.
     
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  3. Mary Stetler

    Mary Stetler Veteran Member
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    Ditto that!
     
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  4. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    IMG_1825.jpeg

    This is a picture of a picture of me at, I'm not sure what age, but that's my little brother by the tree, and he was five years younger than me.
     
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  5. Thomas Stillhere

    Thomas Stillhere Very Well-Known Member
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    Our first TV was a double door Zenith. I'm going to guess and say that is probably an RCA sitting over in the corner. No doubt a black and white ?
     
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  6. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    My brother had a friend who worked at a tv repair shop. One day he brought over a Zenith for our mother. It had what I call a "tuning fork remote." You would push one of the spring-loaded buttons and it would make a SPROING! noise as it changed the settings via the unique sound each button made.

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    You could not hear the sound/pitch, but you could hear the spring snap back.
     
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  7. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Definitely black and white. As for the brand, I don't remember and may never have noted it. The IGA bags surely came from my grandfather's IGA store, the only one in Wallace. The IGA is still the only grocery store in Wallace, although it's a different building now and my grandfather is long gone.
     
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  8. Thomas Stillhere

    Thomas Stillhere Very Well-Known Member
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    When I was 6 I still remember going with my Grandmother to shop on Saturday mornings. One store in the Heights on Studewood was named Studewood Market. It was an old 30s style store with wooden floors but still a big market. By the time I had reached my teen years that property was sold and a Weingartens local chain store built a new store there. The postman was always busy because businesses in those days sent out free samples for everything via the post office. There was bread, cakes and you name it. It was Black Gold and Green stamps that bought us a new electric coffee maker and a toaster. I feel good knowing the place in the heights is still there and not a new condo sitting on the lot, there is one next door which at the time we lived there had one of those temporary school buildings the people living there had purchased, for what reason I have no idea because it must have been pretty old. Their house sit back pretty far from the street which was unusual but as I said there is a new condo sitting their now. Probably about 10 years old. All the places we lived previous to that house have been gone for decades and decades. Our old TV went to Oklahoma with us and by the time all of us had returned to Houston or in my case left for the Army, the TV stayed there in the old house my Grandfather's sister owned. He died just 5 months after I had joined the Army. I have no idea who got the big Zenith first stereo Radio, big as a Juke Box and all wood and enough buttons you thought it was a spaceship. How I loved that radio ;0) Today's stereos couldn't hold a candle to it, it was really that solid. My Grandfather drove a yellow cab for about 38 years in Oklahoma City. He came out of the depression working for the Oklahoma Highway Department as a crew foreman. He did pretty well considering how bad some people had it. His last cab was his own of course because you had to buy your own cab. He went with a Rambler and that was really a good car, no telling how many miles on it by the time he died. I've never been back to Oklahoma City since I joined the Army. I had been talking with my younger brother before he died 3 years ago about taking a road trip together to visit his grave site and pay our respects. After the brother died it pretty much put the crimp on those plans. I won't be making any road trips from here on out. I just sit here and keep busy with hobbies and try to stay well. All 3 of my cats have been puking their food all day since 6 this morning. I am most certain it is due to their greed and tomorrow morning I will let each one eat by themselves so there won't be any anxiety among them making them all greedy and thinking they won't get anything to eat. I am tired, had to mop and wash and clean 6 times today. That's about 6 times more than usual for me.
     
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  9. Thomas Stillhere

    Thomas Stillhere Very Well-Known Member
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    Those were around for quite some time, probably mid 60s before they were replaced. In 67 our missile systems were still using tubes and resistors. Our control computers for the Nike Hercules had one computer for each missile, all stacked in a drawer arrangement that pulled out for replacing, there was no repair on station, civil service out of Fort Worth did all the maintenance even down to killing the rattlesnakes in our pits.
    Those computers were not a computer per se as you would think of one today, they were like large mechanical watches and were highly precision. If you didn't know beforehand what it was you would never guess it was a missile guidance system. Bell Telephone did all the design work for all the early anti air missile systems. My first sight of a digital device or component was our little mode selectors and bore sighting adjustments for the electric over hydraulic gun pylons. Just little rectangular boxes that bolted into the center console of the ship. I had a tiny sewing machine screw driver that I used to boresight the mini guns. We used the rocket tube scope to adjust the mini guns as well as the rockets. either way I still had to get up and crawl inside and look over the pilots should to see where he had his piper set, I would adjust the guns or rocket pods to see the same thing he was looking at. Close enough to place two rockets thru a doorway side by side at well over a couple hundred feet.. Today electronics are amazing
     
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  10. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Justice Clarence Thomas caught quietly volunteering to lay wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery to honor fallen service members at Christmas. Love this man [​IMG] (Twitter)

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  11. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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  12. Tony Page

    Tony Page Veteran Member
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    Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to ALL.
    Back after the New Year.

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  13. Hoot Crawford

    Hoot Crawford Veteran Member
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    Well, it is Friday the 23, so Happy Christmas Eve Eve.
     
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  14. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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  15. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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