Sunday, September 6, 2009

1968 - McGuire AFB - 2nd Time Around

When you finish your stay overseas, you are given a choice for your next base and naturally, we wanted to come back home. However,Verne and Joan Wells and family had orders first. As they flew into McGuire, your grandparents picked them up and they stayed a couple of days in Laurel Springs. There's a couple of pictures floating around somewhere.

Another thing that you may not recall is that Edna Brown walked Pepper to Frankfurt airport and sent him home in a dog crate. Do you remember the path that led from Gateway Gardens to the airport? And of course, we remember how Pepper arrived with all the wood in his gums, trying to get out of the crate. Poor thing! I remember Dad and Grandpop pulling the slivers out. Pepper must have been scared to death.

We soon moved to Falcon Courts North and I know that you remember all of our neighbors! Jim & Ruth Maloney next door had seven kids or did I lose one? We used to play pinochle with them. Jim used to get upset because Ruth & I would chatter all through the game and we would still win. In 1970, she and I worked on the census. I think we were paid about $1600 which came in handy. I also volunteered for the Red Cross. Our job was to visit at Walston Army Hospital and get the patients interested in playing board games or read to them. Then, there was Girl Scouts. Taking the troop to Camp Ockinicken in Medford, we stayed in one of the cabins. It was in March and during the ellipse of the moon and you were all so excited!

During Air Force Day, the Rice's would congregate at our place and go on base to see the planes, demonstrations, etc. One of these times, Uncle Kirby gave Dad a cat that we named Frisky. Dad never cared for cats period but he loved this one. Frisky was a good "watch" cat too. He prevented a catastrophe when Dad fell asleep on the couch with a cigarette in his hand. Frisky came upstairs and woke me up by walking on my face and meowing.

Joey had a newspaper route and he used to throw the papers out of the back of the station wagon. Somehow, I always got involved even though it was his job. I don't think it lasted too long. Do you remember horseback riding with scouts at that farm in the back of housing? We have lots of memories about McGuire, don't we? You had the Teen Club and who was that guy over at the chapel you called Lord? Waiting to hear your memories!

2 comments:

Kathi said...

His name was actually Larry Lord, and I think he ran the youth group (CYO). Jane was closer to him than I was. Some of my best memories are from the McGuire days- good friends, good times. Yeah, the Maloneys had 7 kids, and the Berrus had 8. I used to pride myself in being able to recite all of their names, but not sure I still could! Pepper was a female- originally named Poochie by her first owner, my friend-Anne. She had quite the time getting from Frankfurt, that's for sure. I remember when Frisky saved us from the fire- and then disappeared for a couple of days. We finally found her on another "F" porch a couple buildings away. One of the best parts about living at McGuire was getting to visit Grandmom and Grandpop more often.

Betty said...

Oops! Yes, Pepper was a female. I had forgotten. All the time I was at Uncle Bill's, I kept referring to the cat and dog as females and they're both males. Some hang up, huh?