OT: What's Up With Kansas?

[LRod]

Often pronounced Olatha, but spelled Olathe. It's the location of the Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center. I know a little about that.

[Robatoy]

I KEEP doing that..and I KNOW better. That does it. Overland Park from now on...

[Charlie Self]

Buncha boots. He's correct in a way: there are no EX-Marines, but more than a few of us former Marines. Or at least that's the way my Marine Corps League detachment would have it.

Ah, I do remember the dixie cups. We used to call them swab jockeys.

Jeez, that was a long time ago.

[George]

"Squids."

[Jeff]

Are you sure you aren't invoking connotations that aren't there? "Fly- over" denotes an aerial view. People from the northeast and California often travel to the opposite coast which necessitates a flight over the stuff in between. It's what you see before you get to California. (Or the Rockies in ski season) Most of these people don't have opinions about "fly-over" states since they've never been there. Well except for the people who couldn't get a direct. Ha Ha! Kansas might be the coolest place on earth - what do we know?

Again, no offense was intended.

[Lew Hodgett]

Marine

SFWIW, my former boss spends Sunday morning polishing his shoes using his marine corp issue shoe brush that is now approaching 50 years in age.

Same boss walked into a bar here in SoCal a few years ago to find his Paris Island DI behind the bar.

As the old saying goes, "... you can run but you can't hide."

Lew

[Charlie Self]

Especially in SoCal, with Pendleton so near. I guess I get a break: I'm 1-3/4 states away from Parris Island and I doubt very much any of my dirll instructors would recognize me...I checked out the grad book a few weeks ago, and came to the conclusion that we for the most part consisted of Adam's apples and ears. That's not the case 50 years later. Fifty years plus one month, almost to the day.

[Frank Boettcher]

Wouldn't mind running into mine. Be nice to visit a bit. Despite what he put us through, I had a great deal of respect for them, particularly my senior DI. I think most did.

Frank

>

[George]

Met mine seven years later, and he was kind enough to pin on my butter bars, SWMBO being unable to travel.

Still marvel at the way he could drawl a four-letter expletive into seven syllables.

[Lew Hodgett]

Pure coincidence, both these guys are east coast.

Former boss didn't come to SoCal till late 70s, don't know about DI.

Former boss has never set foot on Pendleton soil.

About as close as he has come is on the I-5 as he passes thru Oceanside.

Lew

[Robatoy]

Brilliant visual. I hope it's yours.

r

[Charlie Self]

You hate the SOBs during early weeks, but by week #8 or #9, that changes, in my experience. I ran into one of the junior drill instructors in Jacksonville, FL in the latter part of the year ('58), and we had a few beers together. Jim Lucy. He was the best of the bunch, IMO, but they were all pretty durned good at what they did.

[Charlie Self]

I set foot on Pendleton soil, in very early '59. I wasn't sorry to leave a month later. Old Smokey ain't all that much fun.

[Charlie Self]

Yeah. Best I've ever done is about 3-1/2.

[Charlie Self]

As far as I know. I don't recall reading it anywhere, and it sure is the impression with those tiny b&w photos.

I wonder what they're doing with those "yearbooks" now, with modern techniques and digital photography. God knows, some of the b&w is remarkable for its clarity for the time.

[Frank Boettcher]

Yep, SDI was R. J. Dellett. Toughest individual I've ever been around. When we did PT he seemed to do twice what we did. Easy to be inspired to do well.

Thinking back to Parris Island, I was most impressed by how well run it was. Never a minute lost or wasted.

Frank

[Charlie Self]

Oh, jeez, these morning runs around the parade ground. We used to die halfway through, whichever drill instructor was running us would be running backwards next to us, and, about halfway through, usually lit a cigaret (while running)and turned around, ran around the platoon and took the lead position.

Not exactly the politically correct example to set for today's young Marines, but it worked for us.