Congratulations and Love from his parents on Graduting from Univ. of Cincinnati

-
Today, a week removed, I sit in a hotel room in Chicago and I think back how in 1983 I was sitting (actually sleeping) in a hotel room in New York City when I received a telephone call from my father (at 2:00 am) that my wife was in labor and to hurry home (to St.louis). Well, the first  plane to St.louis  was out of Newark, NJ at 8:00 am. So I backed my bag, call for a cab and went to Newark airport (a $125 cab ride) to wait for the flight. By the time I arrived in Alton, IL Brandon was born. A 10 pound 7 ounce bowling ball!

Well now almost 30 years later His mother, wife, daughter, in-laws and I sit in the Fifth/Third arena watching him cross the stage (with 3,000 close freinds) and shake hands with the University President and receive his degree. The look on his proud wife's face said it all, we are so proud of you B.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that Brandon's brother Ryan, beat him to college graduation by a year, but he was single, and had ... shalll we say... less distractions along the way.

So back to the present, I again sit in a hotel room, away from home working, with nothing but time to remember and think about how fast he and his brother grew up and how much I missed while sitting in hotel rooms for the first ten years of their lives. I also remind myself that my wife Karen did a hell of a job raising them without me being there, except of the weekends. But she was prepared well by her mother, a wife of an Airforce officer who while serving his country was away more and moved the family more than anyone should have too. Joe, you and Betty (God Bless Her) did a great job raising eight children.

University of Cincinnatti



Comments

Post a Comment

Your comments are welcomed.

Popular posts from this blog

The Battle of Bushy Run, 1763 Pontiac War

-
Image
By 1763 the British had about a million and a half colonists on the North American continent. William Johnson, British superintendent of Indian affairs for the northern colonies, said that there were about 50,000 Indians with 10,000 warriors, though scholars consider his estimate low. General Amherst commanded about 8,000 soldiers, but only about 2,000 of them were in the western forts. On April 27, 1763, an Ottawa chief named Pontiac held a meeting with a number of Indian leaders from different tribes near Ft. Detroit. He urged the chiefs to wage war against the British. According to a French chronicler, he said, “It is important for us, my brothers, that we exterminate from our lands this nation [Great Britain] which seeks only to destroy us. You see as well as I that we can no longer supply our needs, as we have done from our brothers, the French….Therefore, my brothers, we must all swear their destruction and wait no longer. Nothing prevents us; they are few in numbers, and w...
Read more

250th Anniversary Fort Niagara Seige French & Indian War 1759

-
Image
YOUNGSTOWN N.Y. — Grown men played war Friday at Old Fort Niagara. With 30-foot sailing ships anchored in the river, cannon blasts shook the ground and some 2,500 volunteers refought one of the key battles of the French and Indian War. Bill Snow, 60, said he did it for history. “You’re representing an actual time and an actual place,” said Snow, who commanded four French cannons Friday as British ships attacked one of his country’s schooners. “You don’t get this stuff [easily] out of books.” More than 4,000 people descended on Fort Niagara Friday to watch the re-creation of the Battle of Fort Niagara — a skirmish that was a turning point in the prequel to the American Revolution that tipped the scales in the British favor. Friday’s re-enactment was part of a weekend-long event commemorating the battle’s 250 th anniversary. “Nations risked lives and treasure for this spot,” said Kathryn Vedder , director of development for the site. “We like to say, ‘If not for this...
Read more
-
Image
My Navy career began as many have at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. I entered boot camp in 1973.  I was appointed Recruit Chief Petty Officer of our class. After boot camp, I was admitted to Hospital Corpsman School. also located at Great Lakes. In 1974, I graduated from Hospital Corpsman School and was accepted into the Operating Room Technician program, also at Great Lakes Naval Hospital. Graduation from Operating Room Technician School, I expected to be assigned to a Naval Hospital. I had asked, for some reason, to be assigned to the Charleston South Carolina area. So, when we received our assignments, I was surprised that I was assigned to the USS Sierra AD-18. A Destroyer Tender at the Charleston Naval Base.  HM3 Kurt Fink, aboard USS Sierra AD-18 during Med. Cruise 1977 The  Naval Station Charleston, S.C. Located in North Charleston,  USS Sierra AD-18 (1975 - 1977) Served at Hospital Corpsman (Operating Room Techni...
Read more