Today Steve Lewis led the discussion...below is his narrative
You know what they say, “when the cat’s away, the mice will play…” And so it was that in the absence of our fearless leader, those f8’rs who showed up Saturday took advantage of being without a laptop computer to set aside our usual visual presentations in favor of rich conversation and storytelling. Steve played the role of provocateur, but not before our “warm-up” conversations were extended into the session. Jim bought with him several books to offer to anyone interested in adding to our respective collections. This led to a discussion about the importance of books vs. digital print material, and a general agreement about the value of a tactile interaction with material. Rod shared experiences from his 1967-68 military tour in Korea. Steve noted the common innocence of children that he’s observed in places where poverty prevails but has not yet dampened the spirit of kids who play, laugh, and express hope before their awareness awakens. John noted the irony of how wealth and poverty/homelessness are juxtaposed in Los Angeles (as in many other places). Cyndi shared stories about her work in Japan, where she broadcast a radio show for 1-1/2 years. While in Japan, she experienced a cultural bias directed against foreign women of which she was one. This led Howard to tell the most compelling story of the day. Howard was drafted into the Army and sent to Thailand with orders to perform a certain function, but upon arrival and presentation of such orders, he was informed that there was, in fact, no need for that service. He was, instead, told he would report for ship loading and unloading. Howard, in a true Oliver Twist moment, pushed back on that possibility by stating he was college educated and could not see his talents being wasted loading ships. The order-giver looked over Howard’s papers and exclaimed, “your test scores are higher than the Base Commander’s!” Howard was told to report for an interview the next morning with the Sargent-Major (highest enlisted rank). When he arrived, he was taken in to meet the S-M, who was a big Black guy with lots of stripes and medals adorning his uniform. After listening (or pretending to) Howard for a while, he looked at him and asked, “what is your favorite song?” Howard, who was more into Rock, thought for a moment and remembered the #1 song in the States when he left was “Up, Up, and Away” by the Fifth Dimension. So that’s the song Howard offered. The S-M smiled and told Howard he could have the job as a radio host, adding that his daughter was the Florence LaRue, famous member of the Fifth Dimension. Sure enough, Howard looked at the S-M’s name badge and he was in fact LaRue. Howard proceeded to broadcast a program to 8 bases in the region. Steve then went around the room and asked members if they could name a single photograph they’d taken that remains their #1 favorite. This led to some really interesting reflection. Here is a sampling:
1 Comment
Joe Loudermilk
11/30/2019 12:15:23 pm
Sounds like it was a great meeting I missed, love the stories. Kevin that train photo is amazing.
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