We never used his name, we just called him “Doc”, He was my outfit’s Corpsman when I hit the Rock. Like the one’s before him, kept us all on track, From Iwo to Khe Sahn, they always had our back. Held Sick Call for the slackers, gave out APC’s*, Mecuricome got slapped on all theContinue reading ““Doc””
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Métis
I never knew if she was Chippewa or Cree. Perhaps it was her French side a people called Métis. Somewhere near Red River, her forbearers did reside, They traded and they hunted and did it all with pride. The Company brought their fathers into the fur country, Their mothers were the tribal gals, the kidsContinue reading “Métis”
Mortared Again
Coffee cup shakin’ in his hand, Thousand-yard stare, poundin’ sand. Bad dream robbed him of his sleep, Wonderin’ if his soul will keep. The mortars from the tube they pop, Don’t know where the rounds will drop. They’re walkin’ toward his lonely post, He’s prayin’ that he isn’t toast. Then he wakes up with aContinue reading “Mortared Again”
Runnin’ the Border
Running the Bo It’s been five long years since we moved away from the border. I miss it, but it’s still only 20 miles away. It is a wild and crazy place, full of contradictions. Cultures collide, then mix and sometimes even meld. People are sociable, opinionated and thorny as the Cholla cactus.Continue reading “Runnin’ the Border”
Boot Camp
Hi-O-Lay! “Blee-Blee-O-Leh, Hi-O-Leh, Hi-O-Lay,” a song I still can hear, Though the rest of Sixty-Three, really ain’t all that clear. Gunny Buell countin’ cadence, beneath his Smokey Bear, Chest full of ribbons, though we never asked him where. There at the Depot, the Grinder was his home, Never let him catch you, lettin’ your eyeballsContinue reading “Boot Camp”
The Great Glasgow Jailbreak Glasgow, Montana 1903
I first heard the story from Tom (T.H.) Markle sixty years ago. As a young man he had come West to seek his fortune. He got off the Great Northern passenger train in a little place called Glasgow Montana one morning in 1903. Glasgow had started off as a railroad siding in 1887, but hadContinue reading “The Great Glasgow Jailbreak Glasgow, Montana 1903”
Royal Enfield Bullet:
The Bike That Wouldn’t Die There have been many great motorcycles over the years. The Crocker, the Knucklehead Harley, the Triumph and BSA Twins and the Brough Superior were all ahead of their time. They introduced new technologies, went faster and looked better than their predecessors. They all faded into the dustbin of historyContinue reading “Royal Enfield Bullet:”
Tulsa ’21
Black smoke boilin’ o’er Tusla town, Greenwood section is burnin’ down. Rebel pride won’t rue this day, Colored man got in the way. Viola was seven, she won’t forget, A hundred years of sad regret. Unmarked graves, lay them out, Forget it all, leave no doubt. Wipe it from the history book, Never give itContinue reading “Tulsa ’21”
Section 2, Row 7, Site Number 1
The band it was ‘a playing an uplifting martial beat, He maybe had a sweetheart, young and soft and sweet. His mother she stood bravely, holding back her tears, Surely he would be OK, in spite of all her fears. Hissing and ‘a huffing, the train blew off some steam, Rollin’ to the platform, likeContinue reading “Section 2, Row 7, Site Number 1”
The “Laid Down” Engine
Today is the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. As a 13 year-old I listened to the 1958 race on KLTZ radio in Glasgow. The year before there had been a technological revolution in cars. Someone got the idea to lay the Offenhauser engine that dominated the race on its side. This lowered the profileContinue reading “The “Laid Down” Engine”
Outlaws, Outrages and Outright Lies 