Poor woman MFA

My dad said the army was a poor man's college. Profound words from someone whose first tour of duty was Europe to fight for the Allies in World War II. He spent time with the British Army and was a German prisoner of war.

My dad never talked about his experiences. I don't know where that wisdom came. His father served in the Spanish American War and World War I as an ambulance driver. Born in 1867 in Germany, my grandfather emigrated with his parents. His mother didn't believe in talking about Germany. They were Americans and spoke English only.

What little my dad did say was memorable.

One was telling me as he stood looking through papers he had in a drawer was that he was lucky to have lived through the war. The returning soldiers had more to share. My dad had lived through the "dirty thirties" or "Great Depression" which hit the South the hardest.

After World War II, there was a recession. After every war there is one. My brother got out of the military a few years before I graduated from college. The United States made its final withdrawal of forces from Vietnam on March 29th, 1973. Two years later North Vietnam took over South Vietnam.

On April 30th, 1975 the 7000 Americans and South Vietnamese civilians evacuated. The following week, television and newspapers were filled with images of people rushing to be evacuated. $250,000 helicopter were pushed into the ocean off aircraft carriers to make room for more to land.



World War II was "the good war" in that Hitler and the Third Reich were such a world menace. Eleven million people died in concentration camps. Six million Jews in addition to Five million people deemed undesirable.

Vietnam was fought at home as well as Southeast Asia. Americans are passionate people. My brother was a Vietnam veteran and they did not get the respect they deserved.

You would think I was a history teacher instead of a science teacher. This post was originally going to be about this blog being a substitute MFA.

This blog has been my touchstone to not stop writing. I now look for my favorite blogs. I signed up for blogging from A to Z to get a focus or direction for the future of this blog. I'll have to wait until March to see what they mean about getting a theme for the month.

I signed up to help one of the editors. I hope they know what they are getting into with me. I always have a typo or left out word. This particular computer doesn't always register the spacebar or the letters r and h. I'm sure I have something to do with this.

Susan has given her helper's a minion badge with a dragon on it. I guess next month I will spruce up the layout. I am working on my "poor woman's MFA".