Charles William Spratt

A BIG SHOCK

Mepco Electra had hired me to be the night plant maintenance man after a short training period . We had lived in Mineral Wells about two months and life was looking up pretty good but something was missing . We wanted a little girl in our lives . So we decided...
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1012 Views
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Charles William Spratt

Starting My Family

I dated this girl for quite a while then I moved to the town she lived about 50 miles away . I got a job first working for the City doing what ever they needed me to do . The water Department , Street Department , Sewer Department Sanitation Department ....
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1016 Views
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Charles William Spratt

My First Date With My Wife

I was discharged out of the Army December 6 1966 . The first thing I did after I went home was   to join the VFW . I started attending their meetings every Friday night and within two weeks I had a job at the local flour mill . I was...
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996 Views
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Charles William Spratt

Ft Hood Texas

When I got back home   from Viet Nam I went home for two weeks leave and then reported back to duty at Ft Hood Texas . I was in Firth Army in an Engineer Unit . My brother had been in the Army before me and had joined the 2...
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1034 Views
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Charles William Spratt

Coming Home

When you getting close to coming home you start marking the days off of your calendar. First it’s 120 days then it’s 90 days then it’s 60 days then it gets down to 30 days your on your last month . Can’t wait to get home . Since we came over...
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934 Views
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Charles William Spratt

TDY

I lied I did not spend all eleven months of my tour in Viet Nam in Qui Nhon . I was sent TDY (Temporary Duty Something) for three months to Plieu Ku . It was about 50 miles inland. They needed some one to install a new 4 inch galvanized steel...
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1014 Views
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Millard Don Carriker

A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody

Entering my senior year of high school my experience with girls was that of a Carthusian monk but without whatever spiritual consolation they enjoy.   When I was in ninth grade my previously fair skinned face erupted with volcanoes.  One look in the mirror convinced me that only a girl with severe...
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1178 Views
2 Comments
Millard Don Carriker

"The Famous James"

"The Famous James"
  "The Famous James" English-built Motorcycle - 1946 As with all humans, the Whizzer, after a few weeks, became less than what I wanted.  While the Whizzer was being developed and marketed, the Cushman Motor Company, a small firm that had produced motorized “scooters” for the Army looked at what they...
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2265 Views
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Charles William Spratt

Smitty

After we had been in Viet Nam for awhile we were able to take a week R & R (Rest & Relaxation) a sort of vacation if you care to say . If you had the money . Some went to Bangkok , Thialand some went to Tokyo , Japan some...
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1282 Views
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Charles William Spratt

Frogs

After the Monsoons quit and the rain quit   we had thousands and thousands of frogs to deal with . You see where our compound was , it was at the bottom of a huge hill . All the water during Monsoon season would come running down the side of that...
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1288 Views
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Charles William Spratt

The Coronel Wants an Officer club NOW

Our first job when we got to Viet Nam was ordered by the Coronels . They wanted an Officers Club built right away . We arrived about the third week in September and about the first of October was when the Monsoon started ( the rainy season ) It rain non...
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1082 Views
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Charles William Spratt

My Gaurdian Angel

After returning To Ft Meade Maryland to join back up with my unit we all boarded a plane to fly to   San Fran Cisco . We went and stood in line on the docks for several hours waiting to board this huge Ocean Liner ( Merchant   Marine Ship )...
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1183 Views
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Millard Don Carriker

Strike Up The Band

Strike Up The Band
Pleasant Hill school had a Rhythm Band  made up of a couple of dozen little kids, who, with kazoo's, triangles, tambourines, rhythm sticks, sleigh bells, drums and cymbals created sounds that were said to be music.   We wore white shirts or blouses, and pants or skirts and actually made public appearances. ...
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1014 Views
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Charles William Spratt

The Beginning Of Another Chapter

After moving back to my hometown I started looking for a job . My father was sick and couldn't work . I was a high school drop out . No body wanted to hire a drop out . I didn't know what to do . I turned eighteen in July 1965...
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419 Views
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Millard Don Carriker

Gone With The Wind

Gone With The Wind
Sometime in the late 1930's Dad came up with an improvement that was even more remarkable than his running water.  He brought electricity into our house.  A light bulb replaced the coal oil lamp.  The radio’s battery no longer had to be charged in the car.   All this electricity came from...
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1690 Views
2 Comments
Annie Payne

Dear Diary... it's official - I AM ENGAGED!!

Dear Diary... it's official - I AM ENGAGED!!
Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE Dear Diary , it’s official – I’m engaged! We had the most wonderful, romantic, candlelit dinner at the Arkaba Hotel tonight and drove up to Windy Point to look at the city lights. Outside the Nurses Home, sitting in Greg’s mum’s green Morris...
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1449 Views
3 Comments
Karen Jenkins

Foot Stomping

I was an A+ foot stomper.  Got sent to my room so many times, so many times each week, actually.  You ask why did I continue to stomp my foot when I knew the “punishment”?  Well, I’ll tell you.  There were two reasons.

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1756 Views
2 Comments
Suzanna Rawlins

John Luther Branch

John Luther Branch
Many people believe the War for Southern Independence (or the War of Northern Agression) started in April of 1861 at Fort Sumpter.  My family lore would disagree. We argue that the first shots were fired on January 9, 1861 against the Star of the West. My great great great uncle, John...
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1825 Views
2 Comments
Millard Don Carriker

The Door Opener

The Door Opener
Pleasant Hill’s school bus, like those of today, had a lever with a big handle attached to a rod that opened and closed the door.  The younger boys considered it fun and an honor to stand alongside the bus driver to open and close the door at each stop.  The bus...
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1383 Views
3 Comments
Millard Don Carriker

Giving the Finger to Oklahoma

The Thomas Long oil lease was a vast playground but it was filled with dangers for kids that no one seemed to notice or tell us to avoid.  The community water well from which several families drew their water sat a couple of hundred yards from our back door.  It was...
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974 Views
3 Comments
       
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