May 18, 2010

Share another memory involving a war during childhood or youth.

I am actually going to answer this question from an experience in my young adulthood not earlier because it has been a major part of my life. When I was newly married and worked for American Television my boss Carl sponsored an electronic technician from Viet Nam. His name was Khoi Ngoc Vu. Khoi became a very dear friend to me through the next two years as we worked together at the television shop. I then left AM TV and went to Signetics. About two years later I was able to get Khoi to get a job at Signetics. I really don't remember how it all went together but I was glad when he came and applied and we began working together again for several years. We took our children to his home several times to shop in his home store for special candy that he sold from his homeland. Khoi was the son of one of the French Diplomats from Viet Nam. He was Vietnamese and when the communists came in promising freedom from the french his father was one who helped them until he started to realize what they were really up to in their country. His father owned thousands of acres of land and Khoi said that when he rolled out the maps of their land they had to use magnifying glasses to be able to see the detail since it was crammed into a large map but made small enough to get it all onto the map that covered the large front room floor. When he discovered what was happening however he fled with his family to South VietNam leaving it all behind and grateful for their lives. They started from scratch again to make a living but never getting anywhere near the fortune that they held in the North. Then when Khoi, who was an attache to the American military, was told as he was going into a meeting to turn round and get his family out of the country and onto one of the boats headed for America, he turned around and went to the school and got his daughter and then went for his wife and went directly to a boat owned by his brother who then took them to the American ship. Khoi would have been killed had he not left at that point since the military was pulling out that day and the officer who was his friend gave him a head start to leave in time. They came to America into a tent city of sorts where they were being housed until people from America were able and willing to sponsor them and give them jobs. We were really lucky to have Khoi, his wife and his daughter come to Orem.

May 17, 2010

Share a memory involving a war during your childhood or youth.

The memory that comes to mind is one involving my Senior prom. We were decorating when Jack Skewes came into the gym (where we held all of our proms and dances). He was coming to tell his wife, Dea, that he had just received word that his brother, my cousin, had been killed in Viet Nam. Bobbie was close to my age and had only been in Nam for a short time when he was killed by friendly fire. A bomb had gone off and he was hit by shrapnel from the bomb. It hit Jackie pretty hard and I was glad that he was married to Dea so that he had a support system very close to him at that time even though as cousins we were also there.

May 16, 2010

Describe your military experience or that of someone in your family.

I had an initial drat number of 314 or something high like that and therefore was never a consideration for the draft to go to the Viet Nam War.However Stanley was drafted and Clair went in as an MP so that he could avoid the draft. Clair served at Fort Ord in southern California and Stan went to Viet Nam. After Stan had been released from military service he came home and shared my room downstairs when he wasn't at college. He told me of some of the experiences that he had and some of the challenges in Viet Nam. He went to Viet Nam as an Army Corp Engineer. I don't know if he had any officer rank but I don't believe he did. He sat in the gunner seat as his partner would operate one of the large dump trucks. He told me once that the convoy would not stop for anything due to the dangers of sniper fire and ambush attacks so if a truck would get a flat tire you were left there. I don't know if they would then call in air support or anything but he was blessed to not have had that happen. There was one time when the driver was killed by a claymore mine that went off and Stan just had particles hit his jacket. Stan showed a picture of one of the trucks and told me that if he were to stand net to the tire he would barely come to the center of the tire or in other words the tires were a little over twelve feet tall.

Stan then received a blessing from the Lord which would end his military service and bring him home with an honorable medical release from the service. He woke one day and was seeing double. It wasn't blurry he said just two images of everything. he was sent to the military hospital in Japan and they could not discover the problem so after a month in the Japan hospital they sent him to the military hospital in Colorado. Still nothing could be detected as the cause and then one morning he awoke and the problem was gone. he was then released and has had one 5 minute attack in his life since that time. i am sure the Lord was saving him for service as a Stake President as well as a Bishop and other positions that he has held since tat time.

One time I discovered why Stan was made a rifleman or whatever they were called. We took the 22 rifles out and he showed me how he could hit walnut rolling down the bank from the canal in the driveway. He wouldn't even have to put it to his eye and would shoot them from the hip position. It was fun to see how well he could shoot. And then it became clear why he couldn't stay in the army without his proper eye sight.

I cannot leave this blog without making a comment about the sacrifice that other members of my family have given to our country. I had two great Uncles that fought in WW 1. Both of them sustained major injuries. I remember best Uncle Mark Johnson. He lost both of his legs and was in a wheel chair. However he was a lot of fun and I always loved it when we visited them in Holden on Memorial Day.

May 15,2010

Tell about your high school prom or formal dance.

I don't remember a lot about my prom or Marie's even though I do remember that we went to them both of them and she was my date both times. I also remember her yellow dress and I believe it was for her prom. It doesn't matter so much as to which prom but rather the fact that she was so beautiful.

May 14, 2010

Tell about the first dance you ever went to.

If my memory serves me correctly and usually it does(n't), I remember going to dances in Elementary school in the later grades. It was usually with a small piece of paper and ten names that we had to write down of girls that we would dance with and that was where we were first taught the square dance. Then in Junior High (or actually High School since 7th thru 12th grades were included) we continued by having special dances that were just for 7th -9th grades around the same time as the major dances for the high school only they were during the last two class periods of the school day. We were not allowed to go to the High School dances so that was how they appeased us. The only major dances that we had though were the Home Coming, Junior and Senior Proms. There were no girls choice dances. It was fun and we would have some less major dance after ball games on friday nights once in a while but even then they were very few. So to answer the question well I can't since I don't remember the first dance I ever went to. There were also dances that were put on by the church and they were even fewer.

May 13, 2010

What kind of dances did you do as a youth?

Foxtrot, waltz, jitterbug, square, swing, ChaCha, Charleston, Tango. But do not ask me to remember any of them besides the waltz. I could always seem to dance that one pretty well. Marie and I were in a dance festival and practiced for several weeks then when it came time to go I became very sick and was unable to go. I have never forgotten how I let her down.

May 12, 2010

Tell a favorite singer and a song that he/she sang.

My song that I remember the most is "Hey Jude" by a group called (and you may have never heard of them) The Beatles. It was special to me because it was a song that lasted seven minutes and I got to dance with Marie for about 5 minutes of it before another guy (Leon Mallow) tapped in and took her for the rest of the dance. And worse than that it was the last dance of the night. I did get to have the last word of the night with her since I walked her home after the dance. There were other songs that I liked and when I looked through the list the other day I could instantly recall the music in my mind. They actually made some really great songs during that area that are still popular today.

May 11, 2010

What was your favorite singing group or band?

It was probably “the Sons of the Pioneers” first and then the Monkee’s and the Beatles. However Neil Diamond has come to be my most favorite over the years as time has gone on and his songs have continued to be created aand sang as well as the old ones still being popular.

May 10,2010

Name some popular hit songs from your youth.

I went to the internet and was flooded with memories and was interested in how many I could still sing. Music does make an impact on our lives.

1960’s.

1960s Top Ten Dance Songs:

1. The Twist - Chubby Checker 2. Build Me Up Buttercup - Foundations 3. Sugar Pie Honey Bunch Honey Bunch - Four Tops 4. I Want You Back - Jackson 5 5. More Today Than Yesterday - Spiral Staircase 6. Heatwave - Martha and the Vandellas 7. Ain't Too Proud To Beg - Temptations 8. The Loco-Motion - Little Eva 9. Jimmy Mack - Martha and the Vandellas 10. Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley

May 9, 2010

Do you remember any childhood songs or rhymes?

We sang all of the primary songs that were written at the time like "Give Said the Little Stream" and "Pop Corn Popping on the Apricot Tree". There were others but those are the two that come to my memory first. Then there were all of the nursery rhymes like"Little Boy Blue Come Blow your horn", Jack and Jill fell down the Hill", and "Jack Be Nimble Jack be Quick". Plus there were a host of them and it has been every fun going to Lori's preschool graduations and seeing them acted out by the children and they always do such a great job that it brings those rhymes back to my memory very vividly. I think though that there might be one or two that might post date my youth. I am looking forward to seeing them again at the end of May this year and I will have to pay a little closer attention to see if I knew them all and had just forgotten them or if there are really some new ones.