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Hawkeye: Life at a Glance

“Time is fun when you are having flies.” ~ Kermit the Frog

 

The 50th anniversary of the assassination of US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy marked a dark time in American History. When we remember President Kennedy, we do not see political parties, or bickering in Congress. We remember this man as being one of the best Presidents that ever resided at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We were fresh into the “Cold War” with the threat of communism on every part of the globe. The Camelot atmosphere portrayed by the Kennedy family at the White House in general put our country at ease

 

Hawkeye was a young Sailor during this era. He remembers sitting on a Trailways Bus at the Depot in Washington DC waiting to get underway for the last leg of his weekly pilgrimage to Aberdeen Maryland where he visited with his brother Art and his family. The Driver entered the bus and asked for everyone’s attention: “The President has been shot in Dallas Texas.”

 

Hawkeye, being a patriot, was thrown in to a state of utter shock and disbelief. By the time the bus arrived in Aberdeen Maryland, the President had died. While watching the news on TV in Brother Art’s house, Hawkeye watched a fat night club owner named “Jack Ruby” shoot the suspect “Lee Harvey Oswald” at point blank range while being held by two policemen.

 

There was no doubt as to how this went down as it was right there on nationwide TV for all to see!  Not only did President Kennedy’s death cause shock and grief throughout America, but it had an effect on the entire world. Here was a leader of the people who had served his country in battle during WWII as a PT boat Skipper. He was the skipper of PT 109 who gallantly brought General Douglas MacArthur and his family out of Bataan.

 

To be assassinated by a do nothing ex marine was like adding salt to the wound! Lee Harvey Oswald had spent time in Russia, and was married to Marina Oswald who was a Russian citizen. This made for all sorts of speculation and wild stories. In summary, we will never forget that dreadful day in November when not only a country lost a great leader, but the entire world. He was just what we needed, a man with the Brains, Popularity, and Guts to lead us from despair generated as a residual of the cold war. He will always be in our hearts.

 

Moving right along to Thanksgiving Day, another day celebrated heavily in the Good Old USA, when the pilgrims and the Indians got together for a feast. We accepted their feed bags, and they partook of ours. This was a feast to remember. This was also meant to celebrate making it through the first year in the new world. The food digested better for the pilgrims being their first real meal away from the British Rule. They paid no taxes on the food, thereby making it more enjoyable.

 

Little did the Native Americans know that while we were partaking of the first Thanksgiving Feast, we were scheming to relieve them of everything they owned up to and including their very homeland? Years went by with the friction between the ancestors of the first British Pilgrims, and the indigenous people that we now refer to as Native Americans.

 

Wars upon wars were fought and in the final analysis the White Eyes won, herding the Redman off to Reservations that no self respecting Mountain Goat would dare call home. Like it or not, the friction remains between the Native Americans and the Great White Father, that dwells in the land of the long white cloud. The Indians dubbed the white man “Rednecks” while the white man dubbed the Indians “Red Skins.”

 

The Red Necks earned their Nick Names from the Sun hitting them on the backs of their necks while they were picking Cotton. The Indian earned their Nick Names from sitting around in the Hot Sun watching the Rednecks pick cotton! During all of this, the Americans beat the British in a revolution that is still being fought today. The revolution began with disgruntled settlers over high taxation from the English Government. They refused to pay taxes on a ship load of “Tetley’s Tea” fresh from the old country and instead dumped it in Boston Harbor. This was dubbed the Boston Tea Party which is still ongoing today in Washington DC!

 

The Native Americans are still trying to figure out where all the Buffalo have disappeared to. Hum. Over. The Closest to Buffalo hunting that Hawkeye ever did was to fly over to Catalina Island just off the coast of California, (27 Miles from Newport Beach) and land at Avalon. There were the best Buffalo Burgers served in a little snack bar on Avalon Bay. It would have been romantic except for the fact that Hawkeye was by himself!  (Just he and a rented Cessna.) Once a year there is hunting allowed on Santa Catalina Island in order to control the “Fat Buffalo” Population.

 

That is about it for this week Fans.

 

Love until next week.

 

Hawk & Leanor

 

(Disclaimer: This column or commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of Samoa News.)