"Son Charlie," mover and shaker, Part 2

For my MOS--military occupational specialty--training, I was sent to Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. For two weeks I was trained to be a medic. Then I was sent to my school at Company F which was going to be Prevention Medicine Specialist. They are the army's inspectors: meat inspectors, VD people, and mosquito abaters. VD and mosquitoes were rampant in a place called RVN--Republic of Viet Nam. But, by virtue of spending the week in the hospital, I was one week late for the school. Rather than wait nine weeks and be a "casual" (we painted bathrooms, mowed lawns, etc., while waiting). After one day of that, I took the First Sergeant's suggestion and went to personnel to see about getting into another school.


They accepted me into x-ray tech school. So I moved from Company F to Company G. AFter x-ray school, I was sent to OJT--on the job training--at Brooke General Hospital on Fort Sam. It was there in my room that they x-rayed then ex-president Johnson when he had a heart attack. He thought he had hurt some ribs playing golf.After OJT, which had involved moving to a different barracks, I went to Letterman General Hospital and moved into a barracks there. I lived in one cubicle before being named "barracks sergeant" and got a private room.


When I got out of the Army, I taught in Northlake, living in an apartment; for the next three years, I bought a house with a friend in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. I sold my half to his girlfriend and they married; I went back to college and back to "home" on Third Street in Charleston. After a master's degree was earned, I moved to Cerro Gordo, Illinois and taught in Bement. Then I took a job in Farina, Illinois for two years. It was a small, small town and I hungered to be back in the suburbs in big schools and moved to Waukegan. For almost three months, I lived with some people named Jim and Jean Van Delinder. Jim charged rent: "Take us out to eat each time you get a paycheck." I was there for six paychecks.


I think the largest bill for the three of us--in 1980--was $77, including tip. We ate well.In November, 1980, I closed on the house where I still live. It will soon be 28 years of living here. My nephew lives with me and he is going to retire this year. We will sell this house--I may live here a year or two longer to let home prices stabilize--and then move back to Third Street in Charleston. I'll probably die living in the house where I was born. Not many folks can do that. My nephew intends to move to a condo that we bought from my cousin. Her Mom--also my cousin--had bought it in 1984 and lived there until she died in 2005 at age 89."Dad"


Jim said that "You've met Charlie." Now you know him a little better. He has lived in 22 places over 65 years.