When I graduated from Cornhusker U. in ’55, I fulfilled my parents’ goal and became the Country Extension (USDA) Agent in Bridgeport NE. I was envious of my high school buddy and my college roommate; both were writing me from Navy Preflight in Pensacola. My personal plight was made easier by my ability to swing the Louisville Slugger given to me years earlier by my Grandfather. My first summer on the USDA job, I took 3 days off to attend a training camp given by the Boston Braves (then becoming the Milwaukee Braves). Things went well, and scout Russ Meyer told me to expect a train ticket in the mail in a couple weeks. Fate intervened a couple nights later, when I dove for a ground ball over third base during a local town-team game, and broke my wrist. I guess it was probably with tears in my eyes that I called Russ Meyer. Great Guy! He told me it was a long summer; just bring the x-rays and enjoy the long train ride from Bridgeport NE to Bakersfield CA.
I was one of three passengers riding that all-night “milk-run” train to Denver! It was still light enough to see a recruiting billboard that had been put up along the highway/train track. It was the Blue Angels, flying the diamond in their F-5 Panthers! I fell asleep about midnight and, having seen the Bridges at To-Ko-Ri only a few days earlier, I had a great dream about Grace Kelly. Did all Navy Fighter Pilots marry girls like that? When we pulled into Denver that morning, I walked to the downtown Navy Recruiting Office. They gave me taxi fare to NAAS Buckley. The next day I was airborne over the Rockies in an SNJ on a “fam” flight with a great guy. Nine years later, I flew in his “diamond of diamonds” Crusader fly-over at the Paris Air Show!
I won’t say “I never looked back!” Because I did, often! I’m very proud of where I came from; very proud of my country school and farm-life childhood, very proud of my 8th Army Air Force B-17 pilot Uncle Harry and my Marine Uncle George (Tarawa and Saipan), very proud of my 276 over the North during Rolling Thunder, very proud of the 83 years of active duty served by myself, two sons, a grandson and a granddaughter, and very proud to serve a the country that (once) loved me. How could I not love “that country” in return?
V/R Dick Schaffert aka Brown Bear
Oh, Yeah – I was a bastard to live with, ended up with 3 wives. All of them made Grace Kelly look like a boy!