Army Archives • BOOMERPDX

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ON VETERANS DAY 2024

November 11, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Veterans Day is for the old folks who remember their youth and those who were young with them. They remember the young people who didn’t have the chance to get old. My Dad got a chance to get old. He out-lived his Dad, just like I’m out-living him.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, college, conflict, education, enlistment, france, germany, italy, Korean War, Marine Corps, Navy, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, service, Ukraine, Veterans Day, Vietnam War, WWII

BIG DECISIONS ARE TOO HARD?

September 9, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Big decisions come every day, one fastball after another. In the game of life, you stand in and take your cuts. You might get on base, you might strike out. Or you might opt out of the whole thing? Wait a minute.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, army career, big decisions, biggest decision, culture, Darth Vader, decided, deciding, decisions, leave a comment, logger, logging, logging town, married, no decision, no failure, North Bend, North Bend Oregon, Oregon, wife

‘NOTHING TO FEAR’ WITH WINSTON CHURCHILL AND GEORGE CLOONEY

July 11, 2024 by David Gillaspie

“Nothing to fear, nothing to see, move along.” It’s just Winston Churchill strolling in his front yard. We had a Churchill lesson at his place, then another in his London war rooms. Our dude didn’t have smooth seas on the trip to joining the immortals of history.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: afraid, alarmist distraction, Army, biden candidacy, blogger, boy scouts, Churchill, Churchill war rooms, crappy things, England, fear, forward, free world, George Clooney, germany, great britain, hooper, Joe biden, journey, learning, london, Nazi, New York Times, opinion, parents, public life, respect authority, small footprint, war rooms, whine, Winston Churchill

MAKING TIME TO SHARE TIME

July 7, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Making time for this, for that, but we still run out of time. On the run? From a Beaverton Farmers Market morning to a Waterfront Blues Festival evening, all the different faces turned into a blur. Some faces, not all.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, beaverton, blues, compression, get married, good vibes, have kids, join the Army, making time, music, Oregon, Portland, portland woodstock, share time, shared time, the blues, time, Waterfront Blues Festival, writers thing

ARMY LESSON: SALUTE THE UNIFORM NOT THE MAN

May 28, 2024 by David Gillaspie

The big Army lesson for me was outlined by a Drill Sergeant. We were scheduled for an inspection by one of the big guys on base, some colonel named Blackjack something or other. But Colonel Blackjack got side tracked and they brought out the butter bar from the administrative office to cover for him. It […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, army lesson, army officer, army rank, army uniform, legal issues, loser, memorial day, officer, protocol, remembrance, sloppy man, sucker, thoughts and prayers, trump, uniform

WIDOW MAKER: A LOGGER’S NIGHTMARE

April 7, 2024 by David Gillaspie

My Grandpa on my mom’s side was her step-dad, though as kids we never knew it. Why? Because it didn’t matter. He was married to Grandma and she was a boss. Besides, he was the best choice between the three. One was a yeller, the other was far away, and Grandpa was just right. He […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, boss, cancer, Dad, dying, fool killer, grandma, grandpa, intervention, logger, Marine, Mom, Renaissance Man, stand up, stood up, veterans, widow maker, wife and kids

SAFE DATING OR SIDEWALK SERENADES

March 23, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Safe dating is the goal for everyone brave enough to step out of their comfort zone, get off the couch, and open the front door. Whether long term, short term, husband-wife, blind date, or one of those high school reunion prince and princess things you hear about, safety is paramount. But, if you’re anything like […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: apartment, Army, bad boy, blind date, college, comfort zone, dating, dreams, high school, hopes, husband, love affair, love torch, men, museum, nice girl, NW Portland, one woman, philadelphia, prom, relationship, relationships, safe dating, talk, wife, women

STORY DEVELOPMENT, THURSDAY NIGHT

March 15, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Story development sounds like show business? But it’s more. It’s a revelation in a small group where people learn the ropes from a professional. The pro is Nancy McDonald. Nancy who?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, enlistment, fire bombing, japan, Saipan, story, story development, story teller, story telling, tinian, vietnam era, vietnam vet, vietnam veteran boomer, writer, writers, writing, WWII

CALL THE MEDIC. ALL BETTER?

February 23, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Call the medic when there’s something wrong, anything at all. MEDIC. Right here, pal. Calm down. All better? Good.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, army air force, army medic, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, call the medic, cavity magnetron, education, electrical diagrams, electronics, firebombing, japan, MEDIC, money, philadelphia, radar, research, rich, tinian, travel, writer, writers, writing, WWII

NOW WHAT? GREEN FATIGUE POWER

January 2, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Another year? Now what? I gave the most important Christmas present this year, one that will resonate in eternity, or maybe through January. My two girls got their letterman jacket, their superhero cape, their cloak of invincibility. I broke out the ironing board and starch and scissors and applied them all to this game changer.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, arnold, Baby Boomers, behoove, blog, blogger, BOOMER, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, christmas present, David Gillaspie, education, fitness, green fatigue, kids, millennials, now what, sports, stay strong, strong women, wife, writer, writers, writing