Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

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Swamp
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Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Swamp »

I wasn't sure if I was gonna bring this back but some of the threads on all parts
of this board have inspired me. The concert etiquette thread reminded me of our
trip to Mobil earlier this year. I just have to find the video first. On another thread
I saw something about eating brains, which reminded me about the story I posted
about a dog we used to have. But watching the video Smitty put on the music blasphemy
thread really brought back some fond memories.(and not so fond)
LYNYRD SKYNYRD (before the crash)
We moved from Memphis to Jacksonville in the spring of 72. I remember the first time
I heard Sweet Home Alabama. My first thought was why are these guys down on ole Neil?
Then I was informed that these guys were local. The fact they were singing about Alabama,
where my mother is from, won me over. I became a casual fan.
Skynyrd was headlining my first ever concert in the summer of 75. A band called Cowford
Country Band opened the show but I was more interested in the middle act, CDB. Charlie
didn't let me down but Ronnie sure did. They opened with Saturday Night Special, then
Ronnie started puking and that was the end of the show. Needless to say, the over packed
coliseum turned into a riot.
In 1976 while Jimmy Carter was running for president there was a benefit for him in
the old Gator Bowl. All the "southern rock" bands were there. 38 Special, the Outlaws
CDB, Marshal Tucker & Lynyrd Skynyrd (well maybe not all the southern rock bands)
After the CDB set, Charlie stayed on stage and played fiddle to every MTB song whether
it needed it or not. I think MTB played their whole cataloge. Finally Toy walked up
to the mic and said "aw chucks yall, Ronnies too drunk to sing" :roll: All the guitar
players from all the bands, including Skynyrd came out and jammed. It was pretty
awsome but it wasn't Skynyrd. When they came back in the spring of 77, I refused to go.
I was told it was a killer show.
In my senior year of high school I began to hang with a crowd that included a guy
named Leonard Skinner or "little Leonard". His dad was the guy they named the band
after. By that time Mr Skinner was no longer a coach and owned his own real estate
company. (see inside sleeve of the Second Helping album. that was their real home
phone # and they got calls from all over) After we graduated and during the summer of 77,
Mr. Skinner bought a little bar on the westside called the Still. Everybody I knew worked
there........except for me. I worked at the Farmbest dairy. The same one Leon worked
at before going full time with Skynyrd. I became a regular at the Still. It was still a country
place at that time but all my friends worked there and I rarely had to buy my drinks.
On Sept 19, 1977 I was there celebrating my 19th birthday. Sherman and the Skwermans
was the house band. At some point Ronnie, Allen and Leon came in. Ronnie sang some
country songs with the band. During a break he was at the bar talking to Mrs Skinner,
who was behind the bar that night keeping an eye on things. I guess she told him I was
up there celebrating my birthday cause when he returned to the stage he led the place
in a round of happy birthday to me :o Then Allen and Leon joined him on stage with
Sherman as they blazed through some country classics. A month later it was all over.
to be continued
Last edited by Swamp on Sun Aug 08, 2010 8:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

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Clams
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Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Clams »

Nice, swamp. ^^^^

Looking forward to the next installment.
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

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scotto
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Re: Return of the Tales

Post by scotto »

Glad the Tales have returned.

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pearlysnaps
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Re: Return of the Tales

Post by pearlysnaps »

Thanks for bringing the tales back, man. I always enjoy them...and the abover is killer!

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AprilTwister
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Re: Return of the Tales

Post by AprilTwister »

I soooo look forward to reading * the Tales *... glad u decided to continue posting!
When the singer starts yodellin', you know you're in for a wild night

The Black Canary

Re: Return of the Tales

Post by The Black Canary »

Love the tales, glad you brought them back

Swamp
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Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Swamp »

Thanks yall.
The old thread had alot of snake stories and no sooner than I brought it back,
Clyde and Paddy cornered a 4 ft. cottenmouth yesterday morning
Image
photo by Marina. shovel by me

It was only 10 steps from our front door!!
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

Swamp
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Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Swamp »

Due to the graphic nature of the previous video I have removed it.
If you would like to watch it, just go to Patchouliskye on youtube.
no telling what else you might find there :D
DISCLAMER
We do not go out looking for snakes to kill!!
That particular snake turned up a week after Shultzy died.
She hated snakes and kept them off the property.
I knew it was out there but it had kept it's distance
and I was fine with that, but once he entered the inner
perimeter and the dogs found it, we had no choice. :(
That same day I was edging a flower bed with my weedeater.
If you've seen our Working This Job video, you will see how
I walk backwards (ala Michael Jackson) while doing this.
I am usually moving kinda fast. Anyways a garter snake trying
to avoid my feet slithered right into the path of the weedeater
line. It ruined my day :(




not to mention the snake guts in my teeth.






which isn't as bad as dog shit. :mrgreen:
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

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Clams
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Location: City of Brotherly Love

Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Clams »

Swamp wrote:Due to the graphic nature of the previous video I have removed it.
If you would like to watch it, just go to Patchouliskye on youtube.
no telling what else you might find there :D
DISCLAMER
We do not go out looking for snakes to kill!!
That particular snake turned up a week after Shultzy died.
She hated snakes and kept them off the property.
I knew it was out there but it had kept it's distance
and I was fine with that, but once he entered the inner
perimeter and the dogs found it, we had no choice. :(
That same day I was edging a flower bed with my weedeater.
If you've seen our Working This Job video, you will see how
I walk backwards (ala Michael Jackson) while doing this.
I am usually moving kinda fast. Anyways a garter snake trying
to avoid my feet slithered right into the path of the weedeater
line. It ruined my day :(


Dude that video is AWESOME!!! Motherfuckin snakes better not mess with the Swamps. They will fuck you up!!!
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

Swamp
Posts: 2732
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Swamp »

Clams wrote:
Swamp wrote:Due to the graphic nature of the previous video I have removed it.
If you would like to watch it, just go to Patchouliskye on youtube.
no telling what else you might find there :D
DISCLAMER
We do not go out looking for snakes to kill!!
That particular snake turned up a week after Shultzy died.
She hated snakes and kept them off the property.
I knew it was out there but it had kept it's distance
and I was fine with that, but once he entered the inner
perimeter and the dogs found it, we had no choice. :(
That same day I was edging a flower bed with my weedeater.
If you've seen our Working This Job video, you will see how
I walk backwards (ala Michael Jackson) while doing this.
I am usually moving kinda fast. Anyways a garter snake trying
to avoid my feet slithered right into the path of the weedeater
line. It ruined my day :(


Dude that video is AWESOME!!! Motherfuckin snakes better not mess with the Swamps. They will fuck you up!!!

just noticed "the record company" has removed our Working This Job video,
but yall can still see it on Patchouliskye's youtube page.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

Swamp
Posts: 2732
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Swamp »

Ronnie's original resting place.
Image
Image
Image
Image
AFTER THE CRASH
As much as I loved "Southern Rock" if you got in my "hippie van" in 1977, (yes, i was that
guy and this is the wrong forum for "Van Stories" and probably why I married someone from
a different high school) I had three 8-tracks. Destroyer by Kiss, Ted Nugent (stranglehold)
and AC/DC's High Voltage. 88% of the time High Voltage was in the player.
Within 2 months, the original southern rocker(Elvis) and the man that put "Southern Rock" on the map (and probably took it off) were dead. During the years we lived just north of Memphis, Graceland had always been a destination when we had out-of-town guest. Elvis's death had really upset me but it didn't hit me like Ronnies death did.
It was a strange time in Jax. The Skinners had successfully transformed the Still to a
Rock Club, Cruzen was the house band now. Their 15 minute version of "miss you' with
Mike just making up words was killer. Somehow the Still became a kinda mecca for
wayward Skynryd fans who needed some type of closure. Steve Gaines' younger brother,
Bob, moved to town and became a regular. He played drums in a local band that I can't
remember the name. Linda Blair even ended up at the Still one night, but I wasn't there.
There was a lot of speculation in Jax as to what else had went down in that plane with
the investigation involving Linda, certain members of Skynyrd and some cocaine.
STRAWS !
It was early December, late afternoon on a weekday. For some reason my buddy
Randy, who usually worked the package store at night, was afternoon bar tender.
I offered to sit up there and keep him company :lol: Afternoons are kinda dead
during the week. We were sitting there shooting the shit when in walked Leon and
the Australian version of Ronnie, Malcolm Young. There were only a couple other
people in there and they were at a table furthest from the bar. I didn't reconize
either one of them at first but once Malcolm started talking I knew who he was,
but who was the guy with the swelled up face and wired up jaw and why were they
there? They sat a couple of stools over and Malcolm starts telling us that he was at the hospital visiting Leon when he decided Leon needed a drink, so they just walked out.
AC/DC and Skynyrd had become good friends during the summer of 77.
Needless to say, Leon enjoyed all his drinks through straws.
Leon didn't have much to say that day but he became a regular at the Still and
we became friends. He always knew where the coolest parties were :D Although
I used to see Allen in and around town a lot back then, I could never bring myself
to speak to him. Even face to face, I'd just stand there with my mouth open.
..........to be continued
Last edited by Swamp on Sun Jul 18, 2010 1:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

Gator McKlusky
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Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Gator McKlusky »

Keep the tales coming Mr. Swamp! The origin of the name Lynryd Skynyrd is one of my favorite stories in rock history. Is Leonard Skinner still alive?
Looks like a bunch of little whiny fucksticks to me

Swamp
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Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Swamp »

Gator McKlusky wrote:Keep the tales coming Mr. Swamp! The origin of the name Lynryd Skynyrd is one of my favorite stories in rock history. Is Leonard Skinner still alive?

I just talked to Randy (the bartender from the previous story) a couple of weeks ago. I mentioned that I was writing about stuff from back in the day. Little Leonard's name came
up but Randy didn't say anything about his dad. So being curious I punched his name in the
search window and Lynyrd Skynyrd came up :roll: After a little more searching I found this
http://jacksonville.com/lifestyles/2009 ... a_namesake
Pretty good story and points out a mistake I made in the first story. Where I had stated
that the Leonard Skinner real estate sign was on the inner sleeve of the Second Helping album, it is actually on the inner sleeve of Nothin' Fancy. The picture on the cover of that album is one of the locations on "the tour" (which I will eventually explain)
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

Gator McKlusky
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Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Gator McKlusky »

Thanks for that link Mr. Swamp. Great article. He reminds me of my dad who always had a flattop straight out of the 50's and hated it when I was always trying to grow my hair as long as I could as a teenager.
Looks like a bunch of little whiny fucksticks to me

Swamp
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Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Our first snake.

Post by Swamp »

BACK when we first bought our property in '82, Randy bought the property just
across the little creek that runs down the property line. We moved in, in Oct '83
and Randy followed in the summer of '84. Unfortunately, his first wife hated the
swamp and they moved back to town next door to her parents. Thus selling his
place to the culprit featured in the story about Winnie (on the old 9b board)
At that time we had 2 dogs. A black chow named Fugi and a norwegian elkhound
named Hidi, both females. We had 3 cats, Dixie and 2 of her offspring, Smokey a
big gray furball and CC (Cocaine Charley) a big white furball.
One day during the late summer of '84, Randy and I were planting stuff in the
back yard when we heard Marina hollering from the front yard. My first instinct
had been that Fugi had gotten out of the yard. I looked around the side of the
house toward the little bridge between Randy and our place. That was Fugi's
escape route. But no Fugi. Something else must be up. As we came around the
corner, Marina was pointing at a cinder block that I had placed in the ground
around our water valve."There's a snake" she screamed. It was our first snake
encounter. As we approached she said Smokey and CC had it before Fugi took
it away from them. Then it escaped and was coiled up in the cinder block. When
we looked in, it was a shiny red, black and yellow snake. We had always been told
that coral snakes were little snakes about a foot long. This snake was a lot bigger
so it must be a king snake. So we caught it and played with it a little while before
I decided to call somebody for a color conformation. As I made the call Randy held
the snake. Then I repeated the color combination back to Randy. His eyes got big
as he exclaimed "I ain't never held a live poisonous snake before" The snake was
over 3 feet long and we thought we had some kinda record. So I called a local
snake expert who told me it was illegal to posses or sell poisonous snakes, but he
would be glad to come by and take it off my hands. Click! We turned it loose
about a mile from the house. Although their venom is very deadly they are not an aggressive snake. We've only seen about 8 of them the 27 years we've lived here.
They were all relocated except for the one that popped up under the mower.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

Swamp
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Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Re: Return of the Tales

Post by Swamp »

On another board I visit from time to time, the right wingers have a thread entitled "wake
up and smell the coffee" :roll: One guy likes to post the ramblings of Charlie Danials.
In a article about Personal Responsibility, CD said
"In the early days, I had trouble with musicians being on time for departures. Everybody else would be sitting on the bus waiting for one individual who was partying too hard or just being slow in getting ready to leave."

Of course it was a lot longer than this and I didn't even read the rest after that statement
but this was my response :D

OMG!!!! Not just the old days Charlie :lol: We are rolling on the floor :lol:
Charlie has always been a favorite of mine. In fact my first concert ever was CDB and Skynyrd!!
CDB is why I was there, so when Ronnie started puking and the show ended arruptly I wasn't that upset. Anyways we were at a show about 10 years ago and Taz invited us back to his room. Some one came by the room to say they would be leaving soon. Taz just waved them off as we continued to burn a big fatty as Taz told us tales of Amsterdam.
Image
When we finally left the room, the bus was gone. Taz took off running across the parking lot dragging his suitcase behind him. As we drove off that night we saw the bus parked on the other side of the motel. :lol: I know they were all laughing on the bus when they saw Taz come running around the corner.
As much as I love CD, I think he has lost his mind.
Last edited by Swamp on Sun Jul 18, 2010 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

Swamp
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Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Leon meets Son of Swamp

Post by Swamp »

In the fall of 78 my brother Myron introduced me to Marina. That pretty much ended
my need to go to the Still every chance I got. Also most of my friends that worked there
got regular jobs. Leon got busy with Rossington/Collins Band and we pretty much lost
touch. Then in 85 or 86 we were at a little oyster bar(TJ's) across the street from Ronnie's
original grave site. Leon came in with Barry Harwood, the 3rd guitarist in RCB. Jessie was
only 3 or 4 but he knew his R&R history. Barry went up to the bar but Leon saw us and
approached our table. As he was headed our way I told Jessie that Leon was the bassist for
Skynyrd. Marina had already met him back in 79 and so I introduced him to Jessie. Jessie
had an ear to ear grin as they shook hands. About that time Barry walked up to the table,
stuck out his hand and said "hi I'm Barry Harwood" Jessie quickly withdrew his hand and
said "I only know Lynyrd Skynyrd" As Barry turned and walked away mumbling something
like "fuck you kid" we all cracked up laughing, even Leon.
I didn't see Leon again until Allen's funeral. Then again the day they broke ground for
the Ronnie Van Zant park witch is about 3 miles from the house. It was the last time
I would see him alive.
Image
We attended his funeral and while there witnessed a drunk fall over and knock someone
elses tombstone over. I looked at my buddy and said "this is a Skynyrd funeral alright"
Image
Last edited by Swamp on Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

Swamp
Posts: 2732
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Air Guitar contest ??

Post by Swamp »

On current tv the other day and then again this morning on HLN, I saw
stories on air guitar contest. What a bunch of losers! :lol: :lol: :lol:







well back in the day a local radio station had a Air Band contest :D
sometime between 80 & 81 at a bar called Big Daddy's
The Average Headband
We liked to refer to ourselves as AHB even though headband was
one word :lol: During the 2 weeks we were together we went
through 3 drummers. At first I was gonna play lead. I was quite
an accomplished AG player, going back to my high school daze
when i would lock everybody in my bedroom, turn off the lights,
turn on the strobe light and just rock out to Frank Zappa's "I am
the Slime" It was alsum :lol: Then there were them hour long
solo's I'd perform at parties. Also alsum :lol:
We were to model our band after AC/DC. I was the singer.
A friend and co-worker of Randy was chosen to play lead due
to his alsum windmilling ability while on his knees. I only knew
him as Woody. Our dear friend Jon (pictured in the pictures thread)
was our bass player. This was before he joined the navy.
Paul Bond, who would later become my brother-in-law for a short time,
was our rhythm player. He has since furthered his career in music by
becoming the door man at Jack Rabbits, a local rock club. He's also
the guy who tried in vain to get us to come to a DBT show in the
late 90's. (my fault :( )
Then there was the drummers. I can't even tell you the first 2's names or
even how they even became associated with the band.
I was serious about winning this thing. I had the thing all choreographed out.
Jon and Paul would stand on either side of the drummer. anytime there
were back up singing needed they would both step forward 4 steps together,
sing the back up, then step back to their spots. Meanwhile Woody and I
would just go crazy all over and hope we don't run into anybody. The first
drummer did not have a clue to where a snare drum is and the cymbal. I had
to fire him. The rest of the band was pissed at me and it took me 2 days
to get everybody back together. We practiced for over a week.
We got to the club and I guessed I pushed the 2nd drummer to hard cause
he didn't show up. I was in a panic. I called another close friends house.
He was at work and was planning on attending when he got off. Dan's
mother, Mrs Hogan answered the phone. I asked her to tell Dan we
needed a drummer. Wear two different socks, gym shorts and a tank
top. She said she'd give him the message.
Dan showed up dressed as prescribed. We added a leather pilots helmet.
and he was just about complete. Then Marina handed him her
Carl Palmer sticks, Keith Emerson had given her. I stuffed a sock in my
pants and we hit the stage doing High Voltage. I really hammed it up, at
one point taking off my shirt and throwing it at the girl who wrote rock
reviews for the local paper. We nailed it. I knew we had it in the bag.
They judged the contest based on crowd response. After everybody
performed they called off the bands one by one. You step up on
stage and they'ld applaud. We got the best response so far. Then the all
girl band, that did the Heart song ,stepped up and bent backwards in their
spandex outfits and the rest as they say...............


our dreams were burst that night
and the Average Headband never
performed together again.



every now and again there are the typical reunion rumors.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

Swamp
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Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Return of the tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Swamp »

I grew up a navy brat. My dad was a brown shoe (aviation). Most of the time whenever he had shore
duty (3 or 4 years), we would be stationed at NAS Memphis in Millington Tenn., where my dad would
teach. Whenever he had sea duty (also 3 or 4 years), he would be attached to some kind of aircraft
squadron on either the east or west coast. But he met my mother while stationed on the Gulf
coast, while on shore duty with a training squadron. He was at Whiting Field just north of Pensacola
and she was from Brewton, Ala. My dad was from Greenville, Mich. My older sister was born in
Jacksonville, I was born at Patuxent River, Maryland, My younger brother was born in Argentia,
Newfoundland and my youngest brother was born in Millington. And if that wasn't enough, Marina
was born in Frankfort Germany. She was an army brat. We wrestle during the Army/Navy game :twisted:
Last edited by Swamp on Sun May 19, 2013 9:00 am, edited 2 times in total.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

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The Black Canary
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Location: Cambridge, MA

Re: Halloween Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by The Black Canary »

Swamp wrote:I grew up a navy brat. My dad was a brown shoe (aviation). Most of the time whenever he had shore
duty (3 or 4 years), we would be stationed at NAS Memphis in Millington Tenn., where my dad would
teach. Whenever he had sea duty (also 3 or 4 years), he would be attached to some kind of aircraft
squadron on either the east or west coast. But he met my mother while stationed on the Gulf
coast while on shore duty with a training squadron. He was at Whiting Field just north of Pensacola
and she was from Brewton, Ala. My dad was from Greenville, Mich. My older sister was born in
Jacksonville, I was born at Patuxent River, Maryland, My younger brother was born in Argentia,
Newfoundland and my youngest brother was born in Millington. And if that wasn't enough, Marina
was born in Frankfort Germany. She was an army brat. We wrestle during the Army/Navy game :twisted:



I grew up a Navy brat as well our dads might actually know each other!!! too funny
so what is it like living with your mommy again BWAHAHAHAHAH

Swamp
Posts: 2732
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Re: Halloween Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Swamp »

The Black Canary wrote:
Swamp wrote:I grew up a navy brat. My dad was a brown shoe (aviation). Most of the time whenever he had shore
duty (3 or 4 years), we would be stationed at NAS Memphis in Millington Tenn., where my dad would
teach. Whenever he had sea duty (also 3 or 4 years), he would be attached to some kind of aircraft
squadron on either the east or west coast. But he met my mother while stationed on the Gulf
coast while on shore duty with a training squadron. He was at Whiting Field just north of Pensacola
and she was from Brewton, Ala. My dad was from Greenville, Mich. My older sister was born in
Jacksonville, I was born at Patuxent River, Maryland, My younger brother was born in Argentia,
Newfoundland and my youngest brother was born in Millington. And if that wasn't enough, Marina
was born in Frankfort Germany. She was an army brat. We wrestle during the Army/Navy game :twisted:



I grew up a Navy brat as well our dads might actually know each other!!! too funny

If your dad was a brown shoe than there's a good chance they do. Otherwise the only boats
my dad ever rode were aircraft carriers.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

Swamp
Posts: 2732
Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:31 pm
Location: the swamps of northern Florida

Return of the tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Swamp »

Swamp wrote:I grew up a navy brat. My dad was a brown shoe (aviation). Most of the time whenever he had shore
duty (3 or 4 years), we would be stationed at NAS Memphis in Millington Tenn., where my dad would
teach. Whenever he had sea duty (also 3 or 4 years), he would be attached to some kind of aircraft
squadron on either the east or west coast. But he met my mother while stationed on the Gulf
coast, while on shore duty with a training squadron. He was at Whiting Field just north of Pensacola
and she was from Brewton, Ala. My dad was from Greenville, Mich. My older sister was born in
Jacksonville, I was born at Patuxent River, Maryland, My younger brother was born in Argentia,
Newfoundland and my youngest brother was born in Millington. And if that wasn't enough, Marina
was born in Frankfort Germany. She was an army brat. We wrestle during the Army/Navy game :twisted:

Hope yall didn't think that was the story. Seems like when I tell a story there's more back ground
info than the actual story :oops:
In 1965 my dad got transferred to Whidbey Is., Wash. It is located in the Pudget Sound just west of
Seattle. We had been living in the base trailer park at NAS Memphis. My dad had a hauling co.
haul the trailer straight up there and we drove via route 66, the Grand Canyon, Vegas and the Hoover
Dam.
Image
Image
(on our way to Whidbey)


Image
(Myron, me and Majie in front of the trailer my dad had moved up there)


Even though I had to make new friends every 3 or 4 years, I think all the traveling was worth it.
At Whidbey my dad was attached to VP-17, a patrol squadron. He was the plane captain of crew 11.
Image
(My dad, bottom left)


They flew P2V Neptune's which were replace by P3 Orions in the early 70's. The P3 has had a very
long run and will soon be replaced.
Image
(A P2V from his squadron flying over Deception Pass at the northern end of the island.)


The way sea duty works is the squadron is at its home base for 6 months, then it is at a base
overseas for 6 months without their families. His first overseas tour was from the fall of 65
till the spring of 66 at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan.
Image
(My dad in Iwakuni)


It was the first time my mom had been left with 4 kids while my dad was overseas, and she didn't
know anybody up there. I guess we kinda drove her crazy. The next fall my dad's squadron spent time
between NS Sangley Point, Philippines and NAF Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam.
Image
(My dad at Cam Ranh Bay)


My mother couldn't deal with it again and she packed us all up and we moved to Brewton, until
it was time for my dad to come back. It was a bee-line trip with no unnecessary stops. We moved
in with my moms sister. Between me rooting for the wrong high school and Aunt Barlice despising
the Beatles, things didn't work out too good. Maybe her riding back with us to Washington was the
last straw but during my dads 67-68 tour at NAF Cam Ranh Bay, we wouldn't be staying with my aunt again.
By that time my parents had bought a house in Coupsville on the other side of Oak Harbor.
Image
(My parents with my youngest brother, David, in the front yard of the house in Coupsville, overlooking the bay)


Also while my dad was at home during the summer of 67 he had to attend a school at NAS Alameda on
San Francisco Bay. So we all went, thru the redwood forest, and stayed with friends and did all the sights.
I was only 9 but I was in San Francisco during the summer of love. 8-) Who knew I'd return 40 years later
for DBT's 2 night DU run at the Great American Music Hall.
When it came time for my dad to leave for the 67-68 tour my parents rented out the house and
my mom rented a house in Brewton. The oldest house in Escambia County! The house was haunted.
You could tell the kitchen had been added to the house long after it had been built. We didn't
have a heater or a tv. We would huddle around the stove on cold mornings and listen to the radio.
We were listening during the 68 tet offensive and heard that viet cong tanks had overrun Cam Ranh
Bay. Little did we know my dads squadron had been pulled back to Sangley Point.
When we first moved in we started noticing little things moved around in the mornings and strange
noises at night. Pictures would be off the wall and the toilet was constantly being flushed. (the bathroom
had been added after the kitchen) When ever we'd go off, when we got back, all the furniture would be
moved away from the walls. During Christmas something turned our tree upside down. None of our
cousins would spend the night with us. Our cousin Brenda tried to spend the night with my sister
but by 9:30 my mom had to take her home :evil: It wouldn't be the last haunted house we would
live in.
Some time in the late 70's or early 80's the house was moved to the Jr. College where it is now
part of the library.
Found this while do research
9 Jul 1965: The squadron deployed to MCAS
Iwakuni, Japan, maintaining a detachment at NAF Tan
Son Nhut. The deployment marked the first deployment
of the squadron to a combat zone since the
Korean Conflict.
15 Sep–Dec 1966: VP-17 deployed to MCAS
Iwakuni, Japan, for two and one-half months’ of duty
in support of operations interdicting gun runners off
South Vietnam coastal waters. On 5 December 1966,
the squadron relocated from Iwakuni to Sangley Point,
R.P., with a detachment at Tan Son Nhut airfield, South
Vietnam, for support of Market Time missions with the
Seventh Fleet. VP-17 was relieved at Sangley Point,
R.P., by VP-42.
9 Nov 1967–Mar 1968: VP-17 deployed to NS
Sangley Point, R.P., with a detachment in Cam Ranh
Bay, South Vietnam. Following the seizure of the intelligence
ship Pueblo (AGER 2) by the North Koreans,
VP-17 participated in a mission from 14 January to 11
February 1968 to provide an ASW patrol net for elements
of the Seventh Fleet in the Sea of Japan. On 4
March 1968, a Vietcong unit mortared the detachment
at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base. One squadron aircraft was
heavily damaged, but no VP-17 personnel were injured.
The squadron was relieved at the end of its tour
by VP-50.
Last edited by Swamp on Sun May 19, 2013 8:58 am, edited 3 times in total.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

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Tequila Cowboy
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Re: Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Man, Swamp, you tell a mean story. With pictures. A life well led.
We call him Scooby Do, but Scooby doesn’t do. Scooby, is not involved

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Re: Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Clams »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Man, Swamp, you tell a mean story. With pictures. A life well led.

^^^^^ X 2

You know how presidents get their own libraries? Well I think Swamp should have one too.
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

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Re: Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Swamp »

In Dec of 68, VP-17 would be getting the new P3 Orions and moving their home base from NAS Whidbey Is.
to NAS Barbers Point in Hawaii. My dad wanted no part of either. The cost of living was too high in Hawaii
and two P3s had already crashed with no survivors, so he put in for a transfer and got NAS Memphis.
On a side note
3 Aug 1970: A VP-17, P-3A, exploded in flight after
takeoff from Nellis AFB, Calif. The plane crashed
near Searchlight, Nev., with 10 crew members aboard.
There were no survivors. The cause of the accident
was never determined. (found this on the internet
while making sure I had my facts right about the squadron)
On the way back to Memphis we would be taking a more northerly route. To save on the cost of motels
my dad bought an apache pop-up camper. We made a couple of test runs to the Cascade Mts. In the summer
of 68 we headed back to Memphis.
Through Yellowstone
Image
(Old Faithfull getting ready to blow)

Image
(stupid people)

Then to Mt. Rushmore
Image

And Mackinac Island
Image
(Me, my youngest brother David and my other brother Myron,in front of the fire wagon)
I believe emergency vehicles are the only motorized vehicles on the Island.
After that we spent about a week in Greenville Mich, where my dad is from. My cousins in
Mich were much different than my cousins in Ala. :) But not in a bad way. I did get teased
alot about the way I talked, but that was north and south. Every time we moved I had to take
speech class :roll:
Then it was on to Memphis with one more stop at Realfoot Lake. Popular history says that
the lake was formed when the region subsided after the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811–1812,
and that the Mississippi River flowed backward for 10–24 hours to fill it.
I caught a 14 inch crappie while we were there.
When we got to Memphis my parents found a house to rent near the little community of Lucy, halfway
between Memphis and Millington. The little school we went to, Lucy Elementary, had one class for each
grade.
Image

The 4th grade basketball team
Image
(I'm 2nd from left on the top row. The big fellow next to me, Rusty Voight became and remained
my best friend until we moved to Fla in 72.)
The house on Fite Rd was haunted. I don't think it was as old as the house in Brewton but you could
tell the kitchen wasn't part of the original house. We didn't use the upstairs but there was something
always being dragged around up there. Between Dark Shadows and me waiting up there behind the door
with a mask on, my sister only made one trip up there the whole time we lived there :twisted: (and I
might be the reason our cousin in Ala didn't make it the night :lol: )
Somewhere we have a picture of us all sitting on the front porch and there is someone looking out the
middle window upstairs. There was no one else in the house that day!
Image
(this was the only photo of the house I could find)
We only lived there about a year and then we moved into base housing in Millington. My buddy Rusty
had been living in a trailer at a little airport between Lucy and Millington. His mother ran the restaurant
at the airport. His dad was also in the Navy and shortly after we moved on base, they moved to the base
trailer park where we had once lived and just around the corner from us :D Although we lost touch after
we moved to Fla., I looked him up in 1996 on our way to the Ark/Fla game. He was still living in Millington
but worked in Memphis. We also drove down Fite Rd and the house was gone and there was a big race track
in its place. Some of the kids dads, I rode the bus with back then, were race car drivers 8-)
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

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Re: Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

Enjoyed that, as always, Swamp. Love the tales.

Also loved this:

Image

I can probably find some Mackinac Island pics too if i dig deep. My dad sailed the race every year and I actually got to go with him twice when I was 12 & 13. We also took a couple vacations in that neck of the woods.
We call him Scooby Do, but Scooby doesn’t do. Scooby, is not involved

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Re: Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Swamp »

Cool ! that's a really cool place up there.
We had rode ferrys from Whidbey to Seatle
but that was the first time I road a ferry that
didn't allow cars.
There used to be a big boat race around
Whidbey back then also, but it was speed
boats.
Last time I went to Mich was the summer
of 73.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

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never going back
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Re: Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by never going back »

Amazing that you have all these pictures and remember enough to tell the stories. Please put it together somehow for your grandkids and greatgrandkids.

I think all the fourth grade boys at Lucy were on the basketball team...
Can you hear that singing? Sounds like gold...

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Re: Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Clams »

fascinating
Everyone needs a friend, everyone needs a fuck

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Re: Return of the Tales (from the Swamp)

Post by Swamp »

never going back wrote:Amazing that you have all these pictures and remember enough to tell the stories. Please put it together somehow for your grandkids and greatgrandkids.

I think all the fourth grade boys at Lucy were on the basketball team...

The school was K-8th. One class for each grade. The Principal believed everybody
should participate. Each class had a boys basketball team. All the girls were either
cheerleaders or drill team, which got to march in parades in Millington.
The 7th & 8th grade girls had a combination volleyball/basketball team. The pictures
from Lucy came from my 69 year book. It's only 20 pages with a hard cover and lots
of crayon marks :) Everybody that worked at the school is in it from the 3 cafeteria
staff to the 2 bus drivers.
and the rest as they say is uh er uh, well somebodies history somewhere?

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