I joined the Air Force in 1971, (to get away from home) Didn't have enuff sense to cash my own paycheck and move out... Seems so simple now... but back then i just didn't know any better...Had a full time job...but didn't have any idea that I could control my own life... I might of stop my grandmother from beatin on me two years before... but I was still under her control... I felt like I was in debt to her for raising me... she owned me...

So I go into the Air Force so she couldn't take my paycheck anymore... dictate every move and breath I took... I was piss off cause I wanted ten dollars for an appications fee to go to Central Texas College in Killeen Texas... NOPE... she wouldn't budge... I had worked since I was 12 years old... with her promising that If I gave her my money she'd save it for my college tutions... Yeah rite... NOPE....not like I was asking for the thousands that should of been there... heck I worked my senior year full time, got five dollars a week for gas and five dollars on the weekend for myself... go figure lol... movie and a shake... seen my first titty flopper in Georgetown Tx. at the movie there... Wow... that was new...

Tell ya my intrest in girls picked up a bunch after that Western lol...nuff that... suppose to by funny anyway...

I shipped off to Lackland AFB, for my basic training which seem like to me even today was just a bunch of fellow barkin and spittin on ya... and makin you march all over the base...reminded me of marchin band pratice... march march... left left left right left... Oh we had some cute little gingles to sing as we marched... and there was the female squadrons that we some times incountered... That was always a colorful exsperience.. them gales had a nasty mouth drill instructor... she told em there was a mile of something in this base and you aint gettin one dang inch untill you straightin up and fly rite... for real...

We got like a pass to go to town... but we can't leave the base lol they was afraid we go awol... so these two airmen were dancin together at the PX thingy forgot what they call em on the base... anyways... they got this EX and I exspress Ex Marine drill instructor... being our sister squadron in all... this guy goes balistic on these two fellow... course even our drill instructor fore warned us about this kind of behavior...
Our squadron got high scores and our sister squadron got pig of the month...

then I was shipped off to Minot North Dakota... Minot AFB SAC base...
Base commander claimed that infins nort dakota pulled out of the union it'd be the third largest nucilar power in the World... sounds like braggin don't it... I wonder...

I was assigned to the transportation dept... I had signed up for helicopter repair... I got auto body repair... decals and bent finders.. busted door handles and rolled security police vechiles...
boy was I about to learn an important lesson in life...

i drove up to Minot from Austin Texas in a 1957 ford Fairlane... four door... Grandma had sold my 66 mustang while I was in basic training ... I really liked that car... it fit me like a glove... it was like my horse... I took care of it, dang I get this knock in my stomach even now... when she told me I just couldn't believe she'd do such mean things to me... she sold my horse to get back at me.. why did it take so long to see what she was doing... didn't sink in untill my grandmother informed me I had been disinherited to the fullest exstend of the law... (cause I didn't divorce debb like she wanted me too) great.. this is love lol...

Only things I'm missin are my car and my boat lol... I loved that car...yeah I loved my ex too lol... all things being equal... can't have the car or the ex back... car wa totalled... ex kinda looks totaled lol... nuff that...

It's about abandonment folks.. and lies , and trust...
Mom abandoned us at three months of age.. that's me three mo...
Then she abandoned me again at seven left me to live with her mom...
This woman don't want me and told me so many many times.. then say i love ya...ya gonna trust that one?
Man it's so sad to think I trusted this woman, she da man... okay... rules with a iron rod.. (aka flyswatter handle wire) me and grandpa... yeppers this man is afraid of the old girl... she is 14 years his senior... almost old enuff to be his momma... well she treated him like a kid anyway.... but she took out all her frustrations on my sorry little butt... and you wonder why I whine lol...

Still hurts everytime the rain comes...
the rain reminds me of the tears I cried....
maybe thats why i hate myself when I cry...

i took a beatin once and didn't even whimper...
She beat me till she was too tired to continued...
i never did that again.. cry boy cry...
She be screamin I'll kill ya and tell god you died...
he aint gonna believe ya grandma...

Well it's aint all about grandma...
I seen this 64 Jaugar XKE coupe... in Minot.. I gotta have it...
Yeppers I got it borrowed the money from the crredit union on base... gonna pay it off with an alotment...
My pay records got lost...
Long story short... Nine months later... I still haven't been paid...my only income was part time job off base, and five dollars every two week comfort pay...

Ya gonna live comfortable on five dollars everytwo weeks folks...yepp.. I got a hair cut.. that cost four dollars... didn't have enuff to do all my fatigues and socks ... so I wore a pair of black socks... airforce sock were dark green then..
any who's Base general locked his keys in the trunk of this american motors auto moble... and I crawled thru the back seat and unlocked the trunk an this general saw them black socks and busted me to airman basic... took my sorry little stripp...

I cussed him up one side and down the other... told him what I thought of his funky mickey mouse air force base... Now I'm up for a court martial... Yepp for sure... He got all big and bad... gonna make an example outta old russ... Like I cared....

So I stayed in town all week drinkin and waistin my time didn't even get busted for being awol...
I went to my appointed court martial... General asked me If I had anything to say... I asked him after I apolized for being unmilitary like in the shop... I ask him if he'd show up for work everyday, if he wasn't getting Paid...
That kinda took him back a notch and he got all up in arms because I'd spent nine months without pay...
His direct orders to my first sargent was find this airmans pay records or make new ones get him paid retro-active to date of entering the base...

that my friends was better that 2700 dollar owed little old me... I was so happy...
the come up to me three days later... sign these papers and you gonna get paid...
heck I didn't even rread em.. I signed on the dotted line... so much for trust....
it was an article 39-12.. unable to adapt to military service... and thirty days later... I'm kicked off base and I still aint been paid...
hows that for abandonment, Oh I got a general under honorable conditions discharge... but I gotta live with that the rest of my life...

but i got that first sarge... payback a real pleasure... vengance is best served cold... believe me you... it shore nuff cold in Minot lol......how ya like them apples lol...

Did you know that most the time you chase a racoon it will run up a tree... sometimes they try to hide in a hollow trunk... an ifins you take a stick... better be a good strong one too... and poke it in that hole and twistit, sometimes you can get the hide of that critter all bunched up on that stick and pull it out from that tree...
Now it's best ya have a old tater sack of somekind to throw that screamin madd little critter into real quick...and tie it off so he can't get out... watch them fingers cause that critter being a coon an all is mighty fisty... for sure..

sometimes just leaving the critter alone for a few minutes it calms down.. so you can toss it in the backthe truck or trunk... and deliver it to where ever or what ever you have in mind... me I like the one where ya let the critter out in someones car...ya gott move fast... just loosin the tie and toss bag in all in the car and close the door... hide and watch .... It's a real hoot... makes bullies look like sissies... runnin and screamin with a mad ask coon rite behind em... teeth bared like he grinnin or something... Oh I laughted till my side hurt... then the dang fool runs in my direction...

Lesson learned hide in different place... bye now Russ