Historic Aircraft Carrier USS Independence On Course for On Time Arrival at Scrapyard

gCaptain ^ | April 6, 2017 | Mike Schuler

[rlmorel]

It turned out well, so God did have a hand...and it was a wonderful thing. At the end of their lives, they loved each other in the unconditional way that only a long married couple who is at peace with each other can.

My dad was a high functioning alcoholic, and late in his life, when he was retired, it began to take him over. For me, this was when I realized fully (as an adult) that he was indeed an alcoholic.

When it was apparent he was drinking and driving, we had a family intervention. My dad went into a hospital, kicked alcohol, became involved in AA, and spent the last 15 years of his life sober, and was often running and attending AA meetings 2-4 times a week. He helped a lot of guys in the program get jobs, and when they couldn't get hired, he paid them to do work for him on occasion.

We got to see a personal side of him during those years that had been suppressed to a high degree, and that was beautiful. My dad had never, ever been a mean or disrespectful drunk. He was quiet, and would drink to insensibility. He treated us very fairly, and his actions showed how much he loved us, but...he was not a confidant, someone who we could talk to readily, or someone who would pat us on the shoulder. But after he kicked alcohol, he opened up, and we saw a wonderful personal side of him we had never seen, including a twisted and wry sense of humor we had rarely or never seen.

This is how we all remember him. Even all my friends, never called him "your dad" when referring to him, they called him "The Commander"!

How I miss him.

[Tallguy]

Most of their systems: Catapults, arresting gear and various key parts have been scavenged. To make that ship operational again would be a huge undertaking. Sometimes when they retire a fairly ‘new’ ship ahead of schedule they’ll preserve it. This allows the Navy to bring it out after a period of yard-time. Other times a ship is worn out and they’ll put her away in a lower state of preservation and use her for spare parts.

[rlmorel]

Odd, isn’t it? But true.

I spent a week or two on the FDR back in the mid-late Seventies (I think our squadron was doing live bombing exercises down in Puerto Rico) and she was in rough shape at that point.

[Bull Snipe]

One of the two fates that generally await ships, the bottom or the breakers.

[rlmorel]

I loved the Phantom when I was a kid. We landed at an airbase in Japan, and as we taxied, we passed rows of Phantoms in the black, brown, and green camo that the air force was using back then. I drew them incessantly as a kid.

When I joined the navy, we very rarely saw Phantoms (usually USMC birds, IIRC) and what I remember about them is that they used the bridle cables (Is that what we called them?) to launch...at that point, we only had two aircraft that still used them, the Whale (Skywarrior) and the RF8 Crusaders.

[wardaddy]

God bless him

How our culture celebrates alcohol yet it creates so much misery

I detest it largely aside from moderate use and southern folded egg nog which without whiskey or bourbon would be just eggs whipped cream sugar and nutmeg...lol

Takes a helluva man to pull out of that

To admit what they’ve done and most important its effect on others

Courage

Thanks for sharing

I’m no stranger to dealing with drinkers in my life you can probably ascertain

[Oatka]

The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea.

A great poem that I learned in grade school. Bet that's long gone now.

[rlmorel]

I use alcohol myself, but not to that degree or frequency, that is for sure. But I agree-as you said, it can sure wreak a lot of havoc and misery on relationships and families, not to mention the individual themselves.

It has the capability to be positively evil, corrosive, and destructive.

My dad did a lot in his life he could be justifiably proud of. But I think one of the things he was most proud of was getting sober. It also showed how much he loved his family.

He could never quit smoking or excessive coffee (being in the military kind of ingrained those into him even deeper) and that is what eventually did him in.

Good man, though. A good man.