Waiting for my shadow box to arrive and it arrived in pieces!

 



I thought it would be nice to have my service medals displayed in a nice case.  "Medals of America" is a company  I had do the work.  Along with my service medals, I had my picture from "Boot Camp", my last rank I held in the Navy, which was Yeoman 2nd Class, and a Navy Medallion.
They arrived today.  Broken glass and all.   Not only was the glass shattered, but the glass cut 3 holes in my picture and cut one of the ribbons and frayed it.

I rotated this picture but it won't stay rotated.  It's going to look nice when finished.  They're sending me a shipping label to send it back to them.  Just like the Grinch, they'll "fix it up there, and bring it back here!"  I'm  going to have to supply them a new picture.  I'm just glad a made a copy and didn't send them the original.                                                                

I'll post a picture of the completed project, if and when I ever get it back! 

After 46 years, I received my Vietnam Medals in the mail

When they arrived it surprised me.  I didn't know they were coming.

I'll have to explain why they came now, and why I didn't get them 46 years ago.

I was in the U. S. Navy.  Joined in January, 1965, and was discharged in October, 1968.  This was 3 months shy of 4 years.  When you come back from Vietnam with less than 6 months to serve, you are given an 'Early Out'.  As I said, I was in the Navy.  However, when I got orders for Vietnam I was to be with a Joint Service Group called Defense Communications Agency, Southeast Asia Mainland,  (DCA-SAM).  So, the year I spent in Vietnam I was not attached to the Navy; therefore, my records were not kept up to date.  When I returned from Vietnam, I was immediately sent to Millington, Tennessee, the nearest Navy Base to Louisville, for Discharge Processing.  Navy records not up to date or not, I would be discharged.  Many of my earned medals were not listed, so on my official discharge paper, DD214, these medals did not appear.  And, if they're not listed on that DD214, as far as the Veterans Administration is concerned, they don't exist.
Now, it didn't really bother me until I went to the Veterans Hospital about 2 years ago to get a Veterans ID.  When I received it, I was listed as a 'Priority 6' instead of a Purple Heart Veteran Priority 2.  Even though I showed them the proof I had, it didn't matter if it wasn't listed on my D214.  Well, there began the process of getting an amendment to my DD214, called a DD215.  I sent off the request 2 years ago, gave up on it, and forgot about it.  Well, about 10 days ago I got in the mail, out of the blue, a correction to my DD214 from Naval Records in St. Louis.  The wonderful DD215.  On this, they had a list of my medals and ribbons I had earned, some of which I didn't even know about.  Then, today, by UPS, I received a package with 3 medals and 1 ribbon plus 4 star bars.  I had no idea they were coming.
But, this is why I am just now getting these medals.  All because of records not being kept up to date and me being too young and in too big a hurry to get home to my bride I'd had to leave after being married for only 6 months, to make sure the records were right before I left the Navy.

Chance School Basketball

I've had a post or two on Facebook about the girls basketball season.  But this will be the first on my blog.  I had a good picture to post, so I thought this would be a good time.

 

Jillian is the only girl on her team, and the other team this week didn't have a girl on the team, so Jilly was the only girl on the court.  Of course, who brings the ball up the court?  Why Jillian, of course.  Here, dribbling up the floor, looking ahead to see what defense she'll be facing, she plans what  play she'll be calling. 

Wow! I'ts been over 4 months since my last blog!

It's been a long time.  But I have an excuse.  The computer has not allowed me to post blogs conveniently.  I don't know if it's the computer, or me, trying type on this keyboard on this laptop, that's giving be the most trouble.  I hope I have the computer fixed, so if I have trouble now, it's me.
I haven't played golf since Dec. 1st.  And then, I'd only played 3 times since my hip surgery on Sep. 23rd.  So, I've played golf 3 times since Sep 23rd!  For you St X grads, that's almost 5 months!  I've never had a picture of my favorite Grandson on my blog.  I'm gonna try and change that, too.
So, all you faithful blog readers, I'M BACK!  Don't know for how long.  I'm going to try and download a picture of Andrew so I can put it on here.  Then, before long I'll have some rounds of golf to report