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This is my life.

I was 17 when I joined the Navy.I went right out of High School and into boot camp. Boot camp was in San Diego and I really liked the discipline, worked hard in my military school and found myself on the flight deck of the USS Midway on my 18th birthday. We were headed to Viet Nam to stop communist aggression. Of course I didn't know what a communist was, I had never seen one. All I knew was that they were going to take over the country and we were going to stop them. Thank you very much Richard Nixon.

When I was asked by one of my friends to join him and go to work for Ringling Bros. Circus., I fit right in because of all my military training. Illusion, slight of hand, makeup for disguise and high jinks were mine. But the best thing was that I got to entertain the kids. It was great, they thought I was the best and they believed in me. I got huge potions of unconditional love.

In the last 20 years of my working career I became a welder and started my own business. They needed welders on the pipe line so it was north to Alaska I went. What an experience and what an education. We worked in a place called Barrow, Alaska. Every body had lots of money. I saw Eskimo kids buying ice cream with hundred dollar bills.

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Page created by Ralph Irwin, Assignment #5
last updated March 29th 2004