Alumni Sandstorm ~ 03/26/15
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7 Bombers sent stuff: 
Dick WIGHT ('52), Peggy Jo SHANNON ('55)
Larry MATTINGLY ('60), Ed WOOD ('62)
Pete BEAULIEU ('62), Donna BOWERS ('63)
David RIVERS ('65)
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BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jim MILLER ('52)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Hal SMITH ('56)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jon McDOUGAL ('64)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Twins: Dale and Gale GUNTER ('69)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jeffrey SUCHLAND ('90)

BOMBER CALENDAR: Richland Bombers Calendar
    Click the event you want to know more about.
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>>From: Dick WIGHT ('52)

Re: Life's experiences

I'm reading some interesting stuff from various Bombers about their
experiences, such as: Sandy WARD Donahue ('66) was career USAF/Air
Nat'l Guard, and deployed to McMurdo Bay, Antartica, 8 times! She
watched Coast Guard icebreaker POLAR STAR break ice in McMurdo
several times. Coincidently, Tedd CADD ('66 also) did 6 years in
USAF and then 18 years in Coast Guard Reserve, climbing up to the
rank of LCDR. Jim DAUGHERTY ('70) was career Navy and then a second
career here in Richland with Energy Northwest. Responding to Linda
REINING ('64) re: Dale GRAY ('58wb-RIP) and his unfortunate death on
USCGC MIDGETT: I remember the incident. I was CO of USCGC CAMPBELL
home-ported in Port Angeles at that time. Earlier, I commanded 
USCGC CONFIDENCE in Kodiak, AK '72-'74. Like Dale, I served on the
icebreaker NORTHWIND, but that was in the mid '50s. He and I missed
serving together several times, I guess.

Bill SCOTT '64) had an interesting viewpoint on "pivot points" in
life. I guess I had two major ones: when I joined the Coast Guard as
a whim in December, 1951, and when - for reasons I still find
unclear - I re-enlisted in 1955, when I had already been accepted at
U.of W. school of engineering - had the GI bill etc. But it turned
out o.k. for me!

I'd bet there are other much more interesting stories out there!       

-Dick WIGHT ('52) ~ happily retired in Richland, 60-some-odd-years
       after leaving...
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>>From: Peggy Jo SHANNON Brown ('55)

Bombers Lunch John Ball "Kids" will be meeting at various 
locations around the area. Anyone interested in joining us 
can contact me PJShannon at e-mail address PekiJ11@gmail.com

WHAT: John Ball "Kids" Bomber Lunch
WHEN: every other Tuesday
TIME: Noon
NEXT ONE: 3/31/2015
WHERE: Applebee's in Richland

FUTURE LOCATIONS:Ask Peggy Jo SHANNON Brown ('55)

Thanks you 
I love the sandstorm. You are much appreciated.

-Peggy Jo SHANNON Brown ('55)
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>>From: Larry MATTINGLY ('60) 

Re: New Knee - [arrived 1:39am (CDT) on 3/25]

Greetings from Mason County Hospital in Shelton, WA. Shelton is 
about 20 some miles from Olympia, Pop about 14,000. 

Knee installed. All is well.

Doctor Says I may go tomorrow. (Wed noonish). He says I am doing
exceptionally well.

This Hospital is small... 27 rooms. But it has ALL the facilities of
the big hospitals. Every member of the staff we have come in contact
with has been both friendly AND very Professional.

Dinner was from a full menu. I had meat loaf and smashed taters with
yummy gravy and apple pie desert.

It is the best U S hospital experience of any kind, either of us has
ever had.

Re: Done deal and I am home ` [Arrived 9:49pm (CDT) 3/25] - 

Doctor came in my room at noon (Wed) and said "You have done so
extraordinarily well in recovery that I am sending you home as soon
as you finish your lunch". He also said there were sick people in
the hospital and I didn't need to catch it. He obviously was every
bit as good as all the nurses said he was. The pre-made joint fit
perfectly and he was in and out done in just over an hour. I cannot
say enough about the surgeon Dr. Henry and all the nurses and CNAs
and that hospital. Small but fully capable. I actually enjoyed the
experience. Both the charge nurse and the day nurse came by and gave
me nice hugs as I was leaving. I was in that facility just under 32
hours.

I just hope the recovery goes as well. I start that at noon tomorrow
[3/26].

Thanks to all who have sent good wishes. I'll get back each of you
at some point.

"Happiness is my new knee"

-J. Larry MATTINGLY ('60)
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>>From: Ed WOOD ('62)

Re: Bomber author

My wife and I just finished reading BJ Scott's novel, "The Rail
Queen". It's a good read! Thanks, Bill.

      {Ah, "The Rail Queen" I loved it, too... and so did my
      88 year old ex mother-in-law. I'm also working on the
      3rd of Bill's "Angel Trilogy" books... (#1 is "Angel of
      the Gold Rush", #2 is "Angel's Daughter", #3 is "Legacy
      of Angels")... Biggest trouble I have is once I get
      started I have trouble putting his books down to do
      ANYTHING... including the Sandstorm!!! Look for them on
      Amazon.com -Maren]

-Ed WOOD ('62) ~ Morrison, CO - and it's snowing!
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>>From: Pete BEAULIEU ('62)

To: Bill SCOTT ('64)

Bill is really onto something when he writes: "It would be
interesting to hear from other Bombers who can pinpoint a tiny 
event in their lives that, in looking back, took them on a 
radically different path than what might have been."

I am reminded of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" and 
a moment in the 9th grade. Columbia High School had a range of
advanced classes, mostly in math and the sciences. The idea was to
have a 10th grade advanced English class (Mrs. Macy). In both junior
high schools the interested students were screened by an original
essay we were to write in an hour on how we interpreted a surprise
poem that was handed to us. 

The poem was Robert Frost's, and I had a head start and did well
enough. I had been quite smitten by this poem two years earlier 
when it was dubbed over a TV special on the U.S. Naval Academy 
at Annapolis. Never was interested in the Academy (instead
Architecture, University of Washington, 1962-7), but in 1967 
did  go through Naval OCS in Newport, RI as an alternative to 
the draft. Went to sea on an aircraft carrier (USS Hornet, CVS-12)
and visited Hong Kong, Singapore, etc., and took part in the 
Apollo XI and XII lunar landing recovery missions in the Pacific.
Later in graduate school (UW 1972-5) I studied and wrote about 
Singapore. One thing leads to another.

'Nuff said about me, but here's my favorite poem--which expands
Scott's above comment--and which I actually memorized a full two
years before the essay test.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Pete BEAULIEU ('62)
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>>From: Donna BOWERS Rice (Gold Medal Class of '63)

Re: US Coast Guard

To: Tedd CADD ('66)

My brother Dale BOWERS ('65) served in the USCG during the Vietnam
Nam era being posted to Portland, then Honolulu, HI in the mid to
late '60s. I don't think he is on Sandstorm, so I thought I'd let
you know, he was a fellow "Coastie". Mike ('60) and I enjoyed his
posting to Honolulu very much during our 1st visit to Hawaii and
thought,"what a life.". So glad he was there instead of a war zone.
But, he was glad to come home at the end of his tour... Island fever
got him. 

-Donna BOWERS Rice (Gold Medal Class of '63) ~ from St. Louis  
      where crocuses and daffodils are just now in bloom.
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>>From: David RIVERS ('65)

Re: Yes and No

Bill Scott's ('64) account of the difference one word can make
really hit home for me. As a lawyer, I vividly remember virtually
every single "NOT" a secretary left out of a brief and I failed 
to catch in proof reading! I often think of where I would be if I
hadn't done this or that. All my life I have made bad choices. Some
have been worse than others. The problem is, that with most bad
choices, the line my life took led to some of the most wonderful
things in my life. If I hadn't made those choices I honestly feel 
I would be worse off today that if I hadn't made them. I am blessed
with the most wonderful daughter in the world and had I not made 
an unwise choice I'd not have married her mother and I would be far
worse off than I am. I would never know the joy of being a father
nor have the love of a daughter... we play a game... we each try and
find an item the other doesn't have that says: "I love you more" The
other day she showed up to the Delinquent's lunch with a ring for me
that says "I love you most" I have no idea how I can top that one...
she was soooooooo proud of herself and she just gloated all through
lunch... bad choices took me to Law School... bad choices lead to 
my retirement pension going up in 2008 like it was never there... 
bad choices have all brought me to where I am today and I wouldn't
change a thing... I honestly believe that but for those choices I
might have missed all the best so the bad all seems quite worth
while to me... sure I'd like to be well off and flying here and
flying there, but I must say that I have done most everything I 
ever wanted to do... I have no bucket list and am about as content 
as I would ever want to be... If I hadn't said "yes" to a beer in 
the back seat of Charlie WARFORD's ('61) car so many years ago, I 
might not have spent 24 years drunk... ah but I'd have missed so 
much... I am grateful for every right and wrong turn I ever made. 

So today is the celebration of the birth of a guy I met only because
of his brother's choices. I am glad we met and became friends. I
cherish his friendship as I did his brother's ('63 RIP)... HAPPY
BIRTHDAY Hal SMITH ('56) on your special day, March 26, 2015!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-David RIVERS ('65)
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That's it for today. Please send more.
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