Veterans Day in the USA

^{That's me on the left, somewhere between Oct and Dec 1975}
For me, being a Veteran is both a blessing and a curse.
My Senior High School year was a disaster: My father died in April 1974 after being seriously injured in an autobile crash in which I was driving our vehicle.
All his ribs, his pelvic girdle were broken, broken ribs had lacerated his lungs, but he held on for 10 days in ICU.
I blamed myself since I was driving, but it another story.
Mama was also injured, 3 broken ribs on the right side where Daddy slammed into her, and her pelvic girdle was broken as well.
She didn't have to stay in the hospital, but had to use a wheelchair for a time while she healed.
That left me and her in our multi level home, essentially without income. It took almost 18 months to settle daddy's estate since he hadn't created a will.
Mama soon got her Social Security survivor benefits, but that barely covered anything.
I worked where and when I could, then in Oct '75 I joined the USAF.
An older brother had been badly burned in Vietnam and died 10 days later at the Army burn center on Okinawa.
[//]:# (!pinmapple 26.21359 lat 127.67810 long Army Hospital d3scr)
I didn't HAVE to go, I wasn't facing the draft, but I had little opportunities in my hometown, where I'd begun burning bridges.


^{First photo AFTER basic training... notice NO STRIPES on my sleeves, I was an "Airman Basic"}
Took me a while to get into my tech school, but I graduated Titan II Tech School in Wichita Falls Tx, Sheppard AFB in about May 1976
[//]:# (!pinmapple 33.97374 lat -98.50048 long Army Hospital d3scr)
Then I went to Vandenberg AFB Lompoc California for 6 weeks TDY
[//]:# (!pinmapple 33.97374 lat -98.50048 long Vandenberg Tech d3scr)
Finally I got to my Duty Station, Davis-Monthan AFB Tucson AZ in Sept 1976

Notice here I have TWO stripes. Because I'd joined under the "Delayed Enlistment" program, my promotions came about 6 months sooner that most others.

(look at that skinny waist! I weighed 139lbs when I went into basic, 149 when I got out, and other than the depths of my addictions in Nov 2006 [when I weighed 128] it has been a pretty much steady increase)

I was VERY GOOD at my job, but early on, a superior officer used his rank to intimidate me into some inappropriate sexual behaviors with him, and my emotional state was permanently altered.
I drank more and more heavily, partying all the time in our dorm where I lived, but also hiking with friends into the desert or Mt Lemmon
[//]:# (!pinmapple 32.43996 lat -110.75682 long Mt Lemmon Az d3scr)
All the time until my first year in Tucson, I had no access to a piano, but played a LOT of guitar, and got quite good.
Then I bought a piano (acoustic wooden Kimball piano) and my room was THE PLACE for everyone to gather, drink and sing along while I played many different types of music, like this

One of my friends would bring a small desktop portable cassette tape player/recorder (remember those?)

source

and got almost an hour of recordings in total.
Long story short, I eventually was responsible in a left handed way for my Wing to fail an inspector general inspection, which was a BIG DEAL for a class one nuclear missile system.
Basically, a paper hadn't been filled out by the SQUADRON to clear me to go back to work after a short stint in an alcohol treatment program.
I had no idea, and the Squadron Commander showed up at my door on a Sunday afternoon, dressed in his full Dress Blue uniform, explained it to me and said:
"We need you to go to the Flight Surgeon and speak with the IG Dr. I want you to answer his questions truthfully, but remember The Wing's Passing This Inspection Depends On You
I answered truthfully, and we failed.
About 2 weeks later at 2 AM on a Monday morning, there was a "Health and Welfare" inspection of our Dorm.
I was still drunk from the usual Sunday night madness, which I do not remember.
This was the FIRST of these inspections done since I'd been there, and from what I heard from some old timers, the first in almost a decade.
In the three floors of my Dorm, there were both the 570th SMS Combat Crew Enlisted (that was my squadron)

and our sister squadron the 571st SMS
Part of the second floor and all the first floor were the 390th MIMS (Maintence) people, and with them all, there were 28 arrests for drugs and/or drug paraphenalia.
27 were allowed to take a demotion and cross train.
I was number 28, but because I was an NCO, and expected to hold to a higher standard, I was not given the option to cross train.
I did get demoted, and because I fought so hard for about 4 months, they relented and gave me an Honorable (as opposed to the General they wanted) discharge, which meant I still had all my veterans benefits.
I was discharged on May 4th 1980, with very little warning, a couple of friends let me sleep on their couch for a few months.
Things were up and down for about 2 yrs, my sister came and got me and I came back to my hometown more or less in disgrace.
(One of my family surprised me with my guitar, man I wish I still had that Les Paul Custom, 1978 Norlin/Gibson)

(One of my family surprised me with my guitar, man I wish I still had that Les Paul Custom, 1978 Norlin/Gibson)
It was only after I TRULY hit rock bottom, that I began to become a real human again, and today I have my own home

^{This is how it looked when I bought it in 2020}
My car is paid for, I owe $196,480USD on the house/property and some improvements I've made

My disability (from the VA, based primarily on that sexual misconduct and the PTSD that resulted from it) plus my Social Security mean I can pay all my bills and still have a nice bit of spending money.
But all those years of self abuse have taken their toll.
I am now old, frail, I fall a lot it seems,(Which is TERRIBLE for my Hip)

and I'm about to have my 3d colonoscopy, and my 4th naso-septal reconstruction surgery.

Civilian Dr this time, who cannot understand how my Septum is so crooked after 3 prior surgeries
So I'm a mess, but I'm alive, not really happy, I'm alone but I do have a few friends close enough to me that I can call them should I need help, mostly.

"A Blessing and a Curse"

^by
Jerry E Smith
©11/10/2023
all images are original or sourced.

(yes that's me too)