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Author Topic: Member Interesting, Hair Raising, Humorous or Otherwise Unusual Experiences  (Read 6758 times)

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AGelbert

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  • Location: Colchester, Vermont
    • Renwable Revolution
In 1971 I was drafted into the armed service. The Viet Nam war was in high gear. I was living in the Bay Area, Ca. and there was a lot of protests against the war. I had read the "The Pentagon Papers", and had met some guys who had returned from the war. I had been on my own since about the age of 14, my Mother died a year earlier and Father became an alcoholic. So I made the decision to become a Conscientious Objector. You have to serve 2 years in the States doing community service work, and can only be paid $100 a month. C.O.'s do not get any Military help after completion of the 2 years.

  My first year I joined a Conservation Corp. and went to a camp around Mt. Lassen. We helped the US Forest service build roads, clear messed up terrain, and fought forest fires ( mainly mop up on the perimeters). I once got doused by fire retardant dropped by a plane, nice. :)

I was a "born again" Christian at this time. I found out about a Church of Christ mission in the Ghettos of NYC. I was able to do my second year at this organization, called "Shiloh". We lived in East NY and Brownsville from late September through April, and then brought a ton of kids to a camp in New Jersey.

  We lived in a tenement apartment with rats, cockroaches, and urine in all the halls. One of the leaders almost lost his eye because he got slugged in a pick up basketball game on the street park. One staff girl was rapped. There were two robbery's in our apartments.

  While playing vollyball with the staff at the local gym, I tore my right knee cartilage. I didn't know that yet though. The first thing I did was go to local doctor. On the way a big older street bum walked up beside me and started walking with me. He suddenly said "I have a .45 pointed right at you." ( buldge in his coat) We keep walking then he say "What are you doing here?" I said I worked at Shiloh . He says "where do you live?" I said over on Wilson in an apartment just a few blocks away." We keep walking, he says "Well, why didn't you tell me so!" Ok, I just did. Then he slowed down and stopped and turned around.
 
  The doctor was an old Jewish fellow. He said I just sprained it real bad so he put a cast on my knee to keep it immobile. Well it didn't and when the cartilage popped out on my knee bone it felt like being stabbed with a knife. I had the top bunk and jumped up to get some rest and my knee went out. This time I couldn't strech my leg out to pop the cartilage back in place. So I am in the top bunk being stabbed in the knee. I crawled down and to the kitchen , got a hammer and a butter knife, and cut the cast off to stretch my leg. It worked. I eventually had knee surgery in "The Hospital for Special Surgery" where Joe Namath had his knees repaired. I also roomed with a concert violinist. I was playing my guitar one day and he says "that sounded really good." That is when I found out about his mastery of the violin/music. I was really embarrassed because I just could play rock, rhythm and blues, and some jazz. But he insisted that I played really well. That was cool.

  Another time I was going through the neighborhoods knocking on doors to see if anyone had children they wanted to send to camp. The black guys crossed the street and started following me and getting closer. I tried to stay cool, and then one of them mentioned Shiloh. That was enough to back them off. We did a lot for the neighborhood, and was mostly welcome there.

  Two years later my supervisor and friend was shot and killed while walking a kid to his apartment.

  Speaking of these anecdotes from the oil consumption days, we got put on the even/odd license plate gas fill up. On our day we had to wait in a line of about 50 cars at time.

ANOTHER FABULOUS ANECDOTE!

This is shaping up well already!

RE

 

Knarf, my hat is off to you for making this sad world a better place. I am indebted to you for your sacrifices on behalf of the downtrodden. The fact that, though you were forced to be a man at 14, you went out of your way to help others, is an example to all of us of what we should be like.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. 
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

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