[herein lies an email from my friend from the Air Force, sent to me in response to something HE had sent me.
Chito from about 1976
He had told me often while we were on active duty together, of a friend of his from the past, who would ALWAYS end any statement with "BAH" (his friend was a total burn out) so he would say things like 'hey Chito BAH') This was his response to one of my emails from about 10 yrs ago.]
I haven't thought of him for years.
Your Email actually got me thinking for a day or two.
I only now am able to answer via computer, though I can read them by phone.
It would take eons to try and answer with that damned phone.
You know I look back on the days in the Air Force with a lot of fondness.
I mean we were young and really just out of high school when you look at the years compared to the how old we are now.
Also, we were in good health and could process the partying better bahhh.
We had a good future before us, what we did with that may be judged by others as a waste but really it is what our own judgement makes of it.
We probably judge our selves harsher, who knows.
Either way I tend to retain a belief in those I consider friends, no matter what happens to them or myself in life. I've made very few friends in life;
I've made some acquaintances.
In Virginia in the 70's in high school it was even harder.
Anastasio (My friend Chito was really named Anastosio Carlos Giacoman) wasn't the redneckish accepted dude to be around.
So I ran with Ray Purdue, Eric Johnson, and Rick Bowen.
I look upon those days with great fondness as well.
Just a mere few years later I would run with JT Fried (that's me), Nate, and Speedy.
Eric Johnson blew his brains out with a shot gun.
He was my sister Becky's first kiss. (I attribute his suicide to that kiss... not really).
He killed himself in his 30's). Ol Ray... I use to visit him on leave, and pop in on him every now and again.
He never quit partying and he never really regained any brain matter.
He went in the Army for 6 months back in the 70's when we had McNamara's 100,000 program.
This was after I went in the Air Force.
It was soon apparent that he couldn't hack that.
He was a real good looking fellow, and the women loved him. He finally married a woman who took care of him.
He had a tassel of kids and was a house husband bahhh.
You never did see the mountain place we lived in up in Va?
The Appalachian trail went through there, and you could hike it up to a place called dragons tooth.
Ole ray went hiking up there with some other burn outs.
A freak snow storm came up, and they lost the trail coming back down. Ray fell and broke his leg.
The other two burn outs managed to get him back to the pick up truck they came there in.
The dumb asses threw ray in the bed.
He froze to death on his way to the hospital, some 40 or 50 miles away.
Fucking sad ending for ole ray bahhh.
Rick Bowen married his high school sweet heart, became a printer.
They had a daughter who basically grew up with gusto(Chito's Son, Anastacio Carlos Giacoman Jr).
They all keep in touch.
Rick and you are the only remaining friends I have that are alive.
I keep hope the hell we stay in touch and life picks up for all of us.
to this day, there are three friends from those Air Force days that I keep in regular touch with
I kept and still keep folders of old emails, such as this gem.
My friend Chito now lives in Tennessee with the lady he was sweet on while we were in the Air Force.
We are still friends.
"Reminiscences"
"by
Jerry E Smith
©08/03/2021
All images original or used by permission
"by
Jerry E Smith
©08/03/2021
All images original or used by permission