Preface

I am going to take the opportunity of STEEM being all hardforked up, to reevaluate and clean up my blog. STEEM is for me as long as they will have me. I have been meaning to write an accurate and funny short biography. The text is not funny, but the accompanying pictures I hope will give everyone a chuckle.

As it says in the title, Please do not upvote this post! I believe the blockchain needs to digest all this new code before we do the upvote thing. I would appreciate a comment though! With no further ado, here is a look into the life of @sgt-dan!

Beginnings

I grew up as a foster child in South Jersey (no one from South Jersey refers to it as New Jersey) with my younger brother and sister here in the United States. My birth parents were, to put it mildly, dysfunctional. After the age of seven, things took a change! My childhood was really great! I had the opportunity to live with a very loving foster family, the Reynolds, who took me and my siblings camping, to the seashore and I can never remember wanting for anything.

Our family was the typical middle-class family of the '60s and 70's. Daddy (that is how we referred to Mr. Reynolds) was a World War II Veteran and worked as a newspaper man. He had attended Pennsylvania State University, but was drafted and was not able to complete his degree. He was very respected in the community and I can remember the older men at the barbershop trying to convince him to run for mayor.

Mommy was an housewife. Originally from England, very close to Wales (Western-superMare), she had married dad when he was in England during the war convalescing from wounds sustained in battle. She met him at a USO function and they subsequently fell in love. Mommy was not a very affectionate person, but was a good mother and cared for us children as if we were her own.

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Teenage Years

Unfortunately, Daddy died at the young age of 53. I was fourteen years old at the time. That was 1975 and a very difficult time for me. Daddy was a big influence in my life and he passed when I most needed him. He was a big sports fan and was very active in sports while he attended school. I, on the other hand had no interest in sports. I did not participate in school sporting events, and was a bit of a nerd. Actually, I was more like the kid the nerds picked on. I was fairly bright, receiving decent report cards from school. I read a great deal.

As it is difficult to place a teenage foster child, the social worker's options were limited. You must remember we are talking about the '70s before you make any judgements. Folks back then stuck with their own demographically.

The Social Worker asked me if it was alright if I went to go live with a Puerto Rican foster family. Well, I had no problem with agreeing. Our neighborhood was predominently Hispanic... I had grown up playing with all the neighbor kids. So I spent my last few teen years living in a very loving and neutering Puerto Rican home with the Lopez family.

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Adulthood

When I was 17 years old I joined the local National Guard Unit. It was a tank unit and I opted to be a Combat Medic. After graduating High School, I attended basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. I then attended the Academy of Health and Sciences at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. After finishing my initial training, I returned to South Jersey and my job as a dishwasher.

Not long after coming home, the Iranian Hostage Crisis was in full swing. I decided to go Active Duty in the Army Special Forces. I was not accepted, and told that I was 4F (not medically qualified). Not to be deterred, I applied for the United States Marine Corps. I was accepted! I spent a total of almost 12 years in the Marine Corps in a number of different positions, even driving for a General at one point.

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I got to see a great deal of the world. I served in California, North Carolina, Japan, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South Korea, and the Carribean. In the words of Charles Dickens...

It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.

Never have considered myself a hero. Just wore the uniform and served honorably. I did get the opportunity to serve with many heroes. I am still in contact with a few of them. I can say with pride I am, and always will be, A Marine.

In 1992, I left active duty in the Marine Corps remaining in the Reserves. While in the Marine Corps I had become extremely religious and was a member of a military Christian organization. I decided to attend a Baptist Seminary in North Carolina. I was there for about 2 years and then had what some would call a loss of faith. I still believed in, and still do believe in, a Supreme Being... just not the Baptist version.

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Guess you could say I have a wandering spirit as after that I moved around a great deal and had a great many jobs. I worked in many different positions...

• Convenience Store Manager
• Bartender/Server
• Bookkeeper
• Civil Servant
• Tobacco Harvester
• Legal Clerk
• Small Equipment Mechanic
• Advertising/Marketing Manager
• Homeless Rescue Mission Manager
• Ship Rework Laboror for Pacific Fleet

...these are the ones I can remember. I lived in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, and California. No grass grew under my feet!

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The Present

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I hope you enjoyed reading my introduction. I look forward to connecting with old and new friends alike on this platform.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post. I wish everyone blessings and groovy vibes today and everyday!

Submitted respectfully by your friend, Sarge aka Sargento aka Sgt-Dan.

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^{DISCLAIMER: No Internet Sites or Steemians were harmed or plagarized in the production of this post!}