A Military Service Member from West Virginia: Never Forgetting Last Name . . . Last Four

By Jackie Denise

My name is Mike. I consider myself an average guy. Well, at the time of the beginning of this book, I am young. I wanted to tell the story of my young childhood to getting older. I will learn the meaning of the phrase last name, last four. All veterans know this phrase, but many will use it for the rest of their life like me. God bless them all, young and old.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524548087

Book preview

Chapter 1

Since I was a child, I was fascinated with water. My dad took us fishing and swimming. I used to believe that I could swim the Ohio River. There was a fishing place close to where we lived. We used to go fishing in the mountains also. We would wade out into the water and catch different types of fish. My dad would put them in the skillet and fry them with potatoes. They were delicious. We would stay for days at a time in our camper. It was so much fun. My dad was a coal miner.

My dad had a boat. We would go fishing at the lake all the time. There is a lake just a few minutes from our home. My dad still loves fishing. I think he would have made a good conservation officer. You could see his passion. The way he talked you could hear it also. You can hear it today. I liked it. We fished in the State of Florida.

We would go deer hunting in the mountains and locally. We also utilized the camper. We hunted all kinds of wild game. I was able to hunt alone.

My father taught me gun safety and about the habits of animals. I learned the laws. We ate the meat. We can and process the meat today. They are now stocking Elk deer. I hope to see one here.

All of my friends gathered daily after school through the years. We played football and basketball in the front yard.

There was a pipe that stuck out of the hill that water flowed from. We drank it. It tasted so pure. The pipe is still there.

There were so many of us kids back then. School was tolerable. I made decent grades. We went on vacations. I had a good childhood with plenty of friends.

We rode bicycles and skateboards on the roadway. There was hardly any traffic. So many children had stayed the night at our house, and I spent the night at theirs.

Our bus ride was an hour. We would sleep on the way to school and on the way home. All of us kids lived so far away to play sports.

The principal offered to run a bus up here to our town but some kids had to walk up hollows late at night. That didn’t work out. So we didn’t get to play sports. Now I am talking, we had some big country boys and that coach knew it. The Football Team was lousy. We continued to play at home.

The year was now 1987 and I was graduating from High School. I had a few months before I turned 18 to get a job at a place where both of my uncles worked in Ohio.

About a week went by and my aunt told me I could live with her in a suburb of Cleveland till I got on my feet. I left with a friend. His name was Jackie.

I remember the drive. It wasn’t such a long trip. We talked and listened to music. He is a smart guy. I always admired him.

Chapter 2

I moved in with my aunt and uncle. We lived in an apartment. All I had was a duffel bag. I had left the country and now living in a suburb of a major city. It was different. I began looking for a job and it didn’t take long. My aunt let me drive her car. I now landed my first job.

I worked at fast food restaurant until I turned 18.

I interviewed at what is now a major company and was hired. My aunt helped me get my first vehicle.

It was about a year and I became a lead man in charge of about 20 trucks. I worked in the office to learn more. I worked long hard hours. I got an apartment not far from work.

I bought my first motorcycle which is one of my passions. A couple of friends came to visit. My old girlfriend came up to visit. Well, you know how that goes. She stayed awhile. We were in love. She became pregnant and had a baby boy. It was a true learning experience. I loved my son. He was my pride and joy.

My ex worked a part time job also. Deep down I was happy but just thinking of working at the same job was depressing, doing the same thing over and over. But I had to provide for my family.

I tried to transfer to two locations close to where I grew up. They told me that I would have to go part time and lose seniority. I turned them both down. I stayed there and continue to work. I changed shifts to try a few things different. Midnight shift was tough. I was always tired. Then a 3am shift came available. I got it. Well it was better. My supervisor would let me back trailers in at times. I was learning the job.

My supervisors and bosses treated me good. My seniority was up there. They had opened up a new location in Canton, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio. A lot of guys left to go there. I worked in between them and decided to stay there.

A few more years went by. It seemed like eternity. My