One Step at a Time: I Got This!

By Howard Thompson

Throughout his short lived life, my Dad had been befriended by such powerful people as; Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and boxing legend Jack Dempsey. My Dad taught me how to shoot a gun and a bow and arrow at a very young age.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665567558

Howard Thompson

Howie Thompson has coached soccer for over 25 years in both CT and NC. This is his second book having penned “The Complete Guide to Youth Soccer in 2000.Howie has been teaching in NC for the last 5 years as well as coaching soccer and basketball at the youth, middle school and HS levels. He has 3 Adidas NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year Awards, and won the coveted Adidas NSCAA National Coach of the Year Award in 2002.He has also won 4 HS Coach of the Year Awards, and was given the Who’s Who in American Teachers Award in 2003.

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2022 Howard Thompson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  08/02/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-6756-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-6755-8 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

HOWIE THOMPSON

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Other Books for sale from the 4 Time Best Author on the Beach.

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Written By: Howie Thompson

Editor: Howie Thompson

07/23/20

The heart of a man from the North, The soul of a man from the South.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Lies, and more lies

Chapter 2 Junior High School 1962-1964

Chapter 3 High School Days and nights

Chapter 4 College Years…Party on Garth!

Chapter 5 A re-creation of my Life.

Chapter 6 There are changes in My Life

Chapter 7 I’m glad I live in the Land of Cotton

Chapter 8 Why am I here?

Chapter 9 You wanna do what?

Chapter 10 I Got this

Chapter 11 The way we were

Chapter 12 Th, tha, that’s all folks

INTRODUCTION

M y name is Howard Edward Thompson Jr. I was born on January 11 th , 1949 in the Stamford Hospital, Stamford, Ct. at 8:15 a.m. I was supposed to be born on Christmas or New Year’s Day, but I guess the surroundings were comfortable and the food was good and free, so I hung out until it was my time. I later found out that both my mother and father were a bit anxious as my mom had two miscarriages before me. So, at 8:15 a.m., ten days after New Year’s Day, I was born.

Hello World. It’s me, you will never believe what I am going to do

My mom was a loving mom, raised in a family of 5 sisters and 2 brothers. She was a very smart student for the time, finishing High School at the age of 13 which was unheard of in her day. But a battle with Scarlet Fever caused her to lose her hair and deal with several kinds of wigs for the rest of her life. She became a Master seamstress and mastered the art of knitting as well. These two skills would prove valuable to her in later life. Her mother and father came over on The Ship from Ireland to the United States for a better life.

My Dad! He was a tough guy. Born into a large Southern Family in the back hills of Tennessee, he had 5 brothers and 3 sisters. He also had several great grandparents and great grand aunts and uncles. He lied in order to join the War when he was 15, and won the Golden Gloves boxing championship at the age of 16 for the US Marines.

All young men in Tennessee learned to shoot a rifle at an early age. So my Dad, became a skilled marksman with a rifle, and the Marines made him a sniper on Iwo Jima. He was promoted and busted 5 times in the Marines, as he never met a fight he didn’t like. He and my mother’s Brother, Eddie were in the same outfit. My dad was one of the best Fast Pitch Softball pitchers and my Uncle was his catcher. He got to tour with the Marines, and never lost a game.

Throughout his short lived life, my Dad had been befriended by such powerful people as; Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and boxing legend Jack Dempsey. My Dad taught me how to shoot a gun and a bow and arrow at a very young age. My mom always told him that he was teaching me to be a thug. My Dad would always tell her; I’m teaching him what my dad taught me. How to take care of himself and to always make sure he has someone who has his back.

My mom was trying to teach me to be nice and not fight. My dad was teaching me to defend myself, and if need be, fight. I remember one afternoon we were sitting on this huge rock outside a cabin in Kent, Ct. that my Uncle Eddie and my dad owned. It was primitive, but I guess it was a way of toughening me up. We were shooting at cans, when I saw a Mountain Lion walking between the trees. I told my Dad, and he told me that he had seen the lion 20 minutes before. I asked why he didn’t kill the lion and he said:

You don’t just kill animals for sport, unless you are hunting to feed your family or you are under attack by the animal. My dad was about 30% Native American Cherokee Nation. So animals, the land and their Gods were important to all Native Americans.

My Mom and Dad gave me a diverse knowledge of life. My Mom was a passive woman who hated conflict. My Dad was anything but passive. He was a hardened killer who took no prisoners. The Marines taught him to kill and taught him to fight. My Uncle, when explaining my Dad to me in later years would always say;

Howie, you are your Dad’s son. I see the fire in your eyes to succeed. Your Dad had the skills to fight inside and outside the ring, whether that was on the Softball Field or in a Bar.

So while I do not recall every day, week or month, or even every year from birth to age 9, I do remember the most obvious traits of my Mom, my Dad and my Uncle Eddie, who while I didn’t know it then, I would find out how he molded my life at the age of 16 and would become the most important person in my life.

I have not included the names of some people who came in and out of my life, and those people who are closest to me now. They know who they are, and if they decide to come forth, so be it. There will be a section of this book dedicated to those men and women who were my closest friends both in Ct., where I grew up, Florida where I went to college, North Carolina where I moved to in 2000 and South Carolina where I live now. As of the writing of this book, I have moved back to Florida and reside in Sarasota.

"The events that took place in my life may or may not be exactly as they happened. However, they are the way I remembered them, and to the best of my knowledge happened the way I remember. After all, this is my story.

I have left off or changed names of people to protect their identity in some special circumstances. My purpose with this book is to give people who read it (hopefully more than 10) a look into my past and an understanding of who I am today.

If for some reason, I don’t get to finish this book before my death, I would hope that someone who knows me can finish it."

Howie Thompson, Author

CHAPTER ONE

Lies, and more lies

F riday, December 13 th 1958. This was the day when I first realized that my life was going to change forever. The phone in our small 800 square foot house rang at 11:00 p.m. I was asleep in my room, and my mom had fallen asleep on the couch. I got up and picked up the phone.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but answering the phone on December 13th 1958 would change my life forever. From this point forward I would become hardened to the truth that was being fed to me and my mom, and this would leave me to be skeptical of everyone and every thing that would enter my life.

Phone Conversation 12/13/1958 2:00 a.m.

Hello

Is Marion Thompson there the voice on the phone said.

Yes, who is this? She is asleep

Listen kid, wake her up, her husband just died in a car crash

Her Husband? That’s my Dad.

From that point on, all I remember is that I dropped the phone and woke up my Mom. She got on the phone and began to cry, say No, No and finally hung the phone up and called her Mother and Father who lived next door.

The very next thing I remember is attending my Dad’s funeral. It was a Military Funeral with all the pomp and circumstance’s that accompanies this kind of funeral including a 21 gun salute and a lone Marine playing Taps.

At the Wake, my mom was talking to one of her sisters and I over heard her say that the embalmer here would not let her see my father’s arm where his Marine Tattoo was. He told her that he was so disfigured in the car crash, and that it was burned beyond recognition. She then told her sister that he had gone off an unlit, half way constructed, bridge on a road he knew well, in his boss’ car. It was right about then that I walked up to the casket, looked inside, and