PLUG

By Major Bobby G. Burnett

Plug is the nickname of Bobby Burnett, who grew up during the Great Depression and also experienced firsthand the Great Louisiana Maneuvers of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Plug was one of a family of eight children living in the rural Green Oak community, between Oberlin and Kinder in Allen Parish, Louisiana. Many of the people in Green Oak spoke both French and English. Some older people of the Hebert and Thibodeau families only spoke French. Although English was the language spoken in church and school, most people had to learn some French for social and economic reasons. The Cajun Country of South Louisiana had plenty of unspoiled rivers, irrigation canals, and forests for sports and entertainment and provided an ample food supply for hunters and fishermen. Life was simple and consisted primarily of family, friends, and church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781640797369

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Major Bobby Burnett

Plug

Cajun Country in South Louisiana during the Great Depression

ISBN 978-1-64079-735-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64079-736-9 (Digital)

Copyright © 2017 by Major Bobby Burnett

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

My brother Edward (Junior) and I in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1949. He passed away on September 12, 2015. I dedicate this book to his memory.

Preface

When I would talk about my childhood years, growing up during the Great Depression, my children would tell me to write it all down so they would have a record for their children. I now have children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. As traditions and stories about the past are repeated over and over again, they sometimes come up short of the original versions, and sometimes phrases are added to make the stories more colorful. A written record is the most accurate way to describe the past.

When I entered this world on May 31, 1931, the Great Depression was already in full swing. The Green Oak community located on a dirt road between Kinder and Oberlin, Louisiana, was not divided among the haves and have-nots. We were all in the have-not category but not deprived of things we needed to survive. To me, it was the normal way of life. Even though we didn’t have much in material possessions, we had security and comfort in family, friends, and our community Church.

Of the eight children in our family, I was number five in birth order. I admired my older siblings and wanted to be like them. I liked my younger siblings and was always thrilled when another one was born. Being almost in the middle placed me in good position to be myself. The older ones had more responsibilities, the younger ones had no responsibilities, and I caught what was left over.

The stories in this book are based on true experiences from my past. I knew my parents loved me and cared for me, but I don’t ever remember my mother or my father saying, I love you. They knew how to discipline me if I did something wrong. The only time Daddy ever bragged about me was in the summer of 1963. I took him to town to pick up a tire for his car. I was sitting in the car when he got out to talk with a service station attendant. I heard him say, That’s my son Bobby. He is a captain in the Air Force and a deacon in his church. I cherished those words because it was the closest he ever came to giving me a real compliment.

I know life could have taken me to other directions had it not been for the caring discipline I received from my parents and the love and acceptance of my seven siblings.

Chapter 1

The Way It Was

There is no place on earth quite like Cajun Country in South Louisiana. The rivers, marshes, bayous, and thick forests make that part of the country a sportsman’s paradise. Like many places of natural beauty, power boats, off-road vehicles, and four-wheelers have changed much of the landscape over the years.

I was born in 1931 and brought up during the Great Depression. Later in life I learned these were difficult times when people suffered many hardships; however, to me at the time, life was normal. I enjoyed my family, my friends, my neighbors, and of course, all my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. My world at the time consisted of the small community of Green Oak, located on a dirt road between Kinder and Oberlin, Louisiana. We had one public meeting place which was the church house. The church had a big bell and a sign which read, Bethany Congregational Methodist Church. Our pastor was Reverend Paul Leeds, who came from Michigan to be a missionary to the Coushatta Indians. He came to our church every other Sunday afternoon for Sunday school and a preaching service. Attending church meetings was an important part of life.

Along with my three brothers and four sisters, we lived in a small frame house constructed out of rough sawmill-grade lumber. It was never painted, and when the boards shrunk, the cracks would be covered with another board. My dad was good at building things along the line of practicality and not for beauty. The main house was divided into four rooms, with a lean-to kitchen and covered porch added to the back part. Windows were covered with hinged shutters for easy opening. We did not have glass windows to open and close. Mosquito nets or bed sheets were hung over the windows during summer months to facilitate air flow and help keep some of the bugs out. Coal oil or kerosene lamps were the only means of light.

When I was old enough and strong enough, I became the source of running water. Mama would yell in a commanding voice and say, Bobby, run to the well and draw a bucket of fresh water. If I didn’t respond fast enough, she would call out in a stronger voice and say, Bobby Gene, did you hear what I said? I knew she meant business when she used my middle name.