I had ‘badgered ‘Dear Ole Dad’ for a puppy, for years. At 9 or 10, it couldn’t have been that many years, but just the same… Finally, after we moved on base, at Davis-Monthan (DM) AFB. AZ (Tucson), Dear Ole Dad finally acquiesced, and I got a puppy.
I loved that mutt! Fed him, played with him and slept with him – for all of 3 weeks, when we received orders to Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico – and I had to ‘get rid of him…’ Never was able to have another dog as I was growing up, but Dear Ole Dad always had a stupid cat around the house.
A couple years ago I had occasion to visit D-M once again. I checked into the Visiting Officer’s Quarters, settled in, and took off to find our old house. A quick stop by the desk got me headed in the right direction.
It was a beautiful evening for walking, and I could feel the excitement growing within me as I got closer to our street. I noticed some new construction along the way, but didn’t really think that much more about it, until I turned on our street – Cass Avenue. There were hardly any houses! When I finally reached where our house used to sit, it was gone! Just an empty lot remained, behind a chain-link fence. My house,
…was gone! I just stood there, looking at an empty desert lot – and I felt ’empty.’ It was as if part of my childhood never was. It wasn’t a ‘great house,’ by any measure, but it was our house – it was my house. And now, gone.
Empty; and long I stood there…just staring, not knowing what to think. I think ‘they’ call it ‘progress.’
In 2006 I retired. The first thing I did was, I bought a dog! (I had recently been ‘de-married,’ and I traveled a great deal with my job. No way could I have had a dog when I was working.) I love this dog, as I did the dog above.
And no one will take Jake from me!
I also have a nice house that is more than a ‘house;’ it’s a home. I have lived here longer than I have anywhere else. I don’t see myself leaving until “my Final Flight West…” And, okay, yes – I also have a stupid cat…
Bob,
The Internet is a fantastic place and I hope it works for me again. My dad, Colonel Robert L. Berg served with Col. Bobby J. Mead at Incirlik, Turkey in the early 70′s.
His twin children, Kathy and David, were close friend’s of mine at the time. I would very much like to make contact with both of them. Can you point me in the right direction?
Phil Berg
I sure understand as I had to give up my dog Lady when we went to Newfoundland. I never got over it either.
Sad story. Odd that you weren’t allowed to take your dog to Puerto Rico – my Dad was stationed there 1969-71 and I remember we brought our cocker spaniel Handy with us.
Hi Amy,
Thank you for your comment here. I don’t think it was as much we couldn’t take my pup by regulation as it was ‘dear ole dad!’ He resisted allowing me to get a pup in the first place. I think this just gave him an excuse to get rid of it. He could be a jerk at times…
Have you visited Ramey by ‘google earth?”
Bob
couple of years ago i had to put Princess to sleep. she had a terrible disease, like a fungus growing in her lungs and caused her to go blind and she got so ill that breathing became difficult. it hurt so badly to see her suffering. she was only a mutt that arrived at my house and adopted me, taught me how to teach her tricks. she loved to perform. it hurt so badly that i cannot allow myself yet to get another dog. it hurts even to write this. dogs are good people.