In 1976 I found out that Debbie was pregnant with our fourth child. Although I was crazy about my kids and we always talked about having a lot of them I felt like four was about all we could afford. All I had to do was smile at Debbie and she would get pregnant. Vasectomies were a popular form of birth control but the thought of getting one made me cringe. At first I was being selfish because I wanted Debbie to get her tubes tied. After being shamed by her, and everyone else I finally set up an appointment with a urologist and had it done. The doctor gave me a shot of Sodium Pentothal or truth serum as it is sometimes called. Almost immediately I was feeling the most pleasurable high that I have ever experienced. I was laughing as the doctor was operating on me and I told him that he could just cut it all off. I didn't care about anything at that moment. He laughed and said that he better not. I wouldn't be too happy after the drug wore off.
On March 17, 1977 I was ready to walk out the door on my way to classes at M.T.S.U.. Debbie had a pretty sharp contraction and I was afraid to leave her. I told her to get ready and I would take her to the hospital but she thought that we should wait since she had only one contraction. The hospital was near Hermitage and we were in Antioch. I made her get in the car and we headed to Donelson hospital. It was a good thing because we ran into heavy traffic and construction on the way there. We arrived just thirty minutes before our daughter was born. Melanie was born on St. Patricks Day 1977. The doctor sang "While Irish Eyes Were Smiling" during the delivery. Like all of my children she was beautiful and things couldn't have worked out more perfect, I had four healthy children and they couldn't have been more unique and beautiful.
At some point in the late 1970's Jon began to have frequent bladder infections. Our pediatrician set him up with an appointment at Vanderbilt with a urologist. The urologist wanted to put him in the hospital to run a battery of tests. In addition to the bladder infections he was also constipated a lot. The tests revealed that Jon had an extremely rare condition. So rare in fact that the doctor had never encountered anyone with Jon's condition, As far as he knew there had never been anything like Jon's condition on record anywhere in the world. Jon's brain was not telling him when he had to relieve himself. His bladder was abnormally large and shaped like a Christmas tree. A normal bladder is round. Not only did the doctor not know what was wrong with him he had no idea how to treat his condition. This doctor had been touted as one of the best urologists in the country. He tried several different antibiotics and medicines on him but nothing was working. His condition worsened.
Out of desperation I asked his pediatrician what could be done? We had been told that eventually this condition could effect his kidneys and I was afraid it could become life threatening. He suggested that we take him to a hospital in Cincinnati. This was not an option because I could not afford to be away from work that long. Nor could I afford the expenses associated with a long hospital stay in a city that was that far away from Nashville. After a long pause he told me that there might be another option. There was another nationally renowned urologist in Nashville but he was at Baptist Hospital. After seeing Jon this doctor wanted to run the identical tests that had been done at Vanderbilt. I felt sorry for Jon because these tests were very painful and both times he had to spend close to a week in the hospital.The doctor arrived at the same diagnosis that the other doctor had arrived at. There was a difference this time, however. He felt confident that he could successfully manage and treat the condition. The doctor also had no idea what was wrong with Jon. His condition was so rare the doctor asked permission to photograph him so he could lecture other doctors about his condition.
We began to see progress almost immediately but there were still setbacks. Jon developed a fever and began to look jaundiced. We took him to a female pediatrician in Smyrna. She was married to a prominent heart doctor in Rutherford County. The doctor ran a battery of tests and we were in her office for over two hours. Jon's poop was white and his urine was so dark it looked like Coca Cola. She said that he had a virus and sent him home. That night his condition worsened and he was so yellow he almost glowed. We took him to Southern Hills hospital in South Nashville. The ER doctor quickly realized that Jon had hepatitis. He told us that we needed to take him to Vanderbilt asap. Jon's Urologist told us that one of the antibiotics that he was taking gave him hepatitis. During the years that Jon was being treated Debbie and I spent a lot of time taking him to the doctor. We saw steady improvement, however. His bladder shrunk to a more normal size over time. Since Jon has become an adult it seems that he has outgrown the problem and to my knowledge has no problems today.
We had neighbors several doors down on Joann Court named Butch and Jennie. They had two little girls and we became close friends. Butch was a Metro Nashville police officer and he was in the Tennessee Air National Guard. He was constantly talking about the Guard and how much he liked it. Butch told me that I could keep my old rank of SSgt if I enlisted. I would have to work one weekend a month and two weeks of summer camp each year. In 16 years I could retire since I already had nearly four years of active duty. When I turned sixty I would receive a monthly pension and good health insurance for the rest of my life. I enjoyed my last year in the Air Force but I was ready get out when my time was up. After five years there were aspects of the military that I missed but I didn't want to do it full time. Being a part time Airman had it's appeal. The only problem was that I regularly worked on Saturdays and I knew that management would have a fit once they learned that I was joining the Guard. A friend of mine named William Bridgewater was also an Air Force veteran and worked at the bakery. I told him that I was thinking about joining the Air Guard. After weighing the pros and cons for a few months we decided to enlist together in October 1977.
As I expected, my supervisor didn't like it. He was dumber than a box of rocks and told me that I couldn't join. I was prepared for this and read the law to him concerning the rights of employees and the National Guard but it didn't matter. He remained adamant that I couldn't join. In the end it didn't matter because upper management overruled him as I believed that they would. I have made many mistakes in my life but joining the Air Guard was one of the smartest things that I have ever done. These many years later, as I write this, I am receiving a monthly pension from my almost 21 years in the military and I have Tri Care For Life health insurance. This insurance pays 100% of our health bills with few exceptions. I also have many other benefits, along with BX and commissary privileges. Butch was one of the best men I ever knew. He has since passed away but I will always be grateful to him for pressuring me to join the Air National Guard.
My first years in the Guard were some of the happiest of my life. Most everyone that I served with were a great bunch of guys. There was hardly a Guard weekend that I didn't enjoy. The men I served with would make me laugh until I cried. I also enjoyed talking politics, religion, and history with these guys. About half of them were in law enforcement, primarily Nashville police officers. They taught me a lot about law enforcement and I loved to hear their war stories. The 1970's were not the greatest years for the military. The War in Vietnam soured many people on the military and it was in decline. Drug use and crime was rampant in the active military. The army began using comic books in order to teach soldiers how to do their job since many of them were barely literate. Jimmy Carter, like Barack Obama, allowed the quality of our military to deteriorate.
Because of Kent State and Vietnam the Guard had a bad reputation in the 1970's. It was considered a refuge for draft dodgers and a good excuse to party and get away from your wife a few days out of the year. Guardsmen were the Paul Blart's of the military. A bunch of untrained weekend warriors. All stereotypes have some truth to them. The first summer camp that I pulled was one week in Nashville and one week in Gulfport Mississippi. Most of the week in Gulfport was spent at the beach or around the pool. There was a lot of drinking and partying. We had a couple of short meetings during the week that passed for training. Our commander was an executive in civilian life with a large ego. I looked at him as a pretty boy that was content with not doing anymore than he could get away with. The men in our unit, however; were some of the most competent and experienced people I had ever worked with. Most of them were, like myself, prior service veterans. Many were Vietnam veterans and they had served in all four branches of the military.
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