INTRODUCTION
Lisa and Barry “Lucky” Day
Barry Day
was not born on third base: But he was born somewhere between second and third.
His father was the vice-president of the Felderburg National Bank and his
mother was the daughter of the bank president.
Young Barry
lived an easy and comfortable life. New sports car at age 16; captain of his
state champion football team; and steady boyfriend of Lisa Wilson, the most
beautiful cheerleader in school and a great candidate for the most beautiful
girl in town. She was an 11 on the ubiquitous 10 scale.
In spite of Barry’s much above average financial
status, he never forgot he was very fortunate to enjoy the blessings of his
birth. Weather permitting; he would jog
to and from school. He was the first to arrive for football practice and the
last to leave. Teammates and coaches held his motivational leadership in high
esteem. His six foot two inch frame reflected proper diet, lots of outdoor time,
and abstinence from tobacco and alcohol. His light brown hair was cut in a
close flat top style. Some of the girls privately said he looked like a modern
day Tab Hunter. Everything about Barry seemed to reflect self-confidence, yet
real humility.
He knew he
was very lucky in this Midwestern town of 18, 673 people. Many of the residents
were from German ancestry. In fact, Barry was called “Lucky” Day in high school
and he openly enjoyed the nickname. Lisa knew she was lucky to date the BMOC. Lisa
could have competed in beauty contests with her All-American face and “head
turning” figure; however, she had her sights set on a much more important prize.
Interestingly, Lisa secretly wanted their relationship to go further and faster
that Barry seemed prepared to go.
After
graduation, Barry and Lisa attended a small local liberal arts college. Lisa
was planning on her MRS degree with Barry. Barry was studying banking and
finance. He made a perfect 4.0 for four years.
Between
Barry’s sophomore and junior year he joined the Air Force ROTC. His motivation
was to travel and prove his worth on his own. He wanted to someday travel to
Germany and visit Europe.
During his
AFROTC basic training at Reece AFB in west Texas he was spotted as a natural
leader and easily won the Commandant’s trophy for the most outstanding cadet at
this demanding officer basic training. Barry once more lived up to his “Lucky”
nickname.
Following college graduation, Barry was commissioned a second
lieutenant and the following week he and Lisa were married in the largest
wedding in the modern history of Felderburg. The 800 plus attendees brought so
many gifts two pickup trucks were required to transport them to his mother and
father’s six bedroom home three miles east of Felderburg.
The newlyweds honeymooned in Hawaii for ten blissful and
heavenly days. In addition to lying on the beach, body surfing, skin diving,
flying to other islands, shopping (Lisa really enjoyed the shopping) and
sleeping until 11am each morning, the happy pair enjoyed breakfast in the
Honeymoon Suite heart-shaped bed. The colorful meals always include large
spears of pineapple; served on trays containing fresh orchids. Lisa repeatedly
thought how lucky she was and she would often refer to herself as Mrs. “Lucky”
Day.
Back on the reality of the mainland they had 20 days to
prepare for their first duty assignment at the flat, super cold in the winter,
Minot Air Force Base in Minot, North Dakota. Only Shemya Air Force Base in
Alaska enjoyed a colder, more desolate reputation among service members.
As they entered Minot, they saw a large sign that probably
had been erected by the Chamber of Commerce that asked, “Why Not Minot?” Some
disgruntled citizen had spray painted below the business attracting question,
“Freezin’ Is The Reason!” The Days would learn the temperatures would dip to 35
below zero during the winter.
WATCH FOR PART 2----TO BE RELEASED IN ABOUT A WEEK ..............................
WATCH FOR PART 2----TO BE RELEASED IN ABOUT A WEEK ..............................
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