KymcoForum.com
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Stig / Major Tom on December 19, 2022, 02:25:34 PM
-
Recent discussions involving age and tiresome work duties reminded me of an experience decades ago.
I once found myself unemployed when my company was purchased by new owners.
Eventually I visited a V.A. store-front and learned of the Vietnam Veteran's Preference Program at Wright Patterson A.F. Base. As the name says - the Air Force was giving special consideration to applicants who were 'Nam veterans.
It was heavy physical labor, paid well and I took it.
Early one July morning I was sitting on the crew truck next to my new friend ....we'd just filled our water jugs and were looking forward to another miserable day of labor in this heat wave.
We shared a smoke, then he looked at me and asked, "what's a white boy like you doing working here?"
I laughed and pointed out that even though both of us were in pretty good shape - we were "too dam old to be doing this sh_t!"
(We were, too. Our non veteran co-workers were half our age!)
He laughed - "Yeah, ain't that the truth! We were teenagers when we were rucking heavy packs and filling sandbags over there. 'You in the Crotch!"
I said, "naw, I wasn't a Marine...I was Army."
Fortunately the job was a 180 day temp position....but my right fore-arm ached for nearly 2 yrs after that.
Stig
-
Count myself lucky the vast majority of my working life was desk based! A good pal of mine has been a bricklayer all his life and it takes a terrible toll on the body.
-
I had a cubital tunnel on my left elbow a couple years ago, went to ortho doc last week for my right thumb, I'm wearing a brace on it now, if it gets worse, cortisone injections next, but the brace seems to be doing the trick, not sure how it will work on a bike, twisting the throttle
-
I think this stemmed off my discussion lol. I have had countless jobs in the past that required back breaking labor. Id say the worst for me was when I worked at a greenhouse ( plant nursery) for eight years. Man, that was brutal. Got heat stroke twice. Although this was my first job and I really did not have any bills to pay since I lived at home but working for seven dollars at the time felt like a lot of money when you were a teenager. Eventually I used that money to buy my first car to whitch I still have to this day.