May 24-25, 2008 Bay City, Michigan
Happy Birthday to Jan and Walt!
Saturday morning (May 24th) we left Indiana and headed north to Bay City, Michigan where my Dad had spent much of his youth. His younger brother (Related through the marriage of Dude, my father's step father, to Susan Brisette, "Pete" who had been married to Dude's nephew) lives there and although it had been 45 years since we had seen one another we wasted no time in catching up. He had a large yard and asked that we park our trailer there and stay with him. After driving for six hours we were happily pampered with a wonderful BBQ and a short sunset tour.
The next morning a second cousin, Bill, showed up to surprise me. We had played as kids back in the summer of 1963. Because he has spent his life in Bay City, he volunteered to show us all of the places that had been a part of my Dad’s life in Michigan. It was a full 12 hour day of touring and listening to old stories…which ended with a buffet dinner at a local pub. The place was very modest in outward appearances, but the cook was a well kept secret! Fantastic regional food and fantastic company.
Bay City is a very depressed town that has two rivers flowing through it (Kawkawlin and Saginaw) and sits on the bank of Saginaw Bay that opens into Lake Huron.
Many homes are boarded up and businesses have closed. Farms and agriculture are visible in the countryside with local asparagus being harvested in May. Large turn of the century Victorian homes line wide boulevards, reminding locals of the great logging boom and better times.
The taverns have survived as well as “party stores.” I thought that a party store was a place that sold wrapping paper and party supplies, but when I read a sign in front of one, I got a different picture!!!....”Beer, Booze, Bait and Bullets…Party Store”
On a side note, Butch had a very troubled life. From the time that he was young, he would intervene with fights between his father and mother. Neither his father or mother had jobs that brought in enough income to sustain the small family. Tension was high and booze was part of the life style.
While living in Bay City and going to school, Butch opened up a "bait shop" in one end of Aunt Bid's house. He would get up early and go catch bait or dig up worms to sell for fishermen. It was a solid business but a lot of work for a high school student.
When Butch was old enough, he enlisted in the army. It was during the Viet Nam war. When officials saw what a good marksman Butch was (precision shooting) they offered him a "special project" with a special group of men in Viet Nam..."in the interest of National Security!" He agreed and was shipped off to Viet Nam. He did not wear a uniform and worked under cover where needed. His pay came in a different form than other military
On a side note, Butch had a very troubled life. From the time that he was young, he would intervene with fights between his father and mother. Neither his father or mother had jobs that brought in enough income to sustain the small family. Tension was high and booze was part of the life style.
While living in Bay City and going to school, Butch opened up a "bait shop" in one end of Aunt Bid's house. He would get up early and go catch bait or dig up worms to sell for fishermen. It was a solid business but a lot of work for a high school student.
When Butch was old enough he enlisted in the army. It was during the Viet Nam war. When officials saw what a good marksman Butch was (precision shooting) they offered him a "special project" with a special group of men in Viet Nam...in the interest of National Security! He agreed and was shipped off to Viet Nam. He did not wear a uniform and worked under cover where needed. His pay came in a different form than other military personnel (out of Japan).
He was in Viet Nam until he contracted malaria. He was treated, shipped back to the states with a clean bill of health and eventually discharged honorably. Years later the malaria symptoms returned which caused him to go on quinine which was quite expensive.
Butch lived in Fresno with his wife (never had kids) for a number of years. Butch owned and operated a heating/air conditioning business. They both fell into ill health because of their weight. She ended up dieing from diabetes complications. Being alone and continuing to run the business, his sister Corky offered to help. She helped alright and took most of his money and ran! He had to close the business and with a small income had to moved back to Bay City where the cost of living was more affordable.
With the expense of quinine for his continued malaria problems, someone suggested that he go to the VA hospital where he could get help as a veteran. He did that and they had absolutely NO RECORD that he had ever served in the military! He checked with another buddy in his same troop. He had been denied veteran medical help for the same reason. Their "special projects" apparently were high risk and done through the military but under cover. It was so top secret (an possibly illegal) that the government erased any records of them being affiliated with the military. They had followed orders, risked their lives and were denied their rightful benefits! A crime by our government! Butch died in 2011.(out of Japan).
He was in Viet Nam until he contracted malaria. He was treated, shipped back to the states with a clean bill of health and eventually discharged honorably. Years later the malaria symptoms returned which caused him to go on quinine which was quite expensive.
Butch lived in Fresno with his wife (never had kids) for a number of years. Butch owned and operated a heating/air conditioning business. They both fell into ill health because of their weight. She ended up dieing from diabetes complications. Being alone and continuing to run the business, his sister Corky offered to help. She helped alright and took most of his money and ran! He had to close the business and with a small income had to moved back to Bay City where the cost of living was more affordable.
With the expense of quinine for his continued malaria problems, someone suggested that he go to the VA hospital where he could get help as a veteran. He did that and they had absolutely NO RECORD that he had ever served in the military! He checked with another buddy in his same troop. He had been denied veteran medical help for the same reason. Their "special projects" apparently were high risk and done through the military but under cover. It was so top secret (an possibly illegal) that the government erased any records of them being affiliated with the military. They had followed orders, risked their lives and were denied their rightful benefits! A crime by our government! Butch died in 2011.
The next morning a second cousin, Bill, showed up to surprise me. We had played as kids back in the summer of 1963. Because he has spent his life in Bay City, he volunteered to show us all of the places that had been a part of my Dad’s life in Michigan. It was a full 12 hour day of touring and listening to old stories…which ended with a buffet dinner at a local pub. The place was very modest in outward appearances, but the cook was a well kept secret! Fantastic regional food and fantastic company.
Bay City is a very depressed town that has two rivers flowing through it (Kawkawlin and Saginaw) and sits on the bank of Saginaw Bay that opens into Lake Huron.
Many homes are boarded up and businesses have closed. Farms and agriculture are visible in the countryside with local asparagus being harvested in May. Large turn of the century Victorian homes line wide boulevards, reminding locals of the great logging boom and better times.
The taverns have survived as well as “party stores.” I thought that a party store was a place that sold wrapping paper and party supplies, but when I read a sign in front of one, I got a different picture!!!....”Beer, Booze, Bait and Bullets…Party Store”
On a side note, Butch had a very troubled life. From the time that he was young, he would intervene with fights between his father and mother. Neither his father or mother had jobs that brought in enough income to sustain the small family. Tension was high and booze was part of the life style.
While living in Bay City and going to school, Butch opened up a "bait shop" in one end of Aunt Bid's house. He would get up early and go catch bait or dig up worms to sell for fishermen. It was a solid business but a lot of work for a high school student.
When Butch was old enough, he enlisted in the army. It was during the Viet Nam war. When officials saw what a good marksman Butch was (precision shooting) they offered him a "special project" with a special group of men in Viet Nam..."in the interest of National Security!" He agreed and was shipped off to Viet Nam. He did not wear a uniform and worked under cover where needed. His pay came in a different form than other military
On a side note, Butch had a very troubled life. From the time that he was young, he would intervene with fights between his father and mother. Neither his father or mother had jobs that brought in enough income to sustain the small family. Tension was high and booze was part of the life style.
While living in Bay City and going to school, Butch opened up a "bait shop" in one end of Aunt Bid's house. He would get up early and go catch bait or dig up worms to sell for fishermen. It was a solid business but a lot of work for a high school student.
When Butch was old enough he enlisted in the army. It was during the Viet Nam war. When officials saw what a good marksman Butch was (precision shooting) they offered him a "special project" with a special group of men in Viet Nam...in the interest of National Security! He agreed and was shipped off to Viet Nam. He did not wear a uniform and worked under cover where needed. His pay came in a different form than other military personnel (out of Japan).
He was in Viet Nam until he contracted malaria. He was treated, shipped back to the states with a clean bill of health and eventually discharged honorably. Years later the malaria symptoms returned which caused him to go on quinine which was quite expensive.
Butch lived in Fresno with his wife (never had kids) for a number of years. Butch owned and operated a heating/air conditioning business. They both fell into ill health because of their weight. She ended up dieing from diabetes complications. Being alone and continuing to run the business, his sister Corky offered to help. She helped alright and took most of his money and ran! He had to close the business and with a small income had to moved back to Bay City where the cost of living was more affordable.
With the expense of quinine for his continued malaria problems, someone suggested that he go to the VA hospital where he could get help as a veteran. He did that and they had absolutely NO RECORD that he had ever served in the military! He checked with another buddy in his same troop. He had been denied veteran medical help for the same reason. Their "special projects" apparently were high risk and done through the military but under cover. It was so top secret (an possibly illegal) that the government erased any records of them being affiliated with the military. They had followed orders, risked their lives and were denied their rightful benefits! A crime by our government! Butch died in 2011.(out of Japan).
He was in Viet Nam until he contracted malaria. He was treated, shipped back to the states with a clean bill of health and eventually discharged honorably. Years later the malaria symptoms returned which caused him to go on quinine which was quite expensive.
Butch lived in Fresno with his wife (never had kids) for a number of years. Butch owned and operated a heating/air conditioning business. They both fell into ill health because of their weight. She ended up dieing from diabetes complications. Being alone and continuing to run the business, his sister Corky offered to help. She helped alright and took most of his money and ran! He had to close the business and with a small income had to moved back to Bay City where the cost of living was more affordable.
With the expense of quinine for his continued malaria problems, someone suggested that he go to the VA hospital where he could get help as a veteran. He did that and they had absolutely NO RECORD that he had ever served in the military! He checked with another buddy in his same troop. He had been denied veteran medical help for the same reason. Their "special projects" apparently were high risk and done through the military but under cover. It was so top secret (an possibly illegal) that the government erased any records of them being affiliated with the military. They had followed orders, risked their lives and were denied their rightful benefits! A crime by our government! Butch died in 2011.
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