OK, I'll tell one because mine are from the dependent side of life and so long ago most of the players are now retired from service.
January, 1989 Kodiak, Alaska. I'm a very pregnant wife, due on Feb 14th. It gets cold. It is Alaska in the winter after all but this was different. This was brutal! I didn't dare leave the house for all of the snow!!! The dog had to wait to go outside until Jim got home from work. It was bad. Then it got worse. A cold snap unlike any seen before hit the island. They were worried the C-130's tires were actually going to freeze to the tarmac it was so cold. Our brand new car had to be towed to the dealership because it was thought that the engine block may have cracked. Oh it was just miserable. Then the heat went out in our house. They were outside oil tanks and the oil turned to the consistency of grape jelly. That was how cold it was. Ice had formed inside our toilet bowl, ants were putting on skates and playing a pick up hockey game. I was in sweat pants, long john flight underwear (unbelievable soft & warm), 2 pair of socks plus a pair of wool hunting socks and a big bathrobe. I was still cold. My very dearest friends, Chief (ret) Jeff & Cindy VanReese showed up at the house... We were not to argue with them, we were moving into their place until this heat issue was resolved. They lived on lower government hill and had heat from the steam plant. Upper government hill had the exposed oil tanks. Well I had a 3 year old black lab, if Mo wasn't going, I wasn't going. Nope, bring Mo, too, can't leave her here to freeze to death either. So a big old waddling me, Mo and Jim all moved into our best friends 2 bedroom house with them and their 3 dogs. The 2nd bedroom was set up completely with model trains so we had a twin size pull out sofa bed to sleep on. Jim slept on the floor, I wanted my MoMo next to me, she was my best friend! (Poor Jimmy) That was January 29th. We were there for a week. Jeff, Cindy, Jim... they all had jobs. They got up every morning and went to work. I was there, I stayed home. They came home, I was there. They went to bed, I was there. They woke up, I was there. You are getting the picture! I was ALWAYS there! That puts a strain on even the most wonderful friendships!
Fast forward, we are there a week! A week of this large pregnant woman, her dog and their 3 dogs... yeah, it was getting a bit crowded. LOL We all go out to dinner to celebrate a fellow MST's promotion to 1st class. That night I start getting weird feelings. All night. Jim never slept. Well he goes to work the next morning, this is February 2nd. He is going on a fly over of Cook Inlet. The BITTER cold has passed but the snow is still waist deep. I call my ob/gyn to tell him about the "feeling" I had all night. He said to come in, I was having the baby, more than likely. I call the AirSta, the MST's run to get Jim off the helo, Jim calls his LT who was in a meeting with the housing office people demanding we be given new quarters (heat was still not fixed/working). Jim gets off the helo, his LT gets on for the mission, a friend takes us downtown to the doctor, yep I'm dialated and it should be within a few hours.
The next day we get new quarters. Likely the old place can't be fixed now. Thank God! Our friends have their house back, we didn't have the baby yet, we'll have some place to bring him home. Big sigh of relief. Is that where this ends???? This is a military story so of course not! That Saturday morning Jim wants pancakes. We have to go up to the old house to get stuff to make pancakes. We get up to the house (car is still in the shop so we are in the government vehicle), open the common area front door, there is a noise! I know that noise! It is rushing water. I get the key in the lock, fling open the door... the heat is back... no one turned off the water main. The water is pouring out of everywhere!!! Jimmy stuffs the keys to the rig in my hands and screams "GO GET JEFF!" This is their first morning without us! I burst through their backdoor, Jeff is standing there in his tighty whiteys, Cindy has on a night gown, I'm crying "Water----pipes-----burst----flood----help!" Jeff grabs pants, flies up to the house, Cindy tries to calm me down, I want to get back to the house... All of our furniture is sitting in a snowbank and all I can do is sit on my brand new rocking chair, hold my belly and cry. I was a mess!!! Cindy & I are in the house. Pockets of the ceiling are starting to bow in from water being trapped. The living room wall that divided my apartment from the neighbors has already collapsed from the water. We are standing in the kitchen. All of a sudden this horrible CRASH and WHOOSH! The only room left with furniture was the babies room and EVERYTHING in there is brand new!!!!!!! We dart through the house, thank God, it was the bathroom ceiling and the tub is now filled with drywall from the ceiling!
February 10th my beautiful baby Colin (now a soon to be Petty Officer) is safe and here and in my arms and we are in our "new" quarters. My mom is coming in on a plane that very night. Oh thank goodness... life is good. Then I get a phone call... I have to have a check out inspection from our old house. Yes, the one with ruptured pipes, no living room wall and parts of ceiling lying on the floor. I meet the housing woman there, she was a civilian, Mrs. Brooks. If you were in Kodiak in the 80's you know Mrs. Brooks! First thing she said as we walked in the front door... The carpet is wet and has dog hair on it. Well yeah, I didn't get a chance to vacuum before the ceiling caved in. She also told me the stove was dirty and I would have to clean that. I did. I brought water up from the new house to the old house (the water main's were shut off now), heated it on the stove and cleaned the stove & oven. A few weeks later the house was condemned (shocker, I know) and torn down. I think the stove went with the house. But it was clean when it died!! All totaled there were 15 units that were condemned because of that cold snap and no one thinking to turn off the water mains.
Moral of the story... No matter how you think something is going to turn out, in the military there are going to be extra added twists and turns that will just keep it amazing and fun and something similar to torture and when you look back... you'll laugh as you remember what the heck you went through to get where you are today! I wouldn't trade that story for the easiest pregnancy and delivery in the world! |