Nov 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving, Recalling 1983, Alaska...

Happy Thanksgiving!

It seems that there are certain times of the year that bring back certain memories.   Thanksgiving is one of them for me.  I lost my Father due to a car accident, in 1982. And in 1995 my youngest son was born. But this story is about people or a person that I served with in my youth.

Circa 1983 Eielson Air Force Base Alaska. Winter. Thanksgiving. I had worked grave shift, and as my usual routine I was kicking back in the barracks (more like a dorm/hotel to those that aren't sure what they are like) kitchen (a common room, and not nearly large enough most nights)  cooking up some eggs and sucking down a beer. I had a cook book from Easy Riders (Cooking Carvin' and Sarfin' or something like that) that had a recipe for Duck. It looked good, and I had duck one other time so I figured it would be a good thing to cook up for the holiday. I recall that there was some kind of sweet sauce to go on it, and I doubled that, as I thought it would be better. It turns out that I was right.

Well, one beer led to another, and the late shift caught up with me... So I decided to take a nap, My Friend and co-worker and  fellow SAC-trained killer, Cookie Monster said that he'd take the helm of the duck in the oven.  Long story short. The Duck was good. Really good. So good that all that Cookie Monster was able to keep for me was a drumstick.  I was tickled that I had that much left, and that everyone enjoyed it.  There was some turkey and stuffing left from some of the families that brought some over to us from base housing. So, I didn't go hungry.

I think of these times, and the friends that I made back then, and a few of us have been re-joined due to Face Book and other internet sites.  I write this in tribute to Cookie Monster, who is no longer with us. For if he hadn't kept an eye on my duck in the oven, I'd have never had gotten a little leg back on Thanksgiving 1983.

Thank, you Cookie.
You are missed.






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