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Former police chief Dennis Evers: It was an honor to be bestowed the duty of leading the pledge of allegiance at school. A flag that our dads, neighbors and family members had recently fought and died for. My dad rarely talked about the war, most soldiers who saw real action
didn’t. He did tell me once about being on Saipan and going to the latrine only to return to find the soldier he was sleeping next to dead with his throat slashed by an enemy guerilla. When it came to sports, everyone played outside, every moment they could, like in “Sandlot”.
We kept score and if you or your team sucked, you sucked it up. I always dreaded being called last when the classes’ most popular students chose sides for dangerous games like “dodge ball” but you learned early on that life was full of disappointment.
The playgrounds had actual steel equipment, things like towering swings and slides and merry go rounds and teeter totters, all death traps, but what a ride. I remember my dad bought a 57 Plymouth station wagon that held 8 (it must have for us to go to grandmas
some 2500 miles away with all six kids). The back seat faced rearward and the entire rear window rolled down, leaving half of the back wide open so my little brother and I could breath those lead rich exhaust fumes for weeks on end. There were no such things as seat belts,
and the dash was soft steel, loaded with pointy metallic knobs. In the event of a crash, mom would stick her arm out to prevent you from flying through the windshield. I remember roughhousing with my brother once and the door opened up and he rolled out,
fortunately we were only doing 35 so mom pulled over and went back and retrieved him (true story). At the gas station, you were greeted with a smile, and at .28 cents a gallon, you would cheerfully get your windows washed, oil, radiator and tires checked, a free map and some S&H
green stamps, that you could save (and eventually lick) so your mom could get a new iron or mixer. Sodas and large candy bars were a nickel, and I remember when a new place called “Taco Bell” opened up and everything was .18 cents.
Entertainment consisted of 3 TV channels,
Entertainment consisted of 3 TV channels,
all at the whim of the antenna. Often, the 200 pound television set would be on a TV tray with spindly metal legs, or teetering on some other piece of furniture. Cartoons, were great, had heroes and villains, and a moral. Comedy was funny, not dirty.
In fact the married couple in the Dick Van Dyke show slept in separate beds.
Crime wasn’t an issue; you could go downtown any time day or night and not worry about it.
Patriotism was a good thing. We were proud of America, proud to be Americans.
Crime wasn’t an issue; you could go downtown any time day or night and not worry about it.
Patriotism was a good thing. We were proud of America, proud to be Americans.
We were taught to remove our hat when the pledge of allegiance was recited. We were taught to cover our heart with our hand when the flag presented itself in a parade or other patriotic ceremony. We gave thanks before every meal.
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