My America, My Homeland Part 6

 American History and Politics During My Lifetime

Important Legislation from the Year 1956

The year that I was born, President Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act into law since he had seen the German Autobahn system during WWII.  He reasoned that an interstate system would benefit national security, allowing faster evacuation routes in a nuclear attack. 41,000 miles of highways were built across America. This changed our landscape forever.

Previous history

1895 – Bureau of Highways became the foundation of what exists today from the dirt wagon trails

1918 – Roadways were connected with Bonds, paving began

1933 – U.S. Highway system was formed and roadways doubled.

1956 – by 1960, our interstate system became the largest civil engineering project in the world costing more than 100 billion.

theautochannel.com

My memories of travelling in the car were on two lane highways through miles and miles of open land. I remember looking out the window at the passing landscape or soaking in the sights of any new town or city. There was a quiet comfort knowing that I was in the safe protection of Mother and Daddy out in that vast world. Traveling made me feel FAR from home. There were many dirt roads around Vernon and we knew them well, just like highways. I learned to drive on FM roads (Farm to Market). These were paved roads, smaller and narrower than U.S. Highways.  When the vast Interstates opened, it seemed that you didn’t have to slow for anything. Daddy taught me to drive long distance on the big highways during our 1972 road trip to Michigan to see Paula. He drove it straight through in two days, but on the return trip, we toured the Eastern states. Once we got onto the Interstates, Daddy would let me drive to experience the high speeds and passing.

My America, My Homeland Part 5

 American History & Politics During My Lifetime

pittsburgh-homes.com

THE VIETNAM WAR

Wars seem to define generations and nations. The prolonged Vietnam War and America’s involvement dragged on forever, lasting about 20 years. In the 50s, America sent advisors, but during the 60s, Kennedy sent troops to aid South Vietnam. It was the first time that warfare was played out daily on the nightly news. I grew weary of seeing this every night. It was brutal. By the mid-1960s, there were anti-war protests, and it only escalated with the implementation of the Draft on Dec. 1, 1969. The Selective Service drew numbers much like our current lottery system. The lower the number, the higher the chances of being immediately deployed. It was a very dark day in our home, as Bryan’s birthday drew a very low number. Daddy used his ties to get Bryan into the National Guard and Bryan avoided being shipped to Vietnam. Bill Ford, Paula’s fiancé, was a Baylor graduate freshly enrolled in Law School. He enlisted in order to go to officer training in the Air Force, starting as a Second Lieutenant and pilot of the B-52. As a young bride, Paula followed him to Georgia, California, Michigan and Guam as he received his wings. This changed the lives of my brother and my sister forever, and the Vietnam War defined our generation.  Bryan began training in the National Guard and was committed for years of monthly stints. Bill became a career Air Force officer, flying missions over Vietnam in the last days of the war. When the war was over, Bill was stationed at Dyess AFB in Abilene, and we were blessed to have them back in Texas. He retired many years later as a Major and then used his experience to fly the Airbus for UPS, an aircraft comparable to the B-52.

My America, My Homeland Part 4

 

Yellow Dog Democrats and Carolina Dogs – The Science of the South

It was very important in my family for Mother and Daddy to go to the polls and vote.  They were highly informed about the news of the day and the candidates on the ballot.  Election Day was a huge affair, always with a large turnout.  Mother would dress in her finest Sunday clothes and Daddy would have on his usual business suit.  They would go to the polls together and then anxiously await election returns.  My grandfather, J.C. Jones, was a “yellow dog” Democrat, a term applied to southern voters who would vote for a “yellow dog before voting for any Republican.”  Once upon a time, the Democratic Party embraced what was best for the working class over the elite business class, and really still does. But their philosophy became so liberal, accepting things outside the boundaries of conservative values and placed much of the burden on the backs of middle class taxes. The Democrats created a government of hand outs, i.e. the Great Society, the War on Poverty, etc., which enabled people to take from the government without any responsibility to work for what they had.  In the 1960s, this turned some Democrats more towards the philosophy of free enterprise, that if you work hard, you deserve to own what you have and competition keeps prices lower.  Along about this time, the Democrats also developed very liberal moral values, accepting whatever someone wanted to do as their civil right. We were no longer held accountable to any standards, as that would step on someone’s rights. This is when Mother changed from Democrat to Republican, and she often said, “I didn’t leave my party; they left me.” 

My America, My Homeland Part 3

John F. Kennedy | Biography, Siblings, Party, Assassination, & Facts | Britannica

John Kennedy (1961-1963) was elected President and approved the initial invasion. It was to be a mission led by CIA paramilitary leaders with U.S. trained Cuban exiles.  It was assumed that the President would authorize anything once the troops were on the ground to guarantee success, but without air support, this became a failed mission; Kennedy had a black eye and had to eat crow; Castro was suspicious of another attack.  Because American missiles had been deployed to Italy and Turkey by Eisenhower years earlier, the Soviet Union now openly deployed nuclear missiles to Cuba which began the Cuban Missile Crisis. After intense negotiations between Kennedy and Khrushchev, missiles were dismantled and agreements were made to avoid further invasions.

                                                     

With this, I entered grade school and school children were now subjected to emergency drills where we were taught to take cover under our desk. Civil defense drills across the city were implemented with loud sirens being tested every Saturday at noon.  Vernon built fallout shelters, one of which I remember being in the Wilbarger Auditorium just across the street from the school.  Though I don’t remember much discussion about communism, there was great concern in the air. Afterwards there was a great distrust that the Soviet Union would instigate a nuclear war, and I felt that the term “Soviet Union” was a dirty word.

My America, My Homeland Part 2

 Pictures and Historical Information from Harry S. Truman | U.S. President & History | Britannica

trumanlibrary.gov

I was born in 1956 in the shadow of WWII as part of the baby boomer generation. My parents were part of the Greatest Generation which had sacrificed much for our nation to remain free. But where my memories begin is after the War. President Truman (1945-1953) had ordered background checks of all government employees in the fear that communism would invade our daily lives. McCarthyism was pervasive and paranoia spread with the fear of a nuclear holocaust. Meanwhile, the Cuban Revolution of 1959 placed Fidel Castro at the head of the Communist Party and he formed economic links to the Soviet Union. The next president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, (1953-1960) was concerned about Castro’s leadership of the Cuban government and funded an invasion of the Bay of Pigs.

Dwight D. Eisenhower - Wikipedia

My America, My Homeland Part 1

 American History and Politics During My Lifetime

Growing up in rural small-town America, I knew nothing else except to be proud of my country and allegiant to her.  We had great pride in the flag and treated it with upmost dignity. I learned about the flag; what it symbolized and how lucky I was to be born in a free nation. I learned proper protocol about the flag; we pledged it often, at most events that I attended. It was an honor to be born as a citizen of the U.S.A. with the many rights and privileges that were given to me by the ultimate sacrifice of many on the battle field throughout the ages. I was taught to respect every aspect of their sacrifice. In school, I was taught all the American patriotic songs which further taught me how to love and appreciate my country. 

I thank God everyday that I married a man of faith who was raised by a strong independent woman. His mother was a military wife who moved all over the world, caring for her 3 sons. His dad as a pilot of the B-24 and flew 3 missions over Normandy on D-Day and survived. Just seeing the flag wave proudly and singing the National Anthem brought tears to her eyes. She was the most patriotic person I ever knew.

Growing Up In Small Town America Part 11

 RESTAURANTS

We didn’t eat out much because there were not many restaurants, and I certainly didn’t eat much fast food, at least not until I got my driver’s license. Fast food arrived at the end of the 60s with the A&W Root Beer stand, and the Dairy Queen. There were many good mom & pop hamburger stands where they made old fashioned hamburgers on the griddle. The Canton Café was a special place to eat on some Saturday nights.  It was on the outskirt of town and I especially loved the fried shrimp, egg drop soup and their salad dressing. Many times we would see other families; it was the place to go and dine. 

Sands Motel - Canton Cafe Vernon, TX Postcard (cardcow.com)

I also remember going to a b-b-q place that had sawdust floors and individual wooden seats attached to the wall.  There was another small restaurant that served American food (I can’t remember the name, but it was near the Canton) and it was the place that would serve the football team on Friday nights after the game. Other than those places, our choices to ‘eat out’ were limited. When I was a little older, we would sometimes go the the Country Club to eat.

 A special place downtown worthy of a mention was Johnny’s Pharmacy on a downtown corner front. I didn’t go in there often, but it had an old timey soda fountain, complete with the stools. They served ice cream, sodas, milkshakes, etc. Back in Mother’s day, they called the man behind the counter a soda jerk. When Johnny’s shut down their soda bar, Daddy purchased one of their milkshake dispensers.

 The other drug store, the one we used, Vernon Rexall Drug Store, I believe also had a soda fountain, but they must have shut it down before my memory of going to town on my own.  It was probably a sad time for the old timers to see these soda fountains disappear.