Best Friends - Two Wild and Crazy Guys....

One of the difficulties of a youngster in a military family is the fact that every couple of years you end up moving - usually across the country. For some, the moves are across the oceans. Now in some respects, this is great. I got to see this country from one ocean to the next. As a kid I caught all the national parks and most of the major cities. I've been to New York, DC, Chicago, Dallas... Heck just about everywhere. The difficulty with it is that just when you develop great friendships, it is time to pack up and move again. I was torn every time we moved.

In 1973 (age 12), My Father retired from the Corps and the family moved to Mena, Arkansas. The folks bought a nursery and a home and a new and exciting chapter began for me. Mena isn't exactly the big city, but it was an awesome place to grow up. I joined the swim team and began making friends. Some of those friendships are still running today. There was Clay, Kevin, Steve, Liz, Pud, Steve.....

My time in Mena started pretty rough, the adjustment to a settled community was a bit tenuous. The people in the community were great, but I was used to the moving, with friends coming and going. I had troubles with getting to close to people. Maybe it was trust issues, but whatever it was, I had never had a "BEST" friend. I had friends, but none that I would classify as best. In the 9th grade I was in band and playing the trombone. One of my fellow classmates and band members was Vernon. Over the year, Vernon and I began to hang out more and more. He became the part of me that I had never had before. The two of us were thick, peas in a pod, two of a kind.

Vernon was named after his father, hence he had a Jr. at the end of his name (as did I). We were the two Juniors. Kind of like the 3 amigos, 3 stooges, and the 3 musketeers.... Vernon's parents were "Mom and Dad" to me, and mine were the same to him. We did pretty much everything together. If one of us had a date, we didn't go out unless the other had a date as well. We did a lot of double-dating back then. We were fortunate to have each other. Looking back at the time I had with Vernon - - I WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING.....

We graduated in 1979 and joined the Marine Corps on the buddy-plan. After boot camp we were both guaranteed to be trained in Avionics (Aviation Electronics). Somehow, my orders were changed in boot camp and I was assigned to the Legal Field. I was trained as a Court Reporter. The Marine Corps gave me the option of collecting my Avionics bonus and staying in the legal field, or getting discharged. Discharge wasn't an option - so I became a Court Reporter. My training was at Camp Pendleton, California. Vernon's Avionics training was at Millington, TN (near Memphis). We talked from time to time.

In December of 1979, I got married to Carolyn. Vernon was my only choice for best man. Together we stood tall at the alter while Carolyn walked the aisle and we said our vows. It was a moment that I wanted to share with Vernon. Several years later, Vernon married Paula, and I was the best man at his wedding.

We had a lot in common, but time and distance began to fade our friendship. From time to time we would see each other and it would be just like old times. Best Friends Forever. Eventually, I got out of the corps and carried on with civilian life. Years later, Vernon got out and carried on with his life with his family. Once in a blue moon we would see each other and it was as if time stood still.

Recently, I joined Facebook. It seemed neat to be able to talk with old friends and acquaintances. I've talked with people I hadn't seen in over 30 years. Some of my friends now weren't exactly friends years back, but people grow up as they grow old and the things we do have in common make becoming Facebook Friends now well worth it.



About two months ago, I connected with Vernon and Paula on Facebook. Through this I got his number and we talked on the phone. We caught each other up to pace on the years in our lives that we had missed with each other. Once again, I know that my best friend (other than Carolyn) will always be with me, even if he isn't here. Miles can come between us, and the clocks and calendars will tick and tear away, but Vernon and I will ALWAYS be best friends. After all, "We're two Wild and Crazy Guys".......