blast from the past

so, i was on the phone the other night trying to resolve an issue with an order i had placed online with a scrapbooking vendor. the guy on the other end started chatting in a very friendly way, and the conversation just happened to turn to big city vs small town. and he just happens to mention Chicago and his time in the Navy. my ears perk up, and i say to him: "oh really? what years were you in the Navy?" he replies that it would have been 1964 or '65 to about 1967. i laugh, telling him those were the years i was a volunteer with the USO in Milwaukee. and how much fun i had when the guys would come to town from Great Lakes Naval Training Center. he said he, too, had come to Milwaukee and gone to the dances at .... i interrupt with "YWCA, Jewish Community Center, YMCA." i said i thought the Milwaukee USO was on Third Street just off of Wisconsin Avenue. He verbally nodded in agreement.

we chitchatted a few more minutes, and then ended the conversation. but those few minutes on the phone with a stranger brought back so many wonderful memories. because i practically lived at the USO during those years, i'm willing to bet he and i crossed paths at some point. small world, eh? the USO played a significant part in my life in the late 60's and early 70's, so i'll be talking more about it in future postings.

the name of the guy at the other end of the phone? Mark.

thanks for the memories, Mark.