Rediscovering . . .

In the last couple of years I have gone about rediscovering previous friends from the long past ago.

Leon. Leon Harris was a childhood buddy in New Roads, that moved away when he was 12 or 13 years old. He moved back to New Iberia and we lost contact. His older brother married a girl from New Roads, Leah Ray Mougeot. Leah Ray was my high school coach's daughter. She was a couple of years old than me. Saw her at my ex-brother-in-law's funeral and asked about Leon. Today, Leon and I exchange Emails almost daily, mostly jokes.

Bubba. Lawrence "Bubba" Pourcaiu and I went to school together at Saint Josephs Academy in New Roads. We reunited at a 50th Class Reunion in New Roads a couple of years ago. I did not recall but do after Bubba reminded me that he did not finish with us, he spent his last year at Poydras, the public school. It had to do with a tiff over his mother's operation of St Joe's lunch room. No matter, Bubbba identifies with St Joe and not Poydras. Today he is a pharmacist. And we trade Emails often, a bit of New Roads and a lot of dirty jokes, etc. Bubba keeps up with all the old buddies that will communicate with him. So I know what I send to Bubba will get out to the old boy network of New Roads.

Bernie. Bernard LaFaso was my fraternity brother at LSU. He graduated and moved on, I tracked him down in south Louisiana in the city of Thibadeaux. Bernie had worked for the State of Louisiana, Highway Department for a while and then moved on. He started his on company and got into the oil well logging business. I think he sold out to Schlumberger or one of those companies and walked away with several million dollars. I hear from Bernie every month or so.

Paul. Paul Smith was my next door neighbor in San Bernardino, circa 1975. We both were Majors at the Air Force Inspection and Safty Center at Norton Air Force Base, CA. They had a couple of boys and we had three boys - so lots of Boy Scouts and school things together. While at AFISC, I ended up traveling a lot and befriended a General Officer. So the General dragged me all over the place. I loved it, not so sure Judie loved it. But it was what got me promoted to Full Colonel. Both Paul and I retired as Full Colonels out of AFISC. We were the enigmas, it was said one could not get promoted having served at AFISC. We both got promoted to the highest levels.

Don Kaiser. Don is a retired LtC and we worked together at Rockwell International on the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison program. He was a project engineer. In the latter stages of my employment with Rockwell I was made a "Rail Car Manager." I was selected to oversee and assemble a command and control rail car. Before I got to do any of this, President George H. W. Bush cancelled the program. But Don and I became close friends and remain so today. He now works as a contractor for the Defense Nuclear Agency in Albuquerque, NM and lives in Colorado Springs, CO - commutes back and forth.

Leo Stockham. Leo was my program manager when I worked for Lockheed-Martin at White Sands Missile Range. Leo was a retired LtC from the USAF. He had gone to the Naval Academy, got into the USAF to fly and washed out of flying school. The USAF sent him off to graduate school, he had finished very high in class at the USNA. He was a PHD in engineering and ended up teaching at the USAF Academy before ending up in Albuquerque, NM. Today, I hear from him once in a while.

Mike. Mike Barry was an engineer at Rockwell, Int on the Peackeeper Rail Garrison program. Smart man, along the way earned a Jurist Doctorate - a law degree but never took the bar exam. Had a couple of failed marriages and was now a confirmed bachelor. He's probably 8 or 9 years older than I am. I keep up with him and he with me. Just old friends.

There are others, I could go on for awhile but these are just some of my friends. They are from all walks of life.