That’s Funny, I Don’t Remember Being Poor

[BarryBobPosthole]

12432

But 14K a year at MCI seemed like a pile when I got out three months after this pay stub.

Damn. Just came across this cleaning out some old junk. Pay stub from Uncle Sam’s Air Farce/ Jul ‘79.

BKB

[Thumper]

Ha! I remember my first military paycheck well .... $133.00/mo. ... soon after that, we got a $10.00/mo. raise. :)

[LJ3]

My first job out of the Army was with AllNet, right down the street form MCI. I was pulling down a whopping $18,500. That would have been 1983.

[Thumper]

Oh, BTW ... we weren't poor. We were young and single, they paid for our shoes/clothes/accessories, medical/dental care, food, lodging, transportation and utilities ... our paychecks were just beer money! ;)

[BarryBobPosthole]

I’m sure though, but you saw all the guys who were always broke the day after payday, eating in the chow hall every day because they were broke. I was never one to loan money, hell I never had any to loan, but I had a regular couple of guys who’d always hit me up right after payday for a loan.

BKB

[DeputyDog]

My starting salary at the Sheriff’s Department was $15,050 in 1990.


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[Thumper]

I’m waiting for Bubba to drop in and tell us the total on HIS first military paycheck. ;)

[Trav]

I’m waiting for Bubba to drop in and tell us the total on HIS first military paycheck. ;)

He was probably paid in GBP by King George.

[jb]

My memory doesn't go back 57 years with a lot of clarity, but I'm thinking $38 month for a pv't., but then beer was about 50cents a glass and gas was 30 cents'
After 5 years of education I started teaching for $8,200, things have gotten better.

[Thumper]

So when are you going to change that old avatar and get the Jag in there? ;)

[jb]

In about 5 weeks, still in the barn, had a fresh snowfall this AM of about 3" but temps headed up into the upper 50's later this week, I think I'll let Ma Nature melt this last snow rather than shovel or blow it.

[Thumper]

I was working construction on the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport when I found I was going to be drafted. I remember self-serve gas stations were the newest thing going and self-serve gas was the cheapest. In Texas, regular was 27.9 cents/gal. and premium (Ethyl or Hi-test back in the day) was 29.9 cents!

When I got into the service, beer (on the mil. post) was $0.25 cents/can and a Coke was $0.35/can. Then the military wondered why there was an "alcohol problem" within the ranks! :huh

[Hombre]

It funny the "being poor" when you're young, but you never notice it. I remember my first apartment I used a pool floating mattress that pushed up to the wall for a living room couch, it really did double as a pool floatie too. That year someone broke into my apartment...... I could almost tell from the mess they made of my clothes that they were pissed I was poorer than them. But, I never felt poor. Its such a rush to be out on your own, making your own path, creating your own rules (sometimes bad ones). I see it in my own kid now...I can't believe the size of apartment she lives in. It's her home, he office, her school (for masters), and she entertains all in the smallest 1 bedroom I've seen..

[BarryBobPosthole]

When I was in the military seemed to encourage alcohol abuse. Every Friday our squadron iced down several cases of beer in a couple of big trash cans out under a big tree and the whole place would be shut down by 3:00. They always stayed till the last can was gone. Then, everyone who lived off base drove home drunk as lords.
I have no idea who paid for all of that beer. Every softball game, every commanders call, hell every dayat lunch people were drinking.

BKB

[Thumper]

I remember when Coors beer was a HUGE deal ... ala Smokey and the Bandit. Back in the day, you could only get Coors West of the Mississippi. I used to make good money boot-legging Coors from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Memphis. I was living in Ft. Worth at the time, but returned home to Memphis regularly for a few days off. I'd sell the Coors at a premium and it would pay my gas money. You'd be surprised at how many cases of beer you can transport in the trunk and backseat of a '60 Pontiac! When I was in Thailand, we had domestic beer in coke machines all over post. Like buying a coke, you'd drop in a quarter and a beer would roll out. One time I had a buddy of mine back home mail me a 6-pack of Coors. My Army bud and I went to the hobby shop one night (we were into building and flying model planes). I'd slipped a couple of Coors beers into my field jacket and my buddy and I slipped outside to "buy a beer from one of the vending machines". We both walked back in sipping on a couple open cans of Coors. Everyone's eyes got as big as saucers as they asked where we got them. We acted all pissed off and told them we'd pushed the button for Budweiser, but these stupid Coors cans came rolling out. Those goofballs 'bout ripped the doors off the hinges making a bee-line for the beer machine! Needless to say, after going through half the quarters in S.E. Asia and emptying that machine, it was determined we must have gotten the only two Coors beers in the country! :lmao

[BarryBobPosthole]

I had a buddy That was a weapons officer in a f4 (MacDill was a f4 training base). He flew in the backseat to Texas pretty regular and you’d also be amazed at how many cases of Coors he and his pilot could stuff in the boot of a f4.
$10 a case was the going rate as I recall. Seems cheap now!
BKB

Ps and from the old argument....”If doors spells DOORs the coors spells COORS.

[Thumper]

When I was in Northern Thailand, we had an Air Farce base (Udorn) about 12 miles from us. It was predominately an F-4 and U-2 base for missions over 'Nam (450 miles). A Zoomie buddy of mine got me into a program where I could ride in the back seat of an F-4 on a training mission. I was on the waiting list for what seemed like forever when he notified me my chance was coming up in about 3-weeks! Problem was, I was leaving the country about a week later.

After all that waiting, I never did get that ride. :crybaby

P.S. - Ya' lost me on the Doors/Coors thing. :huh

[Chicken Dinner]

Jim, I know this I’ve mentioned this before. But,?I have fond memories of Udorn AFB in the early 70’s. We could fly Space A from Vientiane on Air America and hit the PX and the Officer’s Club for the day for a little R and R.


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[BarryBobPosthole]

Just say the word DOORS. The say the word COORS. They should rhyme.

BKB

[Hombre]

Funny timing, just outside of Texas Techhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210316/370ede1d57468bc3f895d114a41a97c8.jpg

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[Thumper]

C.D. quote:


Jim, I know this I’ve mentioned this before. But,?I have fond memories of Udorn AFB in the early 70’s. We could fly Space A from Vientiane on Air America and hit the PX and the Officer’s Club for the day for a little R and R.

Yessir, I was hanging around that area quite a bit in the early 70's ... were you that little Embassy kid running around the base back then? ;)

We had an ARDF (Airborne Radio Direction Finding) unit based there plus, for a year or so, I had a "downtown" bungalow just on the outskirts of the perimeter. I could also be found hanging around the Air America area, so we well could have crossed paths. I was there in Oct. '72 when the base suffered a sapper attack and I used to have pics of the perp (at least, what was left of him). The pics were considered contraband, so I had to develop them myself. (when he was shot, his satchel charges blew up and he ended up in a couple dozen pieces) A shithead roommate in the states stole them years later ... no proof, but nobody else had access. I was in that same bungalow during Operation Linebacker (or the "Christmas bombings") in Dec. '72. I got ZERO sleep as F-4's were taking off every 30 seconds (24/7) for 11 frigging days right outside my window! Were you there that early? (I left in late '75 after 'Nam fell)

[Chicken Dinner]

I was there in 73 and 74. We came back to the states in the summer of ‘74 for my Dad and Mom to do a year of Vietnamese language training as our next post was Saigon. Due to the timing we missed the “excitement” in both places.


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[Thumper]

C.D., in '73-'74, I was at Ramasun Station, or as it's cover was known, the 7th RRFS (7th Radio Research Field Station), a Mil. Intel. post just South of Udorn. I spent a lot of time running between there (Non Sung) and Udon Thani (Udorn). I dug up this old post from about 4 years ago and you were going to get with your dad, but I never remember hearing back from you. I apologize if your dad isn't still with us, but I'm curious.


CD, we may have very well crossed paths back in those days. I was based just outside (10 klicks) of Udorn from '72-'75, including a few months just outside of U-Tapao during the Saigon evacuation and the Mayaguez Incident. Whenever I was at Udorn AFB, I'd usually be hanging around the Air America compound. I believe you'd fly in on AA if I remember correctly. I also made a few (illegal, long story ) trips to the Embassy in Vientiane. I hate to ask this, because I should know, is your dad still around? If so, could you ask him if he ever knew Emory Swank? He was the Deputy Chief of Mission in Laos, but that was long before your dad was there. He was the Ambassador to Cambodia, '70-'73 and went by "Coby" to close friends. He was a "rebel" and a no-bullshit kind'a guy. He eventually pissed off the State Department by telling them stuff they did not want to hear. They retaliated by assigning him to some menial desk job someplace in Bumfuck. I have a letter from him here, basically thanking me for most likely saving his life (along with a large group of other dignitaries). Our entire unit received a Unit Citation because of it.

Do you recall whether or not you ever asked your dad about Coby? Also, I had a buddy, one CRAZY MF'ing Green Beret/Mil. Iintel dude (Joe Torry) who used to make the occasional run up to Vientiane to pick up "paperwork" ... which very well may have been stashed under the false floor of your dad's little "shipping container" in your carport. I have no idea, but we used to pick up paperwork in Vientiane and also had a few clandestine missions sneaking across the border to replace the batteries in our little repeater stations scattered around the jungle. I assume your dad would have known the names of any spooks who showed up to visit his "Rod & Gun Club Store". ;)

[Chicken Dinner]

I didn’t. But, will this weekend when we chat.


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