Monday, December 25, 2023
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The memory is a high school memory of Wilson and I being hauled in front of Captain Carter in 1964 for having led a chant of "Carter Sucks" during lunch period out by the smoking wall where Captain Carter and a few academic teachers were socializing.
Wilson and I were both very tall and skinny and Wilson would also get uncontrollable giggles when we thought something was funny. Well, Captain Carter..an Army Ranger..said as we stood at attention; "So, I've been told that you two are the ones who came up with the "Carter Sucks" noise and Wilson just burst into hysterical giggles. The Captain turned bright red with anger and charged over and kicked Wilson in a shin bone. Wilson started hopping around, we both quit laughing and Carter never did any other puishment to us. Of course Wilson was a hero to our gang as we admired the big red bruise on his shin bone.
The memory is simple, but only understood in context. Wilson and I and Gene and Gerry Carlisle ( see photo ) all went to a unique high school named Lanier in Macon Georgia. Unique because it was a public school with cumpulsory military training which drew boys from within certain geographic boundaries, i.e., we had no choice about the military training. Many guys would like to attend a miitary high school, but about half of us did not like it and most of that half just accepted and put up with the military stuff. Wison, Gene, Gerry and I never accepted or put up with it. We took pride in the number of demerits we'd get for unpolished shoes and having to stay after school doing "tours" ( marching around in 90 degree heat ) for various types of misbehaviour.
