Sailors At Christmas

At this Chistmas season I am reminded of the fine program which allowed sailors from the Great Lakes Naval Station to visit our homes for a day. I recall going to the town hall to pick up one or two young men, often black or latino which in those days in Streamwwood one never saw. Then my mother fed them the finest of meals and my father and Ray, the guy down the block, got 'em good and liquored up before pouring them back on the bus. As Vietnam escalated we began to be aware of the heavy s*** some of them were heading towards. For years this was part of our Christmas celebration. Good times. One of them fellers bought me my first Rolling Stones Record, High Tides and Green Grass, at Monaco's. I still have it. The album was released in 1966. We can only hope it was in an oldies bin, or I must be getting really old. Merry Christmas.