Butch Marks:
CLASS OF 1959
Mehlville High SchoolClass of 1959
St. louis, MO
Butch's Story
The last 2 years of high school was the best time of my life;
I only had 2 go 2 school a half a day, because i took 5 solids in my sophomore yr, and the other half of the day i worked at RAPPS SUPER MARKET on Lemay Ferry Road, i had a 1950 Ford and my girl. I have been hustleing a buck since i was ten years old. I was always an adult,didn't have time 2 b a kid, but thats life, no regrets.
As soon as i got out of high school, i went into the Navy, spent a year ashore in Boston,MA. Boston was a pretty good city, lots of party time and girls, never had trouble getting the girls, sounds like i am tuoting my own horn here, but thats thats the way it was.
After Boston, i went to sea on the USS GRAHAM COUNTY LST 1176. I went to sea and i was on the first SOLANT AMITY cruise. We where all up and down the west coast of Africa,Rota Spain, Freetown,Toga, Monrovia, all the way 2 Cape Town Africa, witch was a really a nice place then. We where there for 2 weeks, i wish it could have been longer. Of course i met up with a girl there and she wanted to wait for me, but as it would b i was a rolling stone, and i told her i couldn't wait for no one. She was really nice looking and a nice person. But u know i have always been a free spirit. Also went 2 South America, MAN, BIG PARTY PLACE. I was suppose 2 b back on the ship at 2400 hrs, but i didn't make it, so i got a captains mast out of that and restricted 2 the ship for 60 days, no big deal, i still went on liberty when i wanted 2. there is always a way 2 do what u want 2 do, we went 2 Port of Spain Trinadad, just off the coast of South America, and then up to the Canary Islands.
We also did a mission under the United Nations, we went up the Congo River and transportated Guian troops to Freetown Africa. we where just 40 miles out of Leopoldville Africa, that was when the mau mau stuff and killing was going on.
We hung out a lot in San Juan,Puerto Rico doing war games. Puerto Rico was a nice place, but i always went down to OLD SAN JAUN that was where every thing was going on, party time again.
One time we where off the coast of Hati, and i was drinking, pretty much in the 3 winds(drunk) got into a fight with the cops, got lock up in jail. But they got me out, and the only thing that kept me from missing movement(the ship leaveing me there) was we had so many guys locked up in jail and over the hill, that they couldn't get the ship under way, talk about a wild crew we had one. I also got busted over that, but i really didn...Expand for more
't care , i just put it down as that's life and thats the way it goes, no sense 2 get bent out of shape about it.
But the thing that really got me straight was that i met a girl, from South Norfolk,VA and we got married 9 months b 4 i got out of the Navy, o yes , i got out one day b 4 the Cuban Missile Crises, that was close, well what u gonna do, sometimes u make out and sometimes u don't, i was lucky.
But thanks to my wife Carol, i made all my rateback, and got out as a third class BOATSTWAIN MATE, i mean what r u gonna do, u have 2 clime back up the latter 2 make more money 2 support your wife, and we have been married for 46 years, she was just 16, and i was 20 when we met. She has been a wonderful and beautiful wife to me.
WE came back to ST.Louis, because there r not a lwhole lot of decant paying jobs in the south and not to many unions aand i kind of had things lined up here for a job. Don't get me wrong i really did like it down south, essepally North Carolina, When ever we go back there we never want 2 come back, some real decent people there.
Well, i am going to speed this up a little bit, i could go on all nite, there has never been a dull moment in my life, just ask my wife.
After we got up here , i got back in with my old gang and it was drinking and party time . My wife dosen't drink . So u know how that went over, but like i say i was a free sprirt and alway will be.
But by the grace of GOD, i got away from the old crowd and settled down a bit.
I have 4 childern, 1 boy and 3 girls that my wife and i raised. They have turned out real good, they r all married and i have 9 grand childern and one motto that i have always went by isYOU MAY HAVE TO GROW OLD BUT YOU SURE AS HELL DON'T HAVE TO GROW UP, AND THATS A FACT OF LIFE OR MY FACT OF LIFE.
Well,i have to wrap it up for now, o yes wait a minute here for got this. I have been in to powerlifting and set a few state records along the way, and i have been into full contact Kickboxing( still am) and got the scars to prove it. My buddy once put nine stiches in my eye, no painkiller except a bottle of Bud, He just sew me up, a little painful. But not to bad at all.
well, i got to go, it is pass midnight here, got a lot more to tell, maybe i will put it all down one day!!!!!!!!!
WELL, THATS IT FOR NOW, thank God for that ,once u get me to talking i never shut up. But getting me to talk, thats a whole different ballgame
Sincerely,
BUTCH MARKS O yes i am retired out of trucking
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