STEVEN H GRAF:
CLASS OF 1955
Edmonds High SchoolClass of 1955
Edmonds, WA
STEVEN H's Story
IF THOSE OF YOU ON MY LIST REMEMBER RIGHT I QUIT IN MY JR YEAR AND JOINED THE MARINE CORP AUG, 10 1954 AND WAS SHORTLY THEREAFTER ON MY WAY TO SAN DIEGO AS A HOLLYWOOD MARINE KOREA ERA. DID I LIKE THE THE MARINE CORP NO AND YES. SOMEONE WAS ALWAYS SCREAMING AT YOU UNTIL YOU GOT THRU BASIC TRAINING. ONCE THAT WAS OVER I WAS INFOR'MED THAT I WAS GOING OVERSEAS TO KOREA TO THE FIGHTING ZONE AT THE 38TH PARALLEL. THE MARINE CORP LOADED 4000 TROOPS IN SAN FRANCISCO ONTO A WORLD WAR ONE TROOP SHIP AND WE LEFT FOR JAPAN. YOKOHAMA AT THE OTHER END. WHEN WE ARRIVED 30 DAYS LATER IN PORT WE SET THERE FOR 41/2 TO 61/2HOURS AWAITING ORDERS THEY FINALLY TOLD US THAT WE WERE NOT GOIING TO KOREA AS THERE WAS NO WHERE TO PUT US UNTIL EXISTING TROOPS WERE SHIPPED OUT IN 4 TO 6 MONTHS. OUR TECH SARGENT IN CHARGE OF OUF BELOW DECK COMPARTMENT ASKED IF THEY WERE GOIING TO SEND US BACK TO S.F. THE ANSWER WAS NO WE WOULD BE ASSIGNED TO UNITS IN JAPAN. I BECAME A FUSESETTER IN A 155 HOWITZER; GUN CREW. AS A FUSE SETTER I SET THE MECHANISM THAT EXPLODED THE ROUND AT THE OTHER END. I REALIZED THERE WAS NO FUTURE IN 55S SO I BECAME A COOK STRIKER UNTIL I GOT OUT. YES I DID GET MY HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, IT JUST TOOK ME A LITTLE LONGER.
TO GRADUATE IS ALL BUT I DID AS I COULD NOT GET A JOB WITHOUT MY HIGHSCHOOL DIPLOME. FINALLY LUCKED OUT AFTER 350 JOB APPLICATION AND WENT TO WORK FOR COAST AND GEODECIC SURVEY,QUIT 2 WEEKS EARLY, WENT TO EDISON TECH IN SEATTLE,FINALLY GRADUATED. WORKED AT VARIOUS ODD JOBS IN AND AROUND SEATTLE. WENT BACK TO EDISON TECH COOKING SCHOOL 61 TO 63 AND WORKED IN SEATTLE RESTAURANTS FOR A WHILE TILL I FINALLY GOT TIRED OF THE STUPID PRIIMA DONNAS IN THE KITCHEN AND WENT TO WORK FOR THE RAILROADS AS A SWITHMAN FOR BETTER PAY. 1971 STARTED ROOFING FOR SOMEONE UNTIL I PICKED UP THE TRADE AND BRANCHED OUT ON MY OWN. GOOD PAY BUT YOU WERE ALWAYS BROKE AFTER PAYING CREW GAS ETC. FINALLY SUBBED FROM GEORGE MACPHERSON??? ON A BATCH OF HOUSES WHICH GAVE FAIRLY STEADY PAYCHECKS.. EVENTUALLY MOVED OFF INTO SIDING AND ROUGH FRAMING AROUND SEATTLE AREA. FOUND OUT I COULD MAKE GOOD SIDE MONEY SALVAGING SCRAPS FROM CONSTRUCTION. 2 X 12S,10,8,6S 2X4,YOU NAME IT I HAD IT. FINALLY GOT TIRED OF IT ALL AND WENT GYPO LOGGING FROM SNOQUALMIE PASS TO LAKE BALLINGER, FROM LOGS FOR FURNITURE TO FIREWOOD AT $25 A CORD IN SEATTLE. 1968 I WORKED 9 MONTHS FOR THE GREAT NORTHERN IN EVERRETT AND FINISHED THE REST OF THE YEAR SELLING FIRWOOD FROM SNOHOMISH TO SEATTE AVERAGING $50 TO $75 DOLLARS A DAY FOR THREE AND A HALF MONTHS. AFTER THAT WENT ON TO VARIOUS JOBS ON MY OWN. 4/29/78 I WENT OF A ROOF 32 FEET,PASSED OUT ON THE WAY DOWN, LANDED ON A LAYER OF 1 X 4S. BROKE 7 RIBS AWAY FROM MY SPINE, FRACTURED 4 RIBS, 3 OFF AND ONE ONE, RUPTURED SPLEEN AND APPENDIX, STUCK A RIB THRU MY LEFT LUNG, BROKE MY LEFT COLLARBONE IN 3 PLACES AND WAS IN A COMA ...Expand for more
FOR FIVE DAYS FROM BUMP ON HEAD. OUT OF HOSPITAL IN 12 DAYS, WENT BACK IN JULY 28TH WOKE UP WITH SHARP PAIN IN MY CHEST THOUGHT I WAS HAVING A HEART ATTACK, MY SISTER DROVE ME TO EDMONDS HOSPITAL, DROP ME IN FRONT OF ER. I HOBBLED THRU THE DOORS HEADING FOR DESK, TOLD NURSE I MIGHT BE HAVKING A HEAART ATTACK, STARTE TAKEING A HEADER INTO THE DESK, THE NURSE CAME OVER THE TOP ON THE DESK, CAUGHT ME UNDER THE ARMS, THE SECOND NURSE RAN AROUND THE END OF THE DESK AND SHOVED A WHEELCHAIR UNDER MY BUTT, AND HEADED FOR THE FIRST ROOM ON THE LEFT WHILE THE OTHER NURSED CALLED FOR A DOCTOR STAT. THEY RAN AN EKG,BROUGHT BACK THE RESULTS AND TOLD ME I WAS FINE, NO HEART ATTACK. PUT ME ON A GURNEY, WENT TO X-RAY FOUND OUT I HAD PNEUMONIA ON LEFT LUNG, THIS WAS SATURDAY. WOKE UP SUNDAY MORNING A 6 AM HAD BREAKFAST, WENT BACK TO SLEEP, WOKE UP AT 10 AM, HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, GOT OUT OF BED, GRABBED I.V. POLE WENT TO BATHROOM,HEADED BACK TO BED, SAT DOWN ON END OF BED WITH BED BARS FULLY UP, GRABBED FOOT OF BED, RIGHT ARM SPASMED A LITTLE BIT, SLID BACK INTO BED, STARTED VIOLENT SHAKING, DAMN NEAR TORE BARS OF BED, PUNCHED BUTTON,CAND;YSTRIP STUCK HEAD IN DOOR, WHATS WRONG???SAW BED SHAKING, YELLED FOR NURSE WHO RAN DOWN HALL, SAT DOWN STARTED TAKING VITAL SIGNS FOR BP, MY SYSTOLIC IS DROPPING TO 65. AT THAT MOMENT MY DOCTOR CAME BY THE DOOR TO START HIS ROUNDS, THE NURSSE YELLED AT HIM, HE CAME IN AND STARTED ON MY VITAL SIGNS, PUSHED BED BUTTON, NURSE AT DESK ANSWERED, HE TOLD HER HE WANTS 10,000 UNITS OF HEPERIN ON THE DOUBLE, SHE'S PO;UNDING DOWN THE HALL FULL OUT RUNNING,BURSTS THRU THE DOOR WITH A SYRINGE IN HER HAND, DOC SAYS INTO HIS I.V. JUST ABOVE THE NEEDLE. HE TURNS TO ME AND SAYS I BET YYOUR WONDERING WHATS GOING ON, LOOK AT YOUR FINGER NAILS. I DID, HE SAYS YOUR LIPS ARE ALSO THE SAME COLOR OF PLUM PURPLE, YOU ARE PASSING A BLOOD CLOT FROM YOUR LEFT LEG TO YOUR HEART, SO ITS VERLY CRITICAL NOW AND HOPE THAT THE HEPERIN KICKS IN AND GET RID OF THE CLOT. SO I ENDED UP IN X-RAY ON A S TAINLESS STEEL GURNEY, THEY ME A MILD SHOT OF MORPHINE,FIRED PENCIL LEAD INTO MY LUNGS,DID A FAST ONE ON THE FIRST X-RAY, CAME BACK AND SAID THE;Y NEED ANOTHER ONE,; FIRE THE GRAPHITE A 2ND TIME, I CAME OF THE TABLE LANDED IN THE D OCTORS LAP, THE OTHER DOCTOR CAUGHT MY HEAD AND SHOULDERS, THEY PUT ME BACK ON THE TABLE, APPOLIGIZED FOR EXTREME PAIN IN MY LUNGS, RAN FOR X-RAY, CAME BACK AND TOLD MY THEY THOUGHT THERE WAS NO DARK SPOT ON LUNG,BACK UP TO A NEW ROOM NEXT TO NURSES DESK,, AT THE END OF EI GHT DOC TOOK A THIRD OF A QUART OF LIQUID OF MY LUND, TOLD ME NO ONE CAN BREATH WITH THAT MUCH LIQUID ON A LUND, I TOLD HIM IT WAS SIMPLE, IN-OUT,IN-OUT AND THEY SENT ME HOME ONCE AGAIN.TO DAMN ONERY TO DIE, GREW UP IN THE SEATTLE AREA, GREAT FOR YOUR CONSTITUTION.
READ ME ONE MORE TIME. ALL OF YOU CAN REACH ME AT AREA CODE 505-204-6256
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