Timothy Fredrikson:
CLASS OF 1974
Albemarle High SchoolClass of 1974
Charlottesville, VA
Walnut Street Elementary SchoolClass of 1967
Uniondale, NY
Timothy's Story
First ... there was HIGH SCHOOL ... then in 1974, they kicked us all out of Albemarle High ... AND LO, THE REAL WORLD BECKONED WITH IT'S UGLY CLAW!!! I chose the VMI "You Can Be A Rat & Enjoy It" plan to follow-up those care-free years at AHS!! Though I will always have a good place in my heart for VMI, I AM NOT an engineer, & back in the dark ages, VMI was truly an engineering school, that just happened to have a small liberal arts department!! Seeing that was not my cup of tea, I became an alumnus 2 years in advance of degree, & once again ventured out into the REAL WORLD!! I did indeed spend the next several years in LIMBO ... just working, & wondering if there even was any future!! In 1979, my in-born instincts caught on, & the U.S. Army stepped into the picture!! For the next 13.5 years, it was my life, & I was quite seriously hoping it would be my career!! Unfortunately, in 1988, a 450 LB 4-drawer Mosler safe decided to have a close encounter with my right leg ... & things changed forever!! After two surgeries, a very long spell in the world's largest kitty litter box, & a lot of frustration ... the medical "wizards" of the U.S. Army decided that I was excess baggage, & cast me out, only 6.5 years before I could retire ... very much against my will!! During my time in the Army, I managed to experience "Nirvana" 3x ... twice being assigned to the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, for Polish & Czechoslovak 47 week Basic course; & also for a 3-year tour in Munich, Germany, as a Strategic Debriefer ... civilian clothes, longer than regulation hair, LOTS of REAL bier, & oh yeah ... I even got to use my language skills ... for real!! Of course, I also had those encounters with Army HELL, such as Fort "What A Bad Neighbor" Hood, & Fort "Ignorance Is" Bliss, TexAss, not to mention Fort Dragg ... in beeyootiful downtown Fayettenam, Nawth Kakkalacky!!
My unplanned departure from the Army left me with a serious sour taste in my mouth ... not because of the service, or any person, or place in which I had served ... but, in the callous & uncaring way in which I was discarded like so much unwanted baggage, & with only a pittance of a pension (10% disability!!) as a memento of my service ($129.50 a month)!!!
From l...Expand for more
ate 1991, until this day, it has been a virtual whirlwind of various directions in which I have been sent, & traveled. All eventually led back to Virginia (A GOOD thing!!), & finally from Charlottesville, eventually to Richmond!! At present, I can only sit here watching the world seemingly pass me by, as I struggle with the current economy!! I AM NOT DEPRESSED OR TROUBLED ... just slightly bothered, more than anything else ... but, I take each day as it comes, & look ahead to the next day as a good one to come!!
My love of history, & just being out there & doing things has truly kept me from going totally INSANE!! When one is actually able to step back in time, & completely forget the burdens of the modern world for a while, then LIFE IS GOOD!! Between the War Between The States, late 1800's Cowboy reenacting & living history, along with a good bit of movie work in my spare time (MORE than I really planned on!), my life has been kept filled with trips back in time!! I REALLY do hate stepping back into the modern world after these brief sojourns into the 19th century!! There is NOTHING better than sitting around a campfire at night, gazing up at the star filled sky, & not hearing any of those modern sounds like traffic, etc..., & just being able to drink in the simplicity of such a period of time, & the life that was led by our forebears & ancestors!! My family, my reenacting & living history friends, & other friends have all stood by me during hard times, & I only hope that I can repay them in kind!! So, in essence, myself, & my three feline children (Fitch, Scooter, & Skeeter) will continue to live placidly ... experiencing life as it comes at us, & hoping to avoid any major land mines & obstacles that may lie ahead!!!
"Even a blind man can see the road ahead ... A blind man who knows cherishes his friends can navigate the road ahead ... A blind man, who knows & cherishes his friends, & retains a solid good attitude can follow the road, & cross the highest mountains ... A blind man who knows & cherishes his friends, retains a solid & good attitude, & above all, exhibits a strong faith in himself, & all those around him CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING HE SO CHOOSES ... FOR HE WILL TRULY SEE BETTER THAN ANYONE AROUND HIM!!!"
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