ONE MAN - ONE LIFE - ONE MESS !
(at times)

Once upon a time there was a 20 year old "war veteran" of 3 months combat, as I said before, they gave up when they found out that I was over there, Germany. (he he he)

Well, after the war was over I took a discharge and became a civilian for the next 5 years or so. This 20 year old kid, knowing that he was a MAN now and ready to take command of the WORLD, decided to get married because that was the thing to do. So he married a young lady who, while he was in Europe had broke off their engagement, (that should have wised him up, but nooooooooo) and thanks to his Mother, who notified her that he was coming home and that she should come to Chicago (where his Mother lived after she deserted him, another story) and welcome the hero home with her love and kisses.

Our young hero was quite surprised when he entered his mothers apartment and there, low and behold, sat the future mother of his children. Well all seemed to go OK, at least he thought so, so together they went back to Warsaw Indiana where he was from originally. He preceded to get a job with the local natural Gas Company and began to learn to be a Gas Serviceman. Three months later all got spruced up and the "I Dos" were exchanged, and he was off and running. The couple lived in an apartment for the first year and then they decided to sell the car and buy a home, thought that was a good idea and the home they bought was on a bus line so he could take a bus to work until such time that he could get enough money together to get another car. So they sold the car, put $800.00 down on a new house that wasn't quite finished as yet, took the rest and bought new furniture for this palace. Shortly after moving in the thing that was referred to as SEX became history as she decided that she didn't really enjoy it. They went to a Doctor to see what was wrong and he was of no help at all, tried another one and he said that sometimes it just doesn't work, great advice for our future.

Thinking that the Dr. knew what he was talking about, they preceded to live a life of, "Once in a while she done me a favor."

This went on till the Korean war broke out when our young hero decided to re-enter the Army and solve the worlds problems. After 3 months of refresher training he found himself of a ship headed for Yokohama Japan, then a train ride south to Sasabo Japan where the nice men gave him a rifle, bullets, hard hat, and numerous other tools of war, put him on a flat bottom boat and shipped him around the southern tip of Korea to a place called Inchon. There he got his feet wet getting off of that flat bottom tub that kept him, and all others aboard, sick all night while they were sailing the bounty main. Well to make a long story even longer, 18 months later the little fellows, and our illustrious government decided to call it a draw (Ill never figure that one out either) and the bang bang stopped. Our hero was then shipped back to the US and his first night home, after being gone for 18 months, she had a headache, can you believe that.

By now he had decided to make a career out of the Army and they had a total of three wonderful kids. ( there was some contact ) He then got stationed at Ft Carson, Colorado as a training Sergeant. After being there for about 8 months, Uncle Sam came out with a thing call Gyroscope, wherein we would receive bran new civilians, train them for 6 months, put them on a ship and take them to Europe where we would all stay together until their tour of duty was over with. They called this organization the "3rd Armored Division." I , being infantry of course was in the Armored Infantry, we had four Armored Personnel Carriers per Platoon and our young hero being a Platoon Sergeant by now had the pleasure of caring for these monsters.

Well all of this took care of the next three years, then we returned to Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas and I became an Instructor in the NCO Academy there until Uncle decided to close the post and sent me to Ft Ord, California. All of this time we got along as best as could be expected together and raised the kids as best as could be done. I didn't want to split up because my folks had when I was 17 and it made for a lousy life for kids, so we stayed together because of them - - bad decision! Things went on for the next few years and I was assigned to the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington where I taught ROTC for three years. Then her mother died and there being 6 pieces of property involved she moved back to Warsaw, Indiana to take care of them and I applied for a transfer to duty someplace in that vicinity.

Uncle made a recruiter out of me for the next three years and we lived in Warsaw, things were now starting to come to a boil and I found out about some things that she had done while I was in Korea that somewhat upset me. I flew to Washington D.C., went to the Pentagon and requested to go to Vietnam as it was just getting a good start by now. Well, you could have knocked me over with a leaf when they said there were no openings for my rank and duty skill, but they could send me to Korea. I said OK, they said, when do you want to leave, I said "YESTERDAY." They sent me home and in 30 days I had orders for Korea.

I got a lawyer to handle the divorce and took off for a single life, after 19 years. Two weeks after we split up I met what was to become my second wife. We got along quite well and corresponded for the year that I was in Korea. After coming home we decided to get married. She had a 10 year old son and all seemed to go fine, she wanted me to be a father to him but not to be to harsh, in other words be a father but do it her way. That was the only problem that we had, BUT IT WAS A DOUSEY !!!

I got assigned to ROTC duty again at, Western Maryland Collage, Westminster, Maryland where I taught until Jun of 1969 when Uncle decided that I was needed in Vietnam for 12 months. So I moved my wife and her son to Elkhart, Indiana, (her hometown) and went off to the land of plenty, plenty of heat - bugs - jungle - and nothing else, at least not where I was. Well the 12 months went by, I only got a slight scratch and then flew back to the US, got assigned to Ft. Ord, California again as an First Sergeant of a Training Company. There were squabbles and disagreements but all and all it was a pretty good marriage. At least she didn’t do me any FAVORS our sex life was very good. The problem, as time went on was the son.

I retired on November 30, 1972 and we moved to Blue Springs, MO bought a very nice home, one year old and hoped to settle down to a happy retirement. I went to work in Security at Crown Center where I stayed for 18 months then I became a cop for the next 5 years, and believe me that is a lousy life, damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I decided that that was not for me so I went to work at a truck driver here in the Midwest 5 years later they made me a supervisor of the trucking operation, and I stayed on that till I retired completely on July 30, 1990, (I think.) I developed Cancer in my right lung from smoking and they had to remove it from my carcass. Sure do wish that I had never started that bad habit, but no one could tell me.

Again to shorten a long story, when the son was 28 he was still living with us and I was crawling the walls about it. We argued about him quite a bit. I felt that at his age he should have a steady job and be taking care of himself, and she felt sorry for him. One night she came home from work and said she wanted to be single. I couldn't believe it, thought she was kidding but she wasn't. So that ended 19 ½ years of the second hitch.

I met number three in a bar, and she seemed very nice. She was a school teacher and we seemed to hit it off, but I later found out about "The re-bound", as that was what I was on but didn't know or understand it. Anyway we got married and things changed about a week later, she seemed to want a butler rather than a husband, also turned out to be an alcoholic. That lasted 7 years and we then split, friendly, but it was all over.

By now I am starting to wonder about myself, maybe I cant be lived with, Maybe I expect to much from a marriage or maybe I shouldn't even be married. Anyhow, she bought my part of the house and I bought this one I'm in now.

After a year I thought well, lets see what happens next. I met a lady through an Ad, don't ever do that, you would think that I would have had enough sense not to but as Red Skelton always said, "I dodo it." By now I had my Husky Trouble who was about 3 years old and I had become very attached to her. I told Carol that I loved my dog very much and would never get rid of her. She said no problem and that she liked her too. After we were married for six months she TOLD me that I was to get rid of the dog. I told her no and reminder her of our talk prior to the marriage. She said, well it’s either me or the dog, so I told her bye.

A year later I met a lady in the Talking Singles club and we got married, that lasted a hot 9 months as she also wanted a puppet and not a husband. She doesn’t come to the club anymore. I’ve been single now for about 3 years and plan to stay that way, at least until I find the right woman.

In 2001 I met a lady from the state of Maine and we talked a lot on the computer and got, what I thought was very well acquainted. In December 2001 we were married and planned to have a fine and wholesome life together till the end of our days on earth. Then the problem of her going back to Maine to visit popped up and like the “Pop Ups” that we all detest on our computers, it caused quite a financial problem, you just don’t travel cheaply these days especially when she wanted to go visit 3 or 4 times a year. We discussed this and decided that we had made a mistaken thus the end of this marriage. I can however understand her feelings, she does have 4 children, 6 brothers and 6 sisters back there.

Well, there is 4 pages of matrimonial mess for you to ponder over. Heaven only knows that I have many a day and night. There is a lot more fill in type information but I’m afraid that I might put you to sleep, or make you sick.

As I said earlier, I’m sure that I have had a lot to do with things not going right but I do believe that I have tried to the best of my ability. All I really want out of the balance of my life is to be HAPPY, have some fun and travel around the US as there is an awful lot of beauty to be seen here.

I petitioned Jewel Lodge # 480, Pleasant Hill, Missouri, in February 1989. Received my Entered Apprentice Degree on March 25, 1989, returned same on June 13, 1989. Received my Fellow Craft Degree on June 13, 1989, returned same on July 29, 1989. I was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on July 29, 1989 and returned the work on December 12, 1989. It took longer due to an operation, removing a lung during that period. (Due to smoking, BAD HABIT!) I went through the chairs of my lodge and was elected Worshipful Master from September 1994 through September 1995.

I am a member of all three bodies of the York Rite and served as High Priest of my Chapter, Wyoming Chapter #43 in 1991. I received the Order of High Priesthood on May 2, 1991. I was re-elected High Priest in May 1998 through May 1999.

I am a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Bodies of the Valley of Kansas City, Orient of Missouri where I am currently in the Council of Kadosh line as, Maaster od Ceremonies.

I am a member of the Shrine, Ararat Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S. of Kansas City where I belong to the Legion of Honor, and also a charter member of the Shrine Computer Clup

I joined the Eastern Star in 1993, however am not active due to other obligations.

I am a member of the Sword of Bunker Hill, Harry S. Truman, NO. 113.

I have belonged to the Missouri Lodge of Research since 1990.

I became a "Turtle" August 23, 1997.

I received the "Yellow Dog Degree" in 1998.

On May 3, 1991 I started publishing a NEWSLETTER for my lodge, named: "The Open Eye", in comes out each quarter and has been well received by not only the Brethren of my lodge but Brethren of other lodges in the Greater Kansas City area, as well as other states and countries, I concluded publishing it on Decamber 31, 2000 at which time I turned it over to another Brother of Jewel Lodge NO. 480.

In November of 1997 I was instrumental in starting a Past Masters Club at my lodge. We meet the first Saturday of each month for a fine breakfast and discuss ways that we may assist the Worshipful Master in carrying out his plans for the lodge. We also suggest programs to him for his consideration. I am the Secretary/Treasurer of this organization.

I was a member of the Temple Board of my lodge, holding the office of Secretary.

On February 28, 1998 my lodge received a Web Site on the Internet. It was built my a Brother in the St. Louis area, Wor. Bro. Phil Elam, and turned over to me to care for as Webmaster. I feel that this is very very important that each lodge in the WORLD have a Site. My Lodge Web Site address is: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/6008, please drop by and visit, be SURE to sign the GUESTBOOK, and I promise to respond to you.

Chuck Smith

This site was last updated on September 23, 2003

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