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Gregory's Two Americas

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Looking at America through my eyes, from when I was very youg through my later years. I will define the two Americas I see.

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Gregory's Two Americas (01)

Being new to writing a column, I ask you to please excuse my "simple speak" and lack of poetry in my writings. I think than in conveying what I believe in, as I was growing up, will show those who follow my column that there really is a two Americas. Not the two Americas that Senator Edwards speaks of, he surely believes in two of everything it appears, but I digress. I'll start by giving you a little history of my life and where my initiation into the "Two Americas" started, and continues.

My father, a career military soldier, 33 plus years, and retired only after my mother gave him an ultimatum, and although his mistress was the military, and he always let his family know that his duty to his service in the military was never to be interfered with, not even by family. This turned out to be just his tough rhetoric that he was hiding behind as his family was never neglected when he was at home, and that was not a lot, but when we did have this gentleman and officer in our presence, we had the best father, husband and head of the house hold anyone could hope for.

You see, my father, who ran away from home at 16, lied about his age, and enlisted into the Army Air corps, and whose motto was that if the military wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one. This only lasted until, as a very young, one of the youngest First Sergeants in the military at the time, met and married my mom, who was a lot younger than he was (they married when he was either in his late teens, or early 20's, and she was much younger, but never divulge to the family as it grew). He even hid that fact of his marriage to his troops as he was trying to live up to his motto (you know, wives were not issued, therefore a menace to his training of the troops).

Now I know by now you are wondering what all this has to do with "Two Americas" and anything at all. It has a lot to with what will become clear to you, the readers, as you follow my column. My dad, and my mom, belonged to the America that I have known all my life, starting from my birth in San Bernardino, California, at was then San Bernardino Army Air Field, later would be Norton Air Force Base. My dad, a young Captain at the time, serving as a logistic officer during the Second World War, and spent his entire service during the war at Iwo Jima, building the airfield to support the Marines that would assault an take the famous mountain and create the famous raising of the flag. To better understand this, please check out the site: http://www.iwojima.com/ . Well, my mom lived in the foothills of San Bernardino and had to take a taxi to the Army Airfield where I would enter into my world, my America, the one that will be the America that I will attempt to bring back into our memories, during these times when the two America's that many have forgotten, or lost track of along the way. Now I know on this network I will be preaching to the choir, but be patient, and as my columns bring my story to life, you will understand how different our two Americas are, compared to those who think of Senator Edwards Two America's.

I can only recall the stories of my first few years through my mother's eyes, and how she kept a "Baby's book" filled with notes and copies of letters of my father and his pride and excitement of having a boy child to name after him, Milton F Gregory Jr (I would later continue the name with my first son, Milton F Gregory III, but that is another story, and a beautiful one at that). Her conveying my life, in those years my father was away defending this great country, which is again under siege, and at this critical time, we have a Commander In Chief who has never had to make a decision, and to this day, when his Generals are pleading for his leadership and troops to fight a fight for the survival of this country, our President still has not made a decision, which I find incredible, and we all should be outraged! But then again, maybe he does not want our America to survive as we know it! This is the beginning of my "Two Americas" story, and if you continue to follow it, through my eyes, and it will take many years of my grown up and my values as taught to me by my hero, my late father, LTC. Milton F Gregory Sr., now laying at rest with my mom and his wife, Ruth Della Beggs Gregory, at Arlington National Cemetery, who are the architects of the America I learned to love and later to serve, as all my father's sons would do, it was an automatic, not a choice, we all wanted to follow my father's love of country and our America, so we did, and my first son, Milton III, would also follow the footsteps of his Grandpa, Uncles, and father. Each American who loves this country serves in different ways, and not being in the military does not mean you are not serving. I knew this would happen, once I got started, I would find it hard to find a way to come to a close. I'll just say, more to come on my two Americas, before week’s end. God bless America, as he has me and my wife of 43 years, and that my friends, will be another story! Mfgjr