You want romance? In Ridgemont?

I think this day 21 May 1983 is the day I was inducted into the United States Navy Delayed Entry Program.

The way I remember it the US Navy recruiters in Texarkana put me on a bus, Greyhound probably, and sent me to Shreveport Louisiana for the induction process. That's probably the first time they took a blood sample from me. Can't recall if they took any X-rays during the physical examination process.

That day was 30 years ago now. I remember also being sent there 1984. I remember purchasing beer there in Shreveport because the legal age for purchasing beer was 18 and I was just over 18 years old.

So anyway I am certain that I was there in that same place in 1983. I recall thinking that I had taken the oath of United States federal service twice, the first time in 1983 and then again in 1984.

I do recall that I was inducted into the US Navy Delayed Entry Program just after I finished the 11th grade at Ashdown Arkansas High School and there was a maximum limit of 1 year term to the DEP. A while back I determined that my active time in the US Navy Delayed Entry Program was 359 days.

I don't recall my class standing in the Class of 1984. I might have never known. I know I wasn't in the top ten. Chad Trammell was the top graduate of the Class of 1984. At some point I had calculated that I was in the top 20 but I have no idea now the basis for that calculation or even if that was accurate. My grades were good but not excellent. I don't even recall now precise details though about my grades. I was attending advanced classes my senior year and I remember that Mrs. Armstrong in her advanced English class really got through to me on a few topics I was never very clear on, probably because I hadn't paid attention very well before, as my mind usually drifted off somewhere else sitting there all day in the classroom.





http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=41359

The American Presidency Project

Ronald Reagan

XL President of the United States: 1981 - 1989

Radio Address to the Nation on the Observance of Armed Forces Day

May 21, 1983

My fellow Americans:

Each year we set aside a special day to pay special tribute to our men and women in uniform. Today is Armed Forces Day and, on behalf of a grateful nation, I would like to offer them our thanks and appreciation.

Their job is unusually difficult not only because it involves hardship and danger, or because it requires long periods away from families and loved ones, or even because it may demand the giving of one's life in defense of our nation. The difficulty of the military profession grows out of all of these, plus the fact that our service men and women are always faced with several of the most fundamental questions we ask as individuals and as a nation—the questions of war and peace and the use of force in the world.

Americans have asked these questions again and again for more than 200 years. They're still debating them today. Perhaps the reason these questions persist is because there are no easy answers. The answers lie in seeming paradoxes, underlying truths that may appear contradictory on the surface.

The most fundamental paradox is that if we're never to use force, we must be prepared to use it and to use it successfully. We Americans don't want war and we don't start fights. We don't maintain a strong military force to conquer or coerce others. The purpose of our military is simple and straightforward: We want to prevent war by deterring others from the aggression that causes war. If our efforts are successful, we will have peace and never be forced into battle. There will never be a need to fire a single shot. That's the paradox of deterrence.

The men and women in our Armed Forces also live with a second paradox. They spend their entire time in service training to fight and preparing for a war which we and they pray will never come. As individuals, these men and women want peace as much as we do as a nation. In fact, they want it even more, because they understand that war is not the romantic heroism we read about in novels or see in the movies, but the stark truth of suffering and sacrifice and the slain promise of youth.

Our service men and women know firsthand the horrors of war and the blessings of peace, but they also know that just wanting peace is not enough to guarantee that peace will be sustained. As George Washington said, "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual ways of preserving peace."

Today, Americans are again asking important questions about war and peace. Many have been debating two very important questions: How could we prevent nuclear war, and how could we reduce American and Soviet nuclear arsenals?

The answers to these questions are not found in simple slogans, but again, in paradoxes. To prevent nuclear war, we must have the capability to deter nuclear war. This means we must keep our strategic forces strong enough to balance those of the Soviet Union.

It must be absolutely clear to the Soviets that they would have no conceivable advantage in threatening or starting a nuclear war. In seeking to reduce American and Soviet nuclear arsenals, we must convince the Soviet Union that it is in our mutual interest to agree to significant, mutual arms reductions. And to do that, we cannot allow the current nuclear imbalance to continue. We must show the Soviets that we're determined to spend what it takes to deter war. Once they understand that, we have a real chance of successfully reaching arms reduction agreements.

Last month I sent to the Congress a proposal to modernize our intercontinental ballistic missile force. By building the MX Peacekeeper and small, single warhead missiles, we will not only preserve our ability to protect the peace, we will also demonstrate that any Soviet quest for nuclear superiority will not work, that it is in everyone's interest to end the arms race and to agree to mutual arms reductions.

There's a direct relationship between modernization programs, like the MX Peacekeeper, and the twin objectives of deterrence and arms control. The MX and other modernization measures will help us to achieve our fundamental goal, and that is to strengthen the peace by seeking arms reduction agreements that make for more security and stability by reducing overall force levels while permitting the modernization of our forces needed for a credible deterrent.

I know that the paradox of peace through a credible military posture may be difficult for some people to accept. Some even argue that if we really wanted to reduce nuclear weapons we should simply stop building them ourselves. That argument makes about as much sense as saying that the way to prevent fires is to close down the fire department. It ignores one of the most basic lessons of history, a lesson that was learned by bitter experience and passed down to us by previous generations.

Tyrants are tempted by weakness, and peace and freedom can only be preserved by strength. So, let us resolve today, as we honor the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, to give them the support they need to protect our cherished liberties and preserve the peace for ourselves and our children.

Till next week, thanks for listening, and God bless you.

Note: The President taped his radio address in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House on Friday, May 20, for broadcast on May 21. The transcript of the address was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on May 21.










JOURNAL ARCHIVE: Posted by H.V.O.M at 8:40 PM Wednesday, July 13, 2011


A while back I purchased a copy of the DVD for this 1983 film "Blue Thunder" but I am only now watching it for the first time having just now paused it after the first demonstration of the so-called "Blue Thunder" helicopter.

The dialog reminds me of something I have been thinking about for the past few days and especially in the context of real or imagined comments from co-workers at First Union: I'm not such a nice guy.

Nobody ever said that to me specifically but I can recall that people would often, over the course of my life, refer to me as being a nice guy.

The premiere date of this film was a few weeks before I signed up for the Delayed Entry Program of the United States Navy. That year 1983 was when I finished the eleventh grade in Ashdown Arkansas and of the memorable events from that junior year ending at the beginning of the summer of 1983 I had been the class president and I had received that American Legion award from the Ashdown Arkansas public school.


[JOURNAL ARCHIVE 13 July 2011 excerpt ends]










http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083929/trivia?tab=qt

IMDb


Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Quotes


Linda Barrett: Did you hear that surfer guy pulled a knife on Mr. Hand?










JOURNAL ARCHIVE: May 2006


They examined my most memorable experiences and determined which features made the most impression, or imprint to my mind. Then, they substituted other events, possibly even real experiences, with those other events. The most memorable event was hitting that 9 point with my 35-caliber. I was standing there at my assigned spot listening to the dogs barking, knowing that something was going to happen in front of me. Micheal was off to my left a pretty good ways. I remember worrying a lot about that later because I remember thinking how stupid we were for not establishing rules on what to do if a deer jumped out in between us which was very likely. We were on that underground natural gas pipeline and I wasn't too far from where I got my red Ford stuck that time, although that incident happened much later I think. That corridor through the trees represents a specific place or maybe it symbolizes certain conditions or circumstances. Anyway, the 9 point glided in to my view from the right and then just stopped in front of me. I fired three times at it but missed. I'm not sure if those missed rounds actually represent misses or if it represents lack of discipline during combat. For the fourth round, I gave up on using the scope, which was unnecessary really, and switched to iron sights and nailed it. It jumped up slightly into the air and then dropped, shifted, a little bit to my left.


[JOURNAL ARCHIVE May 2006 excerpt ends]










http://movie.subtitlr.com/subtitle/show/612174


Red Dawn (1984) [ RACKETEER INFLUENCED AND CORRUPT ORGANIZATIONS US Title 18 ]


I got him!
You got him.
- He's still breathing! - No! Never shoot twice!
- Why? - If you shoot twice, they can find you.
- He's dead, anyway. - How do you know?
I used to read a lot about Jedediah Smith and Jim Bridger.
The Blackfeet, if you shot twice, would know right where you were.










http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/quotes

IMDb

The Internet Movie Database

Memorable quotes for

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)


Grace: Oh, he's very popular Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude.










http://www.chakoteya.net/movies/movie3.html

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock


[Enterprise bridge]

U.S.S. Enterprise. Captain's personal log. With most of our battle damage repaired, we're almost home. Yet I feel uneasy and I wonder why. Perhaps it's the emptiness of this vessel. Most of our trainee crew has been reassigned. Lieutenant Saavik and my son, David are exploring the Genesis planet which he helped create. And Enterprise feels like a house with all the children gone.



- posted by H.V.O.M - Kerry Wayne Burgess 12:47 PM Pacific Time Seattle USA Saturday 11 May 2013