A Phoenix Memorial Day

By on May 26, 2022
Photo taken 5-15-1969 in Long Bien Vietnam of me. Ten days later May 25th 1969 I was discharged in Oakland, Ca. and arrived home in Phoenix, N.Y. May 27, 1969. after eight months in Korea and 19 months in Vietnam. (EDDIE MICHELS FILE PHOTO)

 Well, it started on May 30, 1868 and stayed that way no matter what day of the week the 30th fell on until 1970 when things went a bit different.  Now regardless of the date it’s now the last Monday in May but this year the 30th is the last Monday in May, a time to remember.

     In 1969 May 30th was just three days after I got home for good from Vietnam and had a 1964 Buick Special Convertible which was needed in the Phoenix, N.Y. Memorial Day Parade.

     Well for years I always tried to get back home for the parade but since that date, Monday May 29, 2017 I have not been back.

     You see that was my 20th time announcing the parade in Phoenix counting radio, television and live on stage but when one speaks the truth some don’t like it.

     The comment that got me in supposed trouble was that not one of the three schools in the village were flying the American flag on Memorial Day.  This according to the Halstead brothers at VFW Post 5540 in Phoenix told me the schools wouldn’t do it because the school district needed to pay a union employee for four hours to raise the flags.  Then another four to take them down at each school at night.  And this was after the VFW gave each of the schools in the village a new flag each to fly.

     Well I understand things have changed now and that is the schools now fly our American Flag each year  since 2018.  But there is a few big negatives since then.

     You see in 2018 eight days before the parade I was informed by Eric Mills the local VFW Commander that I wasn’t going to be allowed to announce the parade because of me mentioning the flags not flying which now they do.

     If that wasn’t bad enough I had to cancel all my transportation and lodging reservations but two days before the scheduled parade I found out my daughter Christina was going to be in Phoenix.

     Now I had not seen my daughter since my mother’s funeral in 2012 but that wasn’t the real downer, her two younger daughters my grand daughters were going to be with her.

     Well I have to this day still never met the young lady’s because with only two days notice I couldn’t make the connection to get to Phoenix.  So counting this year another four years is added to me never seeing much less meeting them.  Thanks guys.

     Another item from 2017 is all the autographed major league baseball items I brought for the post to auction off to help out Phoenix’s needy during the coming holiday seasons like I had in the past.

     Well as of yet I still can’t find anyone who knows how many needy children in Phoenix got assistance much less how much was made from those items.

     In fact in 2019 I sent a number of autographed items to Danny Dunn in Phoenix but nothing was done that year.  In 2020 with the help of the local Lions Club the items were auctioned off and a number of children in need got help.  Finally.

     You see every year I came north from Clearwater I brought the items to raise funds for the kids but people no more unless I am announcing the Memorial Day Parade.

     I know and have been told by friends that some in the village don’t like it because I made it in the media.  Heck one of my bigger items isn’t sports related but yours truly is the one who in 2004 found President George W. Bush’s flight instructor who proved everything the president said he did in the military he did do.  Well seven days later after the AP story appeared Dan Rather was on his way out.  Not bad eh?

     Well for now I will leave you all with what you already have and there will be more to follow on rocketsports-ent.com.  Maybe I should start mentioning names, dates, times and places.

      Hey you tell me.

Categories: Other Side of Sports (Too), Sports

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