| Sorry bubba, but its true. I turn 53 this year, had a child with my girlfriend when I was 18 in 1978 while in the military, and she got pregnant when she was 16. I served in the Navy for 6 years, 1977 to 1983, and my first duty station was the USS Oklahoma City CG-5, flagship of the US 7th Fleet, Operations/Intelligence Division, having joined 2 years after "Operation Frequent Wind" in Vietnam.. I was trained as an Operations Specialist, attended "A" school at Great Lakes Naval Training Center after attending boot camp there. The Oklahoma City was sent back to the US and decommissioned at the end of 1979 - I went with the ships company, and was transferred to the USS Brooke, FFG-1 as acting Operations Officer while in dry dock until my rotation to shore duty, which I served at the Dallas Naval Air Station as the Air Intercept Control Officer until my honorable discharge in 1983. Maybe you feel no one "my age" would use the hyphen, but that is simply not true. I know many Italian-Americans and African-Americans who use this, as well as Hispanic-Americans...all of my age. There is nothing to be ashamed of in being proud of your heritage. |
