Good stuff, thanks for sharing! Quite an upbringing I’m sure.GreatAppSt wrote: ↑Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:17 pmSooo where to start? I was raised in Military family, Dad was in 35 years, up to Master Sergeant then CW-4, Viet-Nam decorated in the US Army. I joined the Army before my Father was out. Grand Dad served in the Eighth Army Air corps as a navigator. My brother served in the Army then switched and retired as a Coastie. His wife served in the Army as well, so yes my nephews mom did in fact wear combat boots. You see the trend here Go ARMY!!! I lived at West Point, New York from 1974-1979 then again 81-84. Dad being in the Army's "brown water Navy" running the harbor on the Hudson river.
I'll share a few memories with y'all. Having lived in Germany from age four till seven we move to West Point and lived on Merritt road. Until I was ten or so I honestly thought that in the US everyone in the country goes to football games on Saturdays in the fall, y love for college FB was born. As kids, boys often scaled the fences of closed Michie Stadium to play hide and seek during the off season. Watched games from the bastion walls of Fort Putnam overlooking the stadium and my favorite fishing hole Lusk reservoir.
When I was 11 my Dad and some older boys told me I could be a vendor at the games for a job besides just delivering papers. To this day I credit that experience for an ability to accurately make change with lightning speed from any denomination, and being able to yell out a piercing HOT DOOOGS HERE!! loud enough to be heard over an entire section. I can close my eyes and still smell the dogs in the box the Sterno to keep 'em warm and the cigar smoke from Mr. Schades the vendor. When you came back under the stands to buy more dogs from him he'd yell one word in a thick New York Irish accent "Howmanydagsyawant"? With a refilled box as I hurried away I'd hear "there ya go, yell and sell". Scared me good the first few times.
As a young teen many of us would stand around the visitors gates long faced asking for extra tickets for free. If you were rewarded with one or more, you quickly went near the ticket office and sold them for face value. IIRC in 81-84 ticket prices were a whopping 10 to 15 bucks. On a good day you could make $30 to $50 much easier and profitable than selling dogs;-) party time. It's West Point that made me love football.
In April 85 I was about to go into the Army myself with the goal of paying for college. Dad told me he wanted me to come with him to a town in the mountains called Boone while he inspected the National Guard unit. I walked campus for the weekend stayed at the Boone Plaza Inn;-), went to Conrad Stadium, Met Mr. Sollecito (little did I know I'd work 3 years for the guy). I fell in love with App and the Black and Gold it felt familiar, who knew. We stayed over till Monday, that morning I went and applied in person to start at App after my enlistment was up for the spring of 1988 three day later I received my acceptance letter. It's my father, Jerry Moore, and Mr Sollecito that made me love Appalachian.
So after that long winded account I'll say GO ARMY! GO APP!
(I too worked for Mr. S from fall of ‘83 to fall of ‘85)
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