Right after the New Year’s celebrations completed1976, we were headed north to Washington DC for our next adventures. Actually, the destination was Reston, VA, the infant new planned community way out there west near Dulles Airport. Neighbors of ours in Tidewater convinced us that this new place to live was “the place to live”, quaint amid the hustle and bustle of the Washington mega area (known politely as WASHDC) even though the commute to the Navy Annex in Arlington, just up the hill from the Pentagon, was going to be rough. In the final analysis, quaint Reston (it didn’t stay quaint very long if anyone has traveled the area well knows) was a neat place to live, the commute was long and bad, we initially were in a neat townhome, but it really didn’t matter because my soon-to-be-new boss, about to become the next Judge Advocate General of the Navy, the late Rear Admiral William “Dusty” O. Miller (more on Dusty later in this Post) just happened to live around the corner in Reston. There it was, a commuter with the boss – his hours on the job were my hours as well. Eventually we had two other JAGC officers in a vehicle, and the commute became easier with the ability to utilize what was known then as the Dulles Toll Road.

Before spouting off on my job as EA, let me digress to mention that shortly after we settled into Reston living, Barrie enrolled in a real estate curriculum. Upon graduation she moved in with a Reston firm where her business was great. Her firm was brokered by Thelma Fleming, and was frequented socially by some Washington Redskins players, ex-players, and their family members, including Mark Moseley and Calvin Hill, to mention just two of the frequent Redskin visitors. Real fun for Barrie; real jealousy for Bill. Oh well! (Sorry, but the Redskins, not Commanders, are still alive and well in our household).

Bill’s job was exciting and awesome, being involved in matters that only in WASHDC are generally discussed. For instance, on his third day on the job, he was advised by his secretary that the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO, “the Navy honcho”) was on the phone, and with absence of both the JAG and DJAG from the office, the CNO wanted to speak with the EA. That would be me! The CNO wanted some information on the legendary Admiral Rickover, information to which I was not privy way above my paygrade. I would have the JAG call him. Big Help? Actually, however, from a professional level it was a great JAGC duty assignment and quick learning process (over three years). Socially, it was terrific as well with Barrie and I participating in much of that they call “social”, like the admiral(s) is coming, lets invite the horse-holder and his wife. The most memorable social events (other than JAGC ceremonies, of course) were the invitations (along with those for scores of others) to join the Secretary of the Navy and his entourage for the annual Army-Navy football game, taking the train from WASHDC to Philadelphia and return. As promised, back to Dusty Miller. The first time we did Army-Navy, Dusty was the JAG. He was accompanied his wife, Jane, and by Barrie and me. As per usual, most of the uniformed Navy ditched their uniforms for “civvies” for the adventure, and that was true for Dusty as well. The train pulled in Philadelphia in front of the stadium. All of a sudden, some men swooped into our train and carted Dusty off the train and into what appeared to be a government vehicle; Jane asked, “what is going on?”. As a “horse-holder“, I felt a need to protect my boss, but I was only able to ask “what’s going on” (clearly I was not the prototypical “Harm” from the TV series JAG). No answers, so we left the train and walked our way up to the stadium. There was Dusty, waiting for us. Seems that special people (Secret Service) had mistaken Dusty for former VP Nelson Rockefeller who was also on the train. I admit, Dusty looked a lot like the former VP.

When my tour as EA ended 1979, I moved just down the hallway to the Administrative Law Division of JAG HQ. We also moved to a house with a garage about a mile away (our Tanbark House). Later that same year, the HQ was moved from the Navy Annex to the Hoffman Building in Alexandria, and I was there until 1980 when I received orders to report as the next Commanding Officer, Naval Legal Service Office, Guam.

Whats Next? You Tube!

Tear Jerker: Beware Those Words. I find stories occasionally that are in fact “tear jerker” stories. Nice, good endings, but generally long in the teeth (kind of like finding the next honeypot cure for whatever malady afflicts you have – toenails, for instance) in internet advertisements.

“The Diner” fits the definition tear jerker and is almost 40 minutes in length,

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Aging – Trust me, none of my Blog readers are depicted below.

An Extended Clip from the movie “Song Sung Blue”:

More Signs of the Times:

Bye once again. I am in between two sessions of tooth extractions, so I’ll be when I can. Apologizes once again for any stray advertising.