Relatives To The Rescue

Once upon a time I had a son.  A bit misguided he joined the United States Marine Corp, and spent a few years of his life, mostly during the 1980s, attached to that organization.  I still have the son, but, having finally seen the error of his ways, he is no longer a Marine.

At one point in his shortened military career he opted to leave North Carolina to visit his parents at his boyhood home way up in northern New York.  All went well and he duly arrived at his destination to stay for a while enjoying a well-earned spell of rest and relaxation.  Did I mention that northern New York is often cold in the fall and winter, and so it was at this time.

One bright, clear, cold morning he set out in his trusty white pickup truck on the return trip to North Carolina.  He was doing fine until he got a few miles south of Syracuse.  There is a section of I-81 there that has a long stretch of guard cables atop a steep hill.  While traversing that chunk of highway he attempted to pass over an ice covered spot.  He was unsuccessful.  Suddenly his pickup was riding along the guard cables checking them for strength.  When it came to a stop, although it was not terribly damaged, it was no longer drivable in its present condition.  What to do?  Call Dad, of course, that’s what fathers are for.

Knowing he had not too many extra hours to reach his Marine Corp Base in North Carolina it was imperative we get him back under motion, headed south, as soon as practicable.  It just so happened that we had relatives in Cortland a few miles down the road.  My brother Ron’s boys, Victor and Rick lived there among others.  Soon they arrived to take his pickup under tow to Cortland.

After assaying the situation they believed it impossible to get the pickup drivable again to continue the Carolina trip.  So nephew Rick loaned my son an automobile which he drove to North Carolina.  Ultimately, as I recall, they traded vehicles, but we are ever glad that with little hesitation our relatives once more “did the right thing” and Wayne made it back to his duty station with some time to spare.