Blog 84 All the Pieces Fit (Gary)
I am supposed to walk The Hill today. However, I have just come from a recruitment meeting at the California Army National Guard Armory. Now it's fair to spend some time with my wife, so I am home with her.
Friday I had a meeting with Sgt. Mike Frankadakis, who is a real estate broker here in Los Gatos, and we shared old war stories from Vietnam. I had called in response to a newspaper ad for the National Guard and Homeland Security. The ad said the opportunity was open to people up to age sixty. I was frustrated and disappointed for weeks (I was sixty-three) then decided to call anyway. I was determined to serve. Mike said the limit is extended up to age sixty-three with prior military experience, and so we set up a time at his office.
He said he had a calling to serve after 9/11, but the local recruiter laughed at him. It was three years ago that he learned about the California Guard from another realtor who had recently retired from the Guard at age seventy. I agreed to meet him on Sunday for a further briefing. So a couple hours ago I was inside the California Army National Guard Armory, which incidentally is across the street from the probation department where I worked as a juvenile hall counselor and a probation officer for twelve years.
Mike showed me around until another man came in for recruitment from Sacramento. I could look up to see the window of my old office on the fourth floor (the executive offices) at the Juvenile Probation Department where I was Assistant Coordinator of the Juvenile Court Work Program. I remember looking down and across the street at the Armory and wondering what was in there. Now here I stand looking back. Seems very déjà vu. While we were waiting a man came in from the Air National Guard. He is based out of Moffett Field with the 129th Air Rescue Wing. Of course I was interested since I was former Air Force. He supports communication for air rescue of downed airman. Wow to me! My inner kid wants to play! Where's the choppers? Sometimes I wonder, is this life I’m leading already scripted?
Mike gives me a tour of the building, and tells me that this building could be available to me for an event in the future if I wished, and he showed me the kitchen. Oh yes, this would work.
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