I awakened this morning thinking about the portion of a credit card bearing most of Ronnie's name that was recovered during the recent excavation of the crash site of his plane in North Vietnam. It substantiated for us the certainty of the location where his plane went down during the Christmas Bombing Raids of 1972.
It begs the question: "Why did Ronnie have a credit card with him?" Who's to say? My first thought was that it was Christmas time when his plane went down. Ronnie had sent gifts to my parent's home before Christmas to be distributed on his behalf.
I'm assuming Ronnie found a way to shop in Bangkok, but I could be wrong. The wooden lazy Susan pictured with my blog has been in our home for the past fifty years. It was Ronnie's gift to us that Christmas. The gift has been displayed in our home over the last half century. It also has never been used. So, had Ronnie used the credit card to purchase Christmas presents? It seemed like a reasonable explanation.
Did mention I don't always get it right? How the lab subsequently determined the origin of the card, I don't know. From the picture I saw, they didn't have much to work with. The subsequent report indicated the card was a gasoline credit card from Humble. If that was the case, why did he even need a credit card? I suspect Humble doesn't sell a lot of jet fuel.
I only vaguely remember the name Humble Oil. There is good reason for that. The name has not been used in 50 years. In late 1972, Humble Oil & Refining Company adopted the name EXXON as its sole primary brand name, and on January 1, 1973, Humble Oil & Refining Company became Exxon Company, U.S.A.
During my growing up years, you purchased gasoline at a service station. Someone pumped your gas for you, washed your windshield, used a small brush to sweep out the floorboard, offered to check the oil and asked about your day.
What a contrast to the world in which we now live. We go to a gas station and don't have to talk to anyone. We just put our card in the slot, pump the gas, and drive away without having to look at another human being.
The same impersonal environment can now be found at the grocery store. I'd boycott them for adding all the self-check out stations, but you can't live without food.
And when it comes to telephoning a business or government office, the automated answering machine that tells you to press #1 for a company directory makes me crazy.
You drive to a fast food place and pick up your order at the window. Actually, I only do that if I'm planning to go elsewhere to eat. I do not eat in my car. It is one of the variables that never changes for me. You can only bend so far without breaking.
Truth be told, I much prefer the world we lived in when Humble Oil Company's name was on the card.
All My Best!
Don
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