Now the only thing Tim had going for him at this point was that the man he killed in the fight was even more disliked around town than Tim. Most people were of the opinion that things would have been better if they had killed each other and both had died. There were witnesses who testified that the deceased had stuck first with the knife and Tim had the evidence across his face. The judge was determined to get Tim out of town one way or the other-so he was given a choice-join the military or go to prison. The next day he joined the navy.
Now the navy gave him something he had never had in his life-discipline and a family of sorts. The navy BECAME his family and he thrived and matured. When his tour was up he re-enlisted and was involved in several battles in the South Pacific during WW2 -he has a whole drawer full of medals he earned over his career. When the next several tours were up he always re-enlisted and saw action and earned more medals in Korea. During all this time he never married and keeping a vow he made to himself-never took another drink or entered another bar since that fateful night in 1938.He came close to seeing action in Vietnam but instead left the navy in the early 60s and returned to civilian life.
Almost immediately he married a woman at least 20 years younger than him and went to work in a factory where he used a paint sprayer for the next 20 or so years until he retired. Along the way he and his wife were blessed with 2 children-both boys. One day not long after he retired-his wife emptied the bank account and left town with another man-a few days later he was served with the divorce papers-this nearly killed him. Both of his boys were grown and gone-one made a life for himself in California and still stays in touch with occasional phone calls and yearly visits-the other became a junkie and Tim hasn
Now the navy gave him something he had never had in his life-discipline and a family of sorts. The navy BECAME his family and he thrived and matured. When his tour was up he re-enlisted and was involved in several battles in the South Pacific during WW2 -he has a whole drawer full of medals he earned over his career. When the next several tours were up he always re-enlisted and saw action and earned more medals in Korea. During all this time he never married and keeping a vow he made to himself-never took another drink or entered another bar since that fateful night in 1938.He came close to seeing action in Vietnam but instead left the navy in the early 60s and returned to civilian life.
Almost immediately he married a woman at least 20 years younger than him and went to work in a factory where he used a paint sprayer for the next 20 or so years until he retired. Along the way he and his wife were blessed with 2 children-both boys. One day not long after he retired-his wife emptied the bank account and left town with another man-a few days later he was served with the divorce papers-this nearly killed him. Both of his boys were grown and gone-one made a life for himself in California and still stays in touch with occasional phone calls and yearly visits-the other became a junkie and Tim hasn
A beautiful ending to a trying life !!