Chapter I. Introduction

Chapter I: Introduction

The three photos tell our story From a young boy day dreaming about his beloved mountains as well as well as far off places. This unit was not established at the time our story starts. In fact it was not even considered. There was a small Hodge podge of military and government people doing similar activities generally unknown to the public. The span of history between the two pictures and the one on top is many years. Our story starts somewhere between 1995 and 1950 with the so called Cold War. The story continues beyond the Cold War to the Korean War and Viet Nam with many interludes in the Middle East and Asia.

As a kid 8013 was nearly obsessed with the surrounding mountains. 8013 could walk out in his back yard and be heading towards the mountains. 8013 grew up in the country area near Altoona, Pa. The city nearby where specialops8013 was born, went to school, and grew up. Altoona was a large railroad center with some 12-13 set of tracks dividing the city. The Pennsylvania Railroad's repair shop with the largest round house in the world. A round house is where they turn engines around. It was rather dirty from the coal smoke of the engines. Specialops8013 went to a County school for three years and then city schools.The story starts as a young lad living in the hills of Pennsylvania programing his fate. From his beloved mountains to travels over much of the world. As we go on there will be a tendency to ask how this can be?. Oh! there are vague connecting links mixed with large contradictions. The story fits the blog design as we go from episode to episode. Actually, life is that way.

Incidentally, Special Ops 8013 identifies the main subject of the story.

Family, School, Mountains and 8013

8013 was born into a family of 10, 6 boys and three girls. The boys and one sister were all older. The next brother was 8 years older. So they were leaving home by the time he was in 1st grade. So his family consisted of 3. Specialops8013 was blond haired, blue eyed boys in a sea of kids with black hair and eyes. Many fights from a young age. After he fought back in the 3rd grade, things were a little better. Both sets of grandparents were born in Holland.His father was a successful contractor who stopped his formal education very young. He was mostly self-taught. He worked from a young age. His mother was a very proud and caring individual who took care of the family. This included nearly all of the discipline. For some unknown reasons 8013 hated school from 1st grade on. He often stated that he learned to read and write because of this extreme dislike. He wanted to write to his first grade teacher and it wasn't until 3rd grade that he could. He just said :" I told her where to go."

8013's mother was very embarrassed by his behavior. He loved the mountains from a young age. They lived somewhat in the country where it was easy to walk to the mountains. Lots of snow in the winter months. Even in the winter months 8013 would play hooky from school. On some occasions as early as 5Th grade when he received his jacket for recess outdoors he would take off. Hours later cold and hungry. but hesitating to go home to an angry Mom. To be sure his mother was very angry.She did not understand his strange behavior nor know what to do about it. There were two opposing factors that were quite simple. 1. He hated school. 2. He loved and enjoyed the mountains.

At times school authorities would suspect that he might be retarded or have a brain malfunction. Except he was an excellent reader and scored high on non-verbal intelligence tests. 8013 read the text books and scored high on exams if they related to the text. 8013 had friends who also enjoyed hiking and camping out. However, he probably was the only one who went alone.They rode bikes and sleds together in the hills and mountain areas. Some miles from 8013's home there was a 7 mile 2 lane blacktop road with an S turn at the bottom. Many a kid did not make it. The road was used by coal trucks going up and down. At times, a up truck was passing a down truck. The bike rider could not stop. Sometimes there was space on one side of the road. Exciting, you bet.

During the Junior High and High school years 8013 considered running away. He worked cleaning wall paper, selling berries and whatever came along. One summer he worked in a local chocolate factory. Saving nearly every penny. Nearly everything, but school was not wonderful, but OK. 8013 saw a movie where runaways were sent to reform school. He decided he had to go by train and as far as possible. Seattle on the map looked far away so he checked the cost. He also knew he needed to have money in his pocket. So he made plans to go by train to Seattle. He is a little over 15. Only a long time friend knew about his planning. A girl whom he knew forever. He often was invited to go to her family's summer cottage. Her parents really liked him. She was an A student but seemed to understand 8013's plight.

8013 had several girl friends over the years starting in about 8Th grade. He went to the movies and school activities. as well as hiking and picnics. He enjoyed all of that. A friend of his father introduced him to Scouting, He joined but not for long. Nearly every Sunday he went to Church Sunday School. He and his friends went to the movies every Saturday up to age of 12 or so. They also went swimming at the YMCA.

At around age 15 Specialops8013 started making concrete plans about running away. He managed to save quite a lot of money for a 15 year old. It was hid in a can under a large tree. Around $300 and a train ticket with a schedule. Plans included getting even with a friend's big brother who broke his nose several years before. He spent hours observing the friend's house and the where abouts of the brother. The brother went to work and came home at a certain times.

Plans were firmed up with his telling two of his older friends the night before he planned to leave. They could not quite accept that he was going. They were very concerned. They were older and about to be drafted. They considered Specialops8013 as very young and immature. They took him out and together they drank several beers as usual. Special8013 was tall and well built and could be served in the some of the local bars. He is 15 and 6 months now. This was the final goodbye.Specialops8013 had a bag and suitcase packed and hid in a little shack with garden tools.He was up early and dressed for school. It was cold out.

8013 had one task to perform before leaving. He did act a little strange around his parents. They never noticed. He knew his friend's brother would be leaving for work soon. He was in the tree in his back yard when he came out of the house, Specialops8013 hit him on the head with a 2x4 as he came by. Specialops saw him laying there bleeding and had regrets that never went away.

Off to pick up the bags and to the train station. It was a long train ride to the West coast city of Seattle. Had to change trains in Chicago. Actually this was his first train ride. The family always trawled by auto. Slept some, walked around some but mostly looking out the window. Free but so sad and already homesick. In the train station in Chicago a woman befriended him and invited him to her house for the night. She promised him she would have at the station long before 11 AM when his train left. She was very nice and fixed dinner for them.

Later 8013 overheard her on the phone. 8013 became afraid because she was talking about him. He went to the bedroom and grab his bag and went out the window. It was still early and he stopped at a drug store and asked for directions. If he were driving it not be far but a very long walk. much to his surprise a young couple offered to take him. They said she lived near the train station. They talked all of the way there and she asked a million questions. He was there in plenty of time. He always wondered if he was right about the woman. Maybe not.