July 4, 2018
Happy Independence Day! The Fourth of July has always been special to me. Besides Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving it is my favorite day of the year. It even ranks ahead of my own birthday: I get candles on a cake while this day gets fireworks that light up the sky! I’ll keep this installment brief because it is a holiday and most Americans want to enjoy the festivities, rather than browsing the internet for history lessons. But I did want to share one of my favorite July 4th memories: July 4, 1986. I was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas at the time. The Fourth fell on a Friday that year, and our commander gave us liberal leave for the long weekend. As it happened, the Detroit Tigers were visiting Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers. I asked a couple of my buddies, Jim Barch and Jim Mabery, if they wanted to go to the game with me. We made the two-and-a half-hour drive from Killeen to Arlington in just under four hours. Holiday traffic. Pit stops. And even map-makers underestimate the size of Texas. But we arrived well before game-time. Early enough to beat the crowd and watch the Tigers take batting practice. I had a good camera with me, and I took lots of pictures. I saw the likes of Hall of Famers Alan Trammel and Jack Morris. I caught sight of Darrell Evans. And I spotted Mr. Tiger himself: Al Kaline. Retired from playing since 1974, he was still a fixture with the team with many roles as a mentor and advisor. On this day, he donned the old Number 6 uniform. I pointed him out to my buddies. We were loitering around the third base side of the field near the Tigers dugout. Then I saw Mr. Ernie Harwell. The long-time radio voice of the Tigers… Hall of Fame play-by-play man. I called him over and introduced myself and my friends. I asked him if he would say hello to the folks back home, so he wrote down my name, “Air Force Sergeant Tom Davis from Toe-Toe-Toe-Leeee-Do!”, he said as he jotted it onto his notepad. “Here with his buddies from Fort Hood.” My Aunt Dorothy heard him send the greeting that night during the game. I didn’t have the presence of mind to ask for a picture with him. But he gave me a July 4th memory I’ll never forget! So did Al Kaline! From Mistletoe Enterprises and Victory & Valor: Have a Safe and Happy Fourth of July!
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AuthorTom Davis is the owner of Mistletoe Enterprises LLC. He also publishes and distributes the Victory & Valor Flyer, it tells the stories of heroes from all walks of life. Archives
December 2018
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